Olgerts Dreimanis
| Town/City | Shoalhaven Heads |
|---|---|
| First name | Olgerts |
| Last name | Dreimanis |
| Country of Origin | Latvia |
| Date of Birth | 18. 11.1916 |
| Year of Arrival in Australia | 1948 |
| Submitted by | Ines Atai |
Story
Olgerts homeland of Latvia was invaded by USSR. He was staunchly anti-communist. Also he was on the wanted list by Russia for having fought against them during the war and he was part of the “privileged” educated class of Latvia. Most of these Lavian citizens were deported to Siberia or executed. Thus he & his family, comprising of wife, Gerda, & 3 y.o. daughter, were refugees looking for a country that would accept them. After some time in a refugee camp in West Gemany, they were accepted by Australia.
The journey was by sea aboard the Greek ship “Nea Hellas” boarded in Naples. The journey was long and filled with much apprehension and great sadness to be going so far from Europe. No one knew much about Australia or spoke English. There were many other refugees on board & that helped ease the alienation.
Impressions on arrival were rather grim. The camp in Bonegilla was very basic in tin army sheds, but worse was the location itself–dry, hot, strange trees, birds–everything so very alien. The family felt it had been dropped on the moon! No town nearby. Nothing familiar.