Two year contracts part III

 Western Australia

Bunbury, Western Australia
Main Road Board

Ten Lithuanians and two friendly Estonians.  Living near the Bunbury forest in tents.  Repairing roads, the work is not hard. Fortnight wage is around 14 pounds.

Everything they do themselves, cooking and cleaning.  Vytautas is the cook who also has a radio.  The evenings are spend listening to the radio, news from Europe.  They receive newspapers from Germany in Lithuanian which they read and pass around.  They were thinking of constructing a basketball court.

Bunbury and Manjumup Pemberton Brick Yards 20 Balts
Martynas Janulis
J. Jonaitis
Simas Povilaitis

Myalup, Forestry Department, via Harvey WA

Victoria

Blakeville, Victoria

It was known as the Balt Camp, a work camp for displaced persons from the Baltic States working for the Forest Commission.

The Balt Camp was in Bullarto, north of Blackwood. All that remains today are a stone chimney and concrete foundations of the huts.  http://gdt.org.au/lerderderg-track/balt-camp-walk/  

The Balt Camp was built by the Forestry Commission to give employment for young displaced persons from Northern Europe in 1946.  The male workers were given the weekend off and either walked to Bullarto to catch the train or just walked through the forest to Daylesford. 

Rushworth Migrant Camp

Lithuanians organised a national dancing group that performed for Independence Day 1950. The ensemble consisted of Bladzeviciene, Brazeliene, Gudeikiene, Gyliene, Jarenkeviciene, Karpalaviciute, Zdanaviciute, Burokaite, Starinskaite, Sutas, Kisielius, Matiulionis, Musinskas, Igaunis, Starinskas.

On Feb 22 1950 they performed at the Shepparton Sports Festival.  They performed again on the 4 March for a camp concert and on 7th March at the Women’s camp at Shepparton.  The group was invited to perform in Morupna, Vagambia, Rushworth. They did not have a Lithuanian musician so borrowed a Latvian. National costumes were borrowed from Lithuanians in other cities. 

Yallourn

Three camps, 2.5 km, west, north, and east hostel. In the west and north camps, lived mainly unqualified workers and the east had various professions. 

Most had their own room, some were two to a room. Each room has an electric radiator which they could leave on as much as they wanted as electricity was cheap.  They had a food hall.  The best accommodation was in the eastern camp. Here they had brick walls and a room each, which were cleaned daily.  Two weeks cost £3 – 15.  

The work was in a coal factory, brick factory and electricity.  One could earn £15 – 25 a fortnight, the best wage was earnt in the coal mine and building as here overtime was available.  The Brick factory had a lot of dust and soot, one could earn £16.  It was hard to earn a good wage, carpentry earned the best at £30 fortnight.  

There was not much to do in the town.  Yallourn good place to live for a short time to save money, living was cheap and there was no where to spend money. 

Two Year Contracts part II

Queensland

Tully Queensland

Many of the DP workers arrived on the third and fourth transports to Queensland to cut sugar cane.  Resident in private houses with sperate rooms.

1948 900 Balts engaged in cane cutting. Allocations were: Hambledon110. Mulgrave 40, Goondi 32,

Mourilyan 20, South Johnstone 43, Tully 90. Macknade 61, Victoria 48.

Queensland Forest

Forests belong to the Forest Department; camp is about 24 miles from Gympie.  There are three Lithuanians here.  We live in tents, food storage is a cupboard, no kitchen meals you cook yourself.  Favourite past time is a river where we swim.  24 workers, which will increase to 150.  Earn about L6.19.8 per week.  One can save up to L20 per month.  The forests are cut and what is left is burnt. New trees will be planted suitable for building material.

Vladas Koncius

Derrier Creek Camp, Queensland

Workers are all new migrants, 64 workers in tents of whom eight are Lithuanian. A small township is 8 miles away, nothing else but forest.

