I was always with you

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.

Life in Woomera was going normally. I had to meet people of different nationalities on a regular basis; many English and Australians worked there also, in addition to migrants.  The whole social life took place in our club, mostly sipping beer.  Fellow workers still lived in the Philips Pond camp. There was also Captain Bennett's camp, where several Lithuanians worked laying cables.

Many migrants bought trucks and entered into contracts to collect stones to deliver them to the quarry.  There they were ground into gravel (rubble), which was used for the construction of buildings, roads, squares, and airfields.

It was a great pleasure to work and live in Woomera, and I got to used to it after ten years, so it seemed to be my permanent place to live.  Our patron managing director realized that that living/life style is detrimental to my and Jonas’ health because the desert remains a desert. He arranged for us to be relocated to Adelaide, into a department of planning roads and aerodromes.

Transcribed by Edita Meskauskaitė.

1000 Balts in South Australia

Employed On High Priority Work


More than 1,000 Balts were employed in South Australia on work of the highest priority, the Deputy Director of the Commonwealth Employment Service (Mr. P. K. Dwyer) said on Saturday.


It was probable, he said, that several hundred more Balts would be allocated to SA before the end of the year and that fairly large numbers of women would be made available to alleviate shortages of staff in country hospitals.


The men would be employed in brick manufacturing, water works and sewerage, forestry, timber mills, road and wharf construction, gypsum mining, salt harvesting and State and Commonwealth railways.


Mr. Dwyer said that 15 Balts were engaged on the Leigh Creek coalfields and others were on labouring work at the Woomera rocket range. There were 100 Balt women in hospitals and institutions.


The Advertiser Monday 6 September 1948

360 D.P's on Rocket Range work

CANBERRA, Friday
The Minister for Works and Housing. Mr N. Lemmon said today that 360 Poles, Estonians, Latvians, Lithuanians and Yugoslavs were employed on the rocket range in Central Australia.
There are also 1,909 Australian and British workmen there.

Mr Lemmon gave the information in a written reply to questions by the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. Mr F.J. Harrison in the House of Representatives.

Security screens before and after arrival in Australia were carried out by the Attorney-Generals department.

Displaced Persons were employed on the rocket range because at the time they were directed int he work it was not possible to secure sufficient Australian labourers to remain on the job for any length of time.

The Sydney Morning Herald, Saturday 4 June 1949, p.5

The Rocket range refers to Woomera.

Woomera

Woomera from an Australian perspective

The migrant workers, the so called ‘Balts” ( here refers to true Balts from Estonia, Latvia and Estonia, as well as Germans, Poles, Ukranians and Yugoslavs) presented Security of Woomera with a major headache. Fresh from the chaos in Europe and with every incentive to conceal their past activities, the Balts posed an insuperable problem for those trying to check their political allegiances. Mostly Security had to deal with the Balts at Woomera as they found hem. In theory it should not have been too difficult, for the official edict was that no alien or ‘New Australian’ should be allowed anywhere near the ranges, Evetts Field or classified material. Since their was little sensitive material in those days it should not have mattered much what their political sympathies were if they were only doing rough labouring work. In practice, though, many of the Balts had invaluable skills. A capable draughtsman was worth his weight in gold. To the despair of Security Balts kept finding their way into the Technical Area offices.

In January 1949, 200 Balts arrived clutching their permitted 16 kilograms of luggage they were regarded with a jaundiced eye by some of their Australian workmates, who note enviously that the Balts were being given free handout tools while Australians had to provide their own. Generally the Balts were thought to be unpredictable and were treated cautiously by the Australians.

Fire across the desert: Woomera and the Anglo-Australian Joint Project 1946 – 1980
Peter Morton, Commonwealth of Australia 1989

Womera through Lithuanian eyes

Ten Lithuanians worked here from 1948, many are telephone linesmen, some mechanics and one First Aid officer. We lived in tents and ate with the soldiers. The food is good and there is as much fruit as you like. We had electric lights, hot showers and a small library. Three times per week you are driven to the pictures and sometimes the pictures come to us. Three of us have radios and we are able to receive newspapers from Europe and USA. Alas we had no cards to play with. The days are hot 113F, it has rained on occasion. We begin work at dawn till 12 and receive 10p 8 shillings for a 48 hour weeks wage. The mechanics receive 11p 1 shilling. Food and accommodation is for free. Relationships with the soldiers is good.

Liudas Jaronis 1948
Australijos Lietuvis 1948 Dec 20th no.8