Migrantweb.com Hostels Forum

Beachsides · Posted: Sat Oct 09, 2010 2:04 am Post subject: Maribyrnong Migrant Hostel 1958

Hi All,

Our family (Mum, Dad and three sons) came from Finland in July 1958 and spent a couple of months in Wacol camp outside Brisbane. While we were there my father and some other Finnish men travelled to Melbourne by train to see whether work prospects were better there. On their return we decided to move to Melbourne and became residents of Maribyrnong Migrant Hostel.

I was 6 at the time so my memories of the place are not comprehensive but some things remain clear as if it was yesterday. School was scary and lonely because we didn't yet speak much English, and we used to wag school and spend our days by the river. We also used to explore a nearby quarry during our misspent school days.

I remember my mother first found work at a market garden owned by an Italian family. I would be very interested in hearing recollections from anyone who was in the camp around that time.

Cheers

Beachsides

oibert · Posted: Tue Oct 19, 2010 5:23 pm Post subject:

hi beachsides
i was at maribrynong in 1962 for about 6 months which was a little later than you, but i can sympathise with your feelings about how scary for a young child it was. we used to play sports with all the other kids in the hostel,( not organized) and that made the alienation feel less. yes school was also intimidating and as a new immigrant found assimilating very hard, but some 50 years later i am still here, so somewhere onlong the track i must have found acceptance.
regards oibert.