Barakula Sleeper Mill, via Chinchilla, Qld

Antanas Birskys
Stepa Barzdevicicus
Alfonsas Penkaitis, Juozas Stuksis, kazys Simkunas, Jonas Savickas

Dr Juozas Briedis

Dr Juozas Briedis was an agronomist who worked in Alytus, Seiniai, Ukmerge and Biržai before WWII.  He specialised in the economics of animal husbandry, deciding the most suitable type of breeds of stock for varying conditions.  He always had an interest in music and singing, such that he studied singing from 1937 – 8 at Kaunas Music School and later at the University of Bonn.  He led many choirs and vocal ensembles in Lithuania, Germany and the USA. 

On arrival in Australia, Juozas was sent to work as a labourer on the Metropolitan Water Sewerage and Drainage Board project, building the Warragamba Dam, which provides water supply to Sydney. 

When his two-year contract with the government
was almost complete, Juozas sought work in his profession.  He sent letters seeking employment to CSIRO and Sydney University.  The University would have employed him, but they could not offer remuneration equal to that of a camp steward of £12 per week. 

The construction of the dam was a large-scale operation that meant the establishment of its own town, houses with modern facilities.  Unmarried workers got a bed in a dormitory at a cost of 4 shillings per day.  New arrivals got to stay in tents until a house become available.  There was a communal refectory, but one could choose to make your own food.  There was post, some shops, and a cinema that showed films three times per week.  

The surrounding area is a eucalyptus forest three miles long, ending at Wallacia where there is a hotel, shops and restaurant.  The closest train station is Penrith, 16 miles away, from there to Sydney is another 30 miles.  Come the weekend the town empties of men who make their way to Sydney for the weekend.

Work varied, from constructing barracks, excavating soil, digging tunnels, blowing rocks and concreting.  The work week was 40 hours, some areas worked in three shifts.  A worker could earn £8-10 in a week depending on the work.  

Of the first Balts who arrived on 16 June 1948, four were Lithuanians.  The town kept growing and reached 3,000 workers, mostly migrants from Europe.  The dam has been renamed DiPi Dam, based on Displaced Persons.

With Juozas’ love of music and singing he organised a Lithuanian Men’s choir of seven men from the camp.  In 1949 he conducted the Regents Park Lithuanian Men’s Choir.  In September 1950 in Penrith, Juozas sang at a United Nations International concert in the Dungowan Theatre.  The choir organised a concert in Sydney of Lithuanian folk songs which they sang in national costumes.  It was broadcasted over radio.

He became involved in the Lithuanian community in Sydney.  He was Chairman of the Board of Lithuanian Catholic Centre and wrote for Mūsų Pastogė.   In 1951 he was Vice President of Krašto Valdyba.

In 1952 he moved to Chicago where he again became involved in the Lithuanian community there.  On leaving Australia he asked that people donate money to the church rather than the community hold a tea for him.   In 1960 he was Lithuanian School Choir leader in Lemont Illinois and participated in USA and Canada Song Festivals.  He owned his own paint business in Lemont.

He died on 2 February 1991 in Chicago.

Photo 30 Nov 1978 Dirva

Two Year Contracts Part I

The Australian Government had an agreement with the International Refugee Organisation to settle at least 12,000displaced persons a year, from camps in Europe.  In exchange for free passage and help on arrival, new post WWII migrants agreed to work for the government for two years.

Between 1947 and 1953 the Australian Government assisted over 170,000 Displaced Persons to migrate to Australia.

All assisted migrants aged over 16 had to work. Regardless of qualifications men were classified as labourers and women as domestics.

So, what did they actually do?

The men were often sent to remote country places to work on the railways, work in the forest industry, cutting cane, building dams or work in mining.  

Here is a list of some places, certainly not all and with names attached if known. If you can add places, please comment below. 

New South Wales

Potts Hill (Water Board Camp) Sydney

From October 1948 a tent city grew 430 men from various nationalities.  Amongst them 75 Lithuanians.  By the camp gates a notice in German reads ‘Entry of women is prohibited’.  Many married men live here, some wives work in Sydney and could only meet out on the road. 

Two men live in each tent, there is a floor, two beds, small table and electricity. Food is made by yourself with electric frying pan, washing done yourself, in the laundry.  There are showers.

