Valentin Halinkovic

Story

‘My Story\’ as told by Mr Valentin Halinkovic

In 1968, Russia invaded Czechoslovakia. The second day, after the Russian army had arrived in the city of Bratislava, many of the city\’s residents gathered in the streets to protest the army\’s presence. With Russian music playing and army tanks advancing along the main streets, there was much anger and unrest among the city’s residents. At one stage, a Russian soldier appeared from one of the tanks and a stone was thrown at him. This resulted in warning shots being fired over the crowd. As I had been standing at the base of a statue, I was unharmed, but my four friends (three teenage males and one female) who were positioned high up on the statue, were all killed. That night, I left my home and family and escaped over the border into Austria with two other friends. (I did not tell my family where I was going and I never saw my parents again. I was only eighteen.)

Part of my journey across the border was spent crawling on my hands and knees feeling for tripwires that had been set to shoot flares to alert soldiers patrolling the border. These tripwires were laid high enough off the ground so that rabbits would not run into them. Luckily, one of my friends had been in the army and knew roughly where these wires were located. Once I reached Vienna, I lost contact with the other two men. I believe that one of them went back home.

My first 3 days in Vienna were spent living on the streets in freezing conditions, surviving on what I ‘borrow\’ from street stalls. Eventually, I learned of a refugee hostel about an hour\’s walk from Vienna, where I stayed for 6 months. This hostel was a disused tobacco warehouse. Although I had to share floor space with about 300 other people, it was warm and dry, and daily meals were provided. While living there, I was able to get occasional night work in Vienna. This meant that a great deal of time was spent walking back and forth. The only footwear that I had was a pair of ill-fitting, pointed-toe shoes that had belonged to my brother. Eventually I was able to get a flight to Australia Ð a country that I knew nothing about.

I arrived in Sydney with no family, no money, no knowledge of the English language and only a small case containing a shirt, 2 pairs of socks, shaving gear and several photos. From there, I immediately boarded a bus for another long journey to a refugee camp at Bonegilla in Victoria. My strongest memory of this camp was the horrible smell of boiled mutton. When an opportunity arose to go to Adelaide, I seized it, even though I had no idea where I was going. I arrived in Melbourne early in the morning and had to wait there for 10 hours before catching the train to Adelaide. I did not have anything to eat for the duration of the journey, as I had spent the $1.75 given to me prior to leaving Bonegilla, on food at the local deli. When I arrived in Adelaide, I came across a man who himself was originally from my country. He had come to the railway station seeking people who were Slovaks. As I was the only person (most of the others were Czechs), I was given $10 by this man, which back then was considered a lot of money. I never forgot this man\’s kindness and stayed in contact with him for many years to come.

I then boarded a bus to Glenelg where I was housed in a Nissan hut. I remember this trip as we passed someone on the side of the road selling fresh oranges. As oranges were a rare treat back in my home country, I decided to walk the several kilometers back and bought a 5 kilo bag. I then ate them all with the help of the person sharing my hut with me. I did not eat another orange for some time after.

Before long, I was invited to the Czechoslovakian Club where I was assisted in finding work. Even though I had left school at the age of 15 and I did not have a trade, I was a quick learner and able to turn my hand to whatever work came my way. I went on to build houses for the South Australian Housing Trust, and this took me to various parts of South Australia as well as the Northern Territory. Eventually, I worked in a small town in the south east of S.A. Sometimes my accommodation there left a lot to be desired. At one stage, I spent several weeks sleeping in an empty rainwater tank tipped on its side. It was while working in this town that I met a girl who eventually became my wife.

Although I regret that I never saw my parents again and that my family suffered repercussions because of my decision to leave my country, I will always be thankful that I came to Australia. Throughout my life living in Australia, I have never been afraid to have a go and have always worked very hard. I am the first Halinkovic to come to this country and now have children and grandchildren to carry on my name.

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