Giovanni Abatematteo

Story

Reasonfor leaving Trieste: as a political refugee from Jugoslavia I found myself stateless. Applied to IRO( international refugees organisation) in Trieste and was accepted. Sometime later was interviewed by an Australian immigration officer at the IRO centre in Trieste with the help of an interpreter. He questioned me on general things including the reason as to why I wanted to go to Australia. I briefed him – told him of my aversion to communism and belief in the democratic system and also as an ex resident of Istria now under the Jugoslav occupation and my Italian background was always at risk of prosecution and managed to escape to Trieste which at that time was under the British and American control called (teritorio libero di trieste) TLT for short.

I was accepted and the officer wished me good luck in my future home – Australia. That was the best news I ever had in my life. As I walked out of the interview room others were waiting for their turn to be called. I could read the apprehenson written on their faces. They quickly asked me in unison “How did you go? Would you believe? I said Would you believe? The Australian officer shook my hand and said “Welcome to Australia”. Oh I was in another world. I walked out in the sunlight – it was a beautiful day such as they can only be in the spring of Trieste, but it wouldn’t have mattered much if it was raining or snowing. It would still have been a beautiful day for me in my euphoric state.

Why did I want to go to Australia land of the free I was told. No longer fear and apprehension; no longer living in danger of the dreadful tap on the back “Show us your ID papers” which generally led to an arrest; or worse still the knock at the door in the middle of the night. I left Trieste in the middle of April. The IRO supplied me with a suitcase and clothes. The train was to take me to Tirpitz camp in Bremmen, Germany. The train was full of refugees travelling to the same, destination both women and men. There were Hungarians, Jugoslavs, Romanians and Bulgarians plus a lot of Istrian refugees, like me. Tirpitz camp was modern & well organised.

Accomodation was very good on arrival there. We formed a long queue at the entrance gate where each of us were met with a ddt gunpowder and given a good spray all over the body with a perfumed ddt powder – no one was spared. Women wearing skirts were sprayed too to under the skirts with tact of course.. Our stay in Tirpitz camp was quite enjoyable. In the large hall there was dancing every night and the food at the canteen was good. Bremmen city was still showing the effects of the bombings of the Second World War, but the people were happy – no doubt relieved that the war was over.

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