Upon arrival in Australia, Česlovas Dubinskas, was sent to Woomera to work. He ended up working there for ten years. In 1992, he published a book entitled, I was with you all time. Written in Lithuania, these are some extracts from his time in Woomera.
50 Lithuanians flew to Woomera. The plane landed on site, near Philips Pond camp because the airfield in Kulemilka was not completed, only ground levelling works was still ongoing.
There was already a building where the project administration, an engineering department and a drawing room were located. I was assigned to live in a large military tent where Jonas Meškauskas, Kostas Tymukas and Algis Žilinskas were already located. The first night was very hot – about +30 C, so it was not pleasant to sleep.
In Woomera, when I arrived, the first impression was terrible because the heat in January was terrible and hard to bare, especially when during the physical work on railroad, sewer, plumbing, etc. There often were sandstorms, penetrating the mouth, eyes, nose. Cars had to stop because drivers could not see the road. When a storm struck us working outdoors, we had to hide under the floors of future buildings. Wooden houses were built on raised poles, so there was a space to hide under the floor. Sand was blown into our rooms and administration premises. After the storm finished, it was necessary to clean, dust the sheets, clothes, and everything else.
I became a friend with the pastor of
the Anglican Church because I would donate flowers to the Church. Jonas and I planted flower beds near the
administration building and our apartments. Our assistants cared for the flower
beds when they have time, and we ourselves worked on them on Sundays. The
flowers grew beautifully because we used sludge from the sewers, which was a
very good fertilizer when it dried. We gave flowers to the Anglican chaplain to
decorate the church. Farmers from Woomera and the surrounding areas visited our
gardens and marvelled that plants in the desert grew so well.
