The Hostel Adelaide 1954---The Old Detention Centres'
Without Prejudice
I remember nothing of the trip on the SS O'Tranto that had carried us to Australia, But I remember the sun and white bright heat reflecting back at me me from the bus window. I was so excited and that is my first memory and I was just turned 2.
I remember the Nissen Hut that was going to be our home for the next two years. Corrugated iron on the outside and a big drop down one bare bulb in the middle of the room/ I think Mum tried to grow plants to line our teensy weensy path, I can remember plants that had little coloured flowers that looked like Bridal Bouquets.
When we first went to the Dining Hall Dad said shark was on the menu and the tomato soup tasted like watered down Tomato Paste.
There were lots of different nationalities, Hungarian, Polish, German. Turks and they all fought and there were knives used. Ian was quite brave about it all and was our defender. Mum and Dad worked outside the camp and I had to go to Nursey School, which I hated, loathed. Crying all the way there as an anxious hurried me along, she not wanting to be late for School.
And I would drag back, missing my Mother who I had never been separated from, so not wanting to go to "that place", which had women staffing it.
I was straight away classed as "Special", as I was toilet trained at 11 months Mum said, but I find hard to believe. So there was a tussle over the loo and I ate nothing, not liking either Milk Arrowroot biscuits or Orange Juice.
I think I was classified as a pain and my Mother had a few trips there to patiently explain to the teachers, why I was "Special", well being Mum she just yelled at them, which was Ok too.
That tended to get action. George was a horror and he was expelled. I always remember him hogging the swing and swinging higher and higher. I think in these days he might be classified as ADHD, but in those days he was just classified as an uncontrollable child.
He threw kids out of his birthday Party, when his ballon popped and no matter what he did, Mum would just adore him, so we had to pinch him and punch him when her back was turned and then be prepared to run.
She dressed us up as bunnies for the easter pageant at church and we had a furry suit, which we would crouch on the floor in and do
"See the little bunnies, peeping"
We had hard boiled coloured eggs to roll down the hill and hidden in the church grounds masses of little eggs hidden.
I told my first lie on the way home from Sunday School. Jackie and I in our best finery right down to our little plastic white handbags and gloves. Hats on our heads. we were walking with another girl who said to Jackie,
"so what are you doing today as it's Janette's birthday"
"It's not Janette's birthday", Jackie replied.
There I was, caught out in a lie. I wanted the coloured "Stamps", little religious stamps in gold and colours, that I wanted to collect, they were so pretty and I coveted them.
Jackie of course told Mum and Dad and they just thought it was funny. We sang Calvary as we helped set the table for dinner and Jesus loves me, we were quite a devout chuch going family, Presbyterian of course, the church of Scotland.
Although Jackie was born in England, making her C of E, didn't matter Dad was a presbyterian and often did the reading at church, being an Elder. he was also a Mason, a fact that he was inordinately proud of. He was from the Midlothian Chapter.
So once a week he went off to the Masons, with his suitcase with his apron in and when we asked him questions he would never answer. The secrets of the Masons, inviolable. Mum just snorted when he went off to his meetings.
There were load of other Brits at the hostel and Jackie decided one day to give a girl a black eye and that was quite ugly for a little while. Jackie made to apologise and she didn't want to.
I managed to prolapse my rectum by sitting on the loo too long as I heard a cleaner come in and stayed silent.
I am not sure who was the more shocked when she swung open the door of my cubicle and sprayed me wuth a high pressure hose.
But I can still smell the Pime O Cleen, Eucalyptus pungent in the air.
I had to go to the Doctor's for the first time and Mum bought me a tiny white cane pram. I would have been about 3.
Mainly I remember Peter K, who was youngish tall with black hair and every time he came around I would hide behind my Mothers skirt, terrified of him. Poor man
He wasn't married nor had kids but he loved them. So I would never venture out no matter how much he or Mum and Dad coaxed me.
And after two years we had done out stint in the Hostel and were on our way to Port Augusta, the train hot and mostly empty and we made endless trips to the "Bubbler" so we could have little paper cones of water.
