Helmut Scholz
| Town/City | Mount Barker |
|---|---|
| First name | Helmut |
| Last name | Scholz |
| Country of Origin | Germany |
| Date of Birth | 2/9/2025 |
| Year of Arrival in Australia | 1952 |
| Submitted by | Victoria Scholz |
Story
My father, mother and sister, who was 6 months old at the time, left Germany in November 1952 and caught the ship “MV Johan Van Olden Barneveldt” from Holland. My father thought it would be a good idea to immigrate to Australia and try his luck on earning better money. My mother was not so sure but relented. They only had 12 days to arrange their departure. Knowing that my mothers father would not agree to her leaving Germany, she did not tell him until she arrived in Australia.
The journey took 28 days and when arriving at Fremantle on 5th December1952, my father’s thoughts on Australia were good but strange. He remembers the weather being very hot and everything was green with beautiful parks. After Fremantle they sailed onto Melbourne, then catching a bus to the Immigration camp called “Bonegilla”.
When applying for immigration they stipulated that my father had to work on a farm. When arriving at “Bonegilla” there were no jobs available because the harvest had finished. So my father tried wood chopping which I think only lasted for a day or two. He had so many blisters on his hands that his wood chopping days were over. My father was then offered a position as a baker in Port Lincoln, South Australia. He is a qualified baker. My father went on ahead and left my mother and sister at “Bonegilla”. As time went by, my mother and sister were transfered to the “Woodside Immigration Camp” in South Australia. When my father settled himself in Port Lincoln, he sent for my mother and sister.
My father told me that it was tough going when first arriving in Australia. Being German there was a lot of bitterness towards them due to the war. My father could speak some English due to being a POW under the Americans, but my mother could not speak any English at all. I remember my father telling me that when my sister started school, she could not speak any English, only German. From then on they learnt from her school books and began to speak English.
As time went by my brother was born in 1954 and then the twins (myself and twin brother) in 1959.
My mother and father have been married for over 60 years.
My father worked as a baker for the same firm until he retired. He has 7 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren.
My parents have never been back to Germany.