Thomas Bakacs
| First name | Thomas |
|---|---|
| Last name | Bakacs |
| Country of Origin | Hungary |
| Date of Birth | 8/5/1944 |
| Year of Arrival in Australia | 1949 |
| Submitted by | Thomas Bakacs |
Story
[Reason for leaving homeland]
Fear of Russians invading Hungary and Communist oppression.
[About the Journey]
We came via 4 years in camps in Germany and then 1 year in Italy then by boat To Australia (placed on wrong liner as we were to go to Argentina. Thank goodness there was a mistake). The trip out was full of excitement and adventure. Through the Suez Canal prior to it being bombed, becalmed off Aden and sharks circling the liner (Nelli 2)
[Impressions on Arrival]
Finally landed in Melbourne which our parents hated. Nobody spoke our languages and we were called New Australians. We hated the bias against New Australians and applied for USA visas (they came through four years later) by which time we had settled and created a new life here.
Lived in NSW for one year and returned to Melbourne. Bought a farm (12 acres) in Nunawading with 100 pounds deposit and lived while Mum and Dad both worked two jobs to pay off land. A neighbour who had some chickens talked us into buying some day old chickens from him and said there is a lot of money in eggs. Well we had the day old chickens in the kitchen for weeks as this was the only place we had any heating. Dad, George my brother, and I built some A-frame small sheds and placed the chickens in them with some straw to keep them warm. Once the chickens were old enough they started laying eggs and we were able to sell them. This included taking them to the railway station to ship them to clients.
From such humble beginnings we did become the largest egg poultry farm in Australia and the most innovative but that is another story.
My brother’s and my impressions were not fantastic because “New Australians” on the whole were very much disliked. However there were many very helpfull Australians who had the foresight to see that we could bring some new things to their cocooned world and did everything to help us to belong. This included the owner of Pelaco shirts, the local councillor (Mr Bruce) and the local proprietor of a local furniture store who was a bird fancier, It was difficult at school asthe kids hated Catholics and New Australians. There is too much to write about in such a short time
Regards Thomas Bakacs