Cecilia Alwina Sophia Hoppenjans

Story

During WW2 all other members of my entire family perished . In 1957 things looked as if another war would start all over again. We had not long been married and had a son of the age of 5 years. There was no way I was going to take the chance to lose my new family, too, in case the political situation would get really bad. We did not want the WW 2 in the first place, none of my relatives had been a member of the Nazi party, so my husband William and son Ullrich auctioned off all our possessions, packed our things and practically ran away to the country that would take us first, which was Australia. I was employed by that time by the 71st FSS (British foreign Secret Service) and was privvy to a lot of things and heard my colleagues often talk about Australia. I must mention that we were well off in Germany and did not come as migrants to look for a better commercial life, just freedom without fear.

We were lucky to come on the Dutch Liner “Groote Beer”. The journey was great, the treatment, too, the only sad thing was that we were separated from our spouses in different quarters.

Arriving in Bonegilla I loved it, it was on our wedding anniversary – a good omen. The first thing I noted was this enormous blue sky and the occasional snowwhite clouds. Beautiful! Then my husband was sent to Sydney and I stayed back with our son. We soon followed him to Villawood Hostel – that’s when the culture shock first set in. Never in my whole life – not even in air-raided Germany have I seen people living in accomodation like this. We soon left the place and rented a half finished house. It was a very tough time. My husband, who had a degree in economics had to dig holes for a living. I was more lucky, I found a job immediately at Bonds, but then I was forced to join the union or had to leave – so I left. (It reminded me of the time the Nazis were in power). I had studied languages at college and spoke English fluently, so I immediately found a job at AWA where I worked for 5 years in the Television section. I liked it. I spent every day 1/2 hr walk to Cabramatta starion, then the train to Croydon, then walked another half hour to Ashfield – then on the way back home the same. It was really tough time, particularly having a young child, but we became real Aussies; both my husband and I became Justices of the Peace; my husband retired when he was National Import/Export Manager for Elgas in Gas and Oil and I worked as Medical Secretary for 20 years, studied languages part time at UNSW and Sydney Uni, then part-time Fashion at TAFE, then I T at TAFE. Our son lives part-time in Shanghai and in Auckland.

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