Work included laying pipes and sewers.  They earn 17-21 pounds per fortnight, of which they pay 2.6 for living in the camp. There is no large building as yet.

https://www.mhpillawarra.com.au/index.php/migrant-hostels-in-wollongong/item/105-the-balts-camp

Warragamba Dam, New South Wales

Metropolitan Water Sewerage and Drainage Board project, Warragamba river which provides water supply to Sydney.  A large-scale operation that has meant the establishment of its own town, houses with modern facilities.  Unmarried workers get a bed in a dormitory at a cost of 4 shillings per day.  New arrivals get to stay in tents until a house becomes available.  There is a communal refectory, but one can choose to make your own food.  There is post, some shops, cinema that shows films three times per week.  

Surrounding area is a eucalyptus forest, three miles long ending Wallacia where there is a hotel, shops and restaurant.  The closest train station is Penrith, 16 miles away.  From there to Sydney is another 30 miles.  Come the weekend the town empties of men making there way to Sydney for the weekend. 

Work varies, constructing barracks, excavating soil, digging tunnels, blowing rocks and concreting. Work week is 40 hours, some areas they work in three shifts.  Earn 8-10 pounds in a week depending on the work.  

The first Balts arrived on 16 June 1948, four Lithuanians.  Now ten Lithuanians at the dam and four at the Mulgoa camp. It is difficult to meet up as they work odd times.  The works is said to take ten years. The town keeps growing and 3,000 workers will be here, mostly migrants from Europe.  The dam has been renamed DiPi Dam.

Waterboard requested 200 Balts to work on the dam.

Juozas Matikovas

Vincas Melnikas

Breadalbane, New South Wales

Gediminas Peciulevicius

Bronius
Tirilis

Waronora Dam, via Waterdall, Sydney

Alfonsas Praninskas

Western Australia

Bunbury, Western Australia

Main Road Board

Ten Lithuanians and two friendly Estonians.  Living near the Bunbury forest in tents.  Repairing roads, the work is not hard. Fortnight wage is around 14 pounds.

Everything they do themselves, cooking and cleaning.  Vytautas is the cook who also has a radio.  The evenings are spend listening to the radio, news from Europe.  They receive newspapers from Germany in Lithuanian which they read and pass around.  Thinking of constructing a basketball court.

Bunbury and Manjumup Pemberton Brick Yards 20 Balts

Martynas Janulis

J. Jonaitis

Simas Povilaitis

More to come.

Jonas Žilinskas the man with the iron jaw

Jonas Žilinskas (sometimes Žilinskis.  He was known as Jonaas in Australia) was born in 1919 in Kretinga.  

As a young man he became a trainee acrobat with a troupe that spent World War II entertaining soldiers. At this time, Žilinskas developed the “strongman” aerial act that he later brought to Australia.  

Jonas was part of the first transport of DP's arriving on the General Stuart Heintzelman..  His two year contract saw him cutting timber in  the Yuraygir National Park, northern NSW.   Jonas designed and built what is thought to be the first swingsaw in Australia.  It had an immediate impact on sleeper production, increasing those made form 10 to 250 sleepers per day for a 2-3 man crew. 

Before leaving the forest, Jonas built a statue of himself in the Newfoundland State Forest.  Made from concrete the life size version of himself stands on a large column. The figure is covered in a keys.  He lived in the forest in a self made wooden slab hut.  He even erected a tightrope between the trees so he could practice his circus skills.  

He never forgot his first love of circus work.  By 1950's he began working again for Australian circuses, first joining Wirth's, Sole's, Bullen and then Ashton where he remained until his retirement in 1999.  His signature act was holding a ring in his mouth while on a trapeze.  From the ring would dangle another performer. He claimed he could hold the weight of three female aerialists.  On one occasion he suffered a broken jaw while performing. 

A lovely obituary was written for him by Pixi Robertson.

https://www.smh.com.au/national/jonas-zilinskas-circus-legend-a-hard-act-to-follow-20130826-2sm4a.html