Dimitrije Jordan Mitevski

Story

Dimitrije grew up in a small village called Lukovica in Eastern Macedonia. He had always wanted to travel and when he was just a small child he made up his mind that he would leave his homeland and seek his fortune. After he had completed his National Service under the Marshall Tito regime, he slipped over into Trieste, Italy and sought asylum at the Australian Embassy. He had to spend 6 months in a refugee camp, working on farms to earn money for his trip to Australia. Conditions at that time in what was then Yugoslavia were restrictive. Dimitrije left his home with few possessions and his family did not know where he went. It was to be years later before his parents had news of him from Australia.

In September 1964 (without being able to speak a word of English) he was able to set sail from Naples on the ship “Sydney” operated by Flotta Laura. They sailed across the Mediterranean and through the Suez Canal, across the Indian Ocean to first port of call which was Fremantle. On the way the ship was caught up in a cyclone and many of the passengers and crew were very sick. Dimitrije was called upon to work in the kitchen serving meals, etc. After a stop in Fremantle the ship continued on to the port of Melbourne where he disembarked. Everyone was loaded onto buses and they travelled through the night to the Bonegilla Migrant Centre in NW Victoria. Many of the women and children on the buses refused to alight when they arrived at the centre. In the early morning light the buildings (which were converted army barracks and surrounded with barbed wire) looked like a concentration camp. Life was confusing there. Dimitrije had his money stored in his pockets (all cash) and had no knowledge of banks. When he was told to hand over his money and was given a little book with writing in it he thought he had lost all his money.

Dimitrije was a young man of 23 when he first arrived in Australia. First impressions of Australia were of a cold, wet, and dismal place. While on the ship someone had told him that Australia was very hot and he would not require any of the jumpers and coats he had with him. He threw them overboard. He had been expecting the hot weather but Melbourne in October can be quite cold. His surroundings at the camp were rather primitive.

However he had high ambitions and when he was finally given work in Geelong and started earning money, he was happy. He is now 68 and has had a happy life. He has an Australian wife, two children and two grandchildren.

< Back to the Stories