Mrs C. Brown

The personal recollections of Mrs. C. Brown of Elizabeth Vale. 

After paying £ 10 each myself, husband and 5 girls the eldest 15 ½  down to the youngest 4 ½ arrived in Darwin on 23 July 1965 by air only to be sprayed by a man all in white This was a shock as no one told us about these things in England.  From there we went on to Adelaide with another family with their son and daughter.  We were met by the Commonwealth men who then took us all to Smithfield Hostel.  It was very dark and we all thought what a long way, with no lights around it was a bit frightening.  When we got to the Hostel and we were shown to our hut, I cried and said my god what ever have I come to.  A while later the Manager brought us over some bedding so we could put the children to bed.  In the morning we were told to collect your knife, fork and spoon, mug  and plate to have all meals in the canteen as in the hut was nothing but a jug we borrowed to make tea.  Everone had to wash their own plates etc,  line up for meals on time and all sit at big tables.  The meals weren’t too bad and the children that were school age all had a packed lunch 2 pieces of bread either Fritz or Peanut Paste, cake and 1 apple every day.  Also the men could have the same if working.  Work situation then was very good.  Most men started work after they had been cleared at WRE.  This took eight weeks, if elsewhere they started within a few days of arriving. Once you started work you had to pay for your accommodation at the Hostel.

Most of the huts had two or three rooms, some had one big room.  We had three rooms, two had bunks in and the other had a bed Settee with a little table and two chairs.  We had to borrow a heater; it was rather cold and damp.  When the children came home from school they were very often wet and muddy.  The two eldest went to Elizabeth High.  They caught the train from Smithfield and walked from the station.  Two others went to Elizabeth Field, just finished.  From the hostel there was no roads make and had to walk through mud as the first houses were about to start.  They had to wear Wellington boots to school and take slippers once inside.  I lost a pair of shoes walking with them, they just sank.  The conditions were very different from the U.K.  All the roads were made first.  I felt that we were not given adequate information before we left. 

Hostel life wasn’t good.  There was one games room with a telly.  Mostly the RAAF people were in there.  If you didn’t go in early there wasn’t a chance.  They had a few swings and see saw for the children, wasn’t enough as there were loads in the Hostel no Groups.  One camp shop that sold nearly everything “Con Man” This was the first we knew about Trade Ins.  A man on the site wanted a Fridge.  To get this a box of matches was offered as a trade-in.  To do your washing you went to another tin shed which had a few sinks, had to take turns then we had to make a line for ourselves in the shed to try and dry the washing.  I think the whole hostel had three lines outside.  Each shed had one iron and for shower or bath another tin shed had two baths and two showers.   When you put the light on the Christmas beetles came in the bath too.  Toilets in separate place, these got hosed out every morning at 10.  Just before we left a new block was built with new showers, etc.  To get to the nearest shops ‘Town Centre’ you either had to go by train from Smithfield or walk.  Most people walked, the trains were few and far between.

After seven weeks at the Hostel, the Housing Trust people came to the Hostel to see if we wanted a house to buy.  We decided it was best to get out of the Hostel.  They sent a car to take us to look at some houses.  We decided to pick the Vale when my husband got his work we moved straight in with nothing, our boxes hadn’t arrived from England.  My daughter was coming out of hospital.  She was taken ill at the Hostel after only 2 days.  The Red Cross sent us blankets; my sister-in-law and friends lent us sheets etc.  We bought just the things we needed.  Beds and chairs and table, everything else had to be bought bit by bit.  I was more homesick at the Hostel than anything.  In fact I never got homesick after we got our house.  The children soon settle down here, the one that felt it most was the little one.  I think the hostel was just somewhere to go when arriving if you had children, not that I would recommend it to anyone.