Andy Vita

Story

Andy was born in a log farmhouse in Transylvania. His grandfather and father worked in forestry and the Vita family lived a satisfying life in a community used to supplying most of their own needs. In 1940, at age 13, he went off to a boarding college where as a bright student he could expect to graduate into a profession. But in 1944, when he was 17, the Soviet Army invaded Hungary, and Andy fled – on foot, ahead of them, to the west. This was the start of a remarkable five year journey across war torn Europe and ultimately to Australia.

During the next fourteen months, Andy walked ahead of the Russian army through present day Romania, Austria, the Czech Republic and into Germany. He is unsure of his precise route in Germany, which was undergoing continuous bombing, but recalls being in Berlin, Potsdam, Leipzig, Magleberg, Frankfurt-on-Oder, Dresden and Koln. His walk of some 3000 kms ended when he was interned in Bingen, west of Frankfurt-on-Main in May 1945.

The internment of displaced persons was in a shelterless vineyard with no facilities, and the internees were reduced to eating the vines to survive. After several months, and almost too weak to stand up, Andy escaped by volunteering to work on German farms, which were desperate for labour. Andy spent the next four years on four Rhineland farms. Only women and old men remained, so Andy quickly became the defacto farmer. The hands-on work was reminiscent of his Hungarian childhood and a welcome relief from the anxieties and hardships of the war. In 1948 he was able to do a Turning Course and work in a Kaiserslauten factory making taps, nuts and bolts.

During his time on the Rhineland farms Andy was in contact with the International Refugee Organisation who offered him a passage to Australia. On December 5th 1949 he arrived in Sydney on the SS Hellenic Prince (formerly HMAS Albatross). His passage was on the Australian Government’s ‘Ten Pound Ticket’,which required him to to accept two years of government assigned work. When asked of his first impressions of Australia, he says, “It was peacefull’! And of his first two weeks at Bathurst, he says, “We had mutton, mutton, mutton! But we had been so low, nothing could be any worse”.

He commenced work at Newcastle’s BHP as a Brush Hand, but quickly became a Rigger and then a Leading Hand, necessitating TAFE qualifications. He also obtained his tickets to operate a steam winch, overhead cranes, jib cranes, electric and internal combustion cranes, forklifts and loaders. Four years later he left the BHP, and after several rigging, crane operating and truck driving jobs, went to work for Brambles in 1958, where he was to stay until his retirement in 1992. For 17 of these 34 years he was a crane operater, and then a truck driver, starting with small trucks and working his way up to extendable semi trailers, licensed to load 84 feet. As with his rigging and crane operating jobs he had a great reputation for responsibility. He would not operate in any of these circumstances unless he had personally overseen the preparation.

Andy married his wife, Nancy in 1964 and they built their home in the Newcastle suburb of Merewether. Meanwhile his step-daughter and her husband bought land and planned to build their own log farmhouse and take up farming. Andy’s life now turned full circle as he generously gave of the skills he had learned to help build the log house and work once more on a farm.

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