Love Janette
I remember nothing of the trip on the SS O'Tranto that had carried us to Australia, But I remember the sun and white bright heat reflecting back at me me from the bus window. I was so excited and that is my first memory and I was just turned 2.
I remember the Nissen Hut that was going to be our home for the next two years. Corrugated iron on the outside and a big drop down one bare bulb in the middle of the room/ I think Mum tried to grow plants to line our teensy weensy path, I can remember plants that had little coloured flowers that looked like Bridal Bouquets.
When we first went to the Dining Hall Dad said shark was on the menu and the tomato soup tasted like watered down Tomato Paste.
There were lots of different nationalities, Hungarian, Polish, German. Turks and they all fought and there were knives used. Ian was quite brave about it all and was our defender. Mum and Dad worked outside the camp and I had to go to Nursey School, which I hated, loathed. Crying all the way there as an anxious hurried me along, she not wanting to be late for School.
And I would drag back, missing my Mother who I had never been separated from, so not wanting to go to "that place", which had women staffing it.
I was straight away classed as "Special", as I was toilet trained at 11 months Mum said, but I find hard to believe. So there was a tussle over the loo and I ate nothing, not liking either Milk Arrowroot biscuits or Orange Juice.
I think I was classified as a pain and my Mother had a few trips there to patiently explain to the teachers, why I was "Special", well being Mum she just yelled at them, which was Ok too.
That tended to get action. George was a horror and he was expelled. I always remember him hogging the swing and swinging higher and higher. I think in these days he might be classified as ADHD, but in those days he was just classified as an uncontrollable child.
He threw kids out of his birthday Party, when his ballon popped and no matter what he did, Mum would just adore him, so we had to pinch him and punch him when her back was turned and then be prepared to run.
She dressed us up as bunnies for the easter pageant at church and we had a furry suit, which we would crouch on the floor in and do
"See the little bunnies, peeping"
We had hard boiled coloured eggs to roll down the hill and hidden in the church grounds masses of little eggs hidden.
I told my first lie on the way home from Sunday School. Jackie and I in our best finery right down to our little plastic white handbags and gloves. Hats on our heads. we were walking with another girl who said to Jackie,
"so what are you doing today as it's Janette's birthday"
"It's not Janette's birthday", Jackie replied.
There I was, caught out in a lie. I wanted the coloured "Stamps", little religious stamps in gold and colours, that I wanted to collect, they were so pretty and I coveted them.
Jackie of course told Mum and Dad and they just thought it was funny. We sang Calvary as we helped set the table for dinner and Jesus loves me, we were quite a devout chuch going family, Presbyterian of course, the church of Scotland.
Although Jackie was born in England, making her C of E, didn't matter Dad was a presbyterian and often did the reading at church, being an Elder. he was also a Mason, a fact that he was inordinately proud of. He was from the Midlothian Chapter.
So once a week he went off to the Masons, with his suitcase with his apron in and when we asked him questions he would never answer. The secrets of the Masons, inviolable. Mum just snorted when he went off to his meetings.
There were load of other Brits at the hostel and Jackie decided one day to give a girl a black eye and that was quite ugly for a little while. Jackie made to apologise and she didn't want to.
I managed to prolapse my rectum by sitting on the loo too long as I heard a cleaner come in and stayed silent.
I am not sure who was the more shocked when she swung open the door of my cubicle and sprayed me wuth a high pressure hose.
But I can still smell the Pime O Cleen, Eucalyptus pungent in the air.
I had to go to the Doctor's for the first time and Mum bought me a tiny white cane pram. I would have been about 3.
Mainly I remember Peter K, who was youngish tall with black hair and every time he came around I would hide behind my Mothers skirt, terrified of him. Poor man
He wasn't married nor had kids but he loved them. So I would never venture out no matter how much he or Mum and Dad coaxed me.
And after two years we had done out stint in the Hostel and were on our way to Port Augusta, the train hot and mostly empty and we made endless trips to the "Bubbler" so we could have little paper cones of water.
Love Janette
