In February 1949, the City Council expressed its dissatisfaction with the location of the Water Board’s migrant camp at Springhill Road Coniston. The Deputy Chief Health Inspector had inspected the camp and reported that it was occupied by 19 Balts, who were single men and were considered particularly good types. They ranged in age from 20 to 45 years. The accommodation was assessed as reasonably good. Therefore, there were no breaches of health regulations under which to have the camp removed.
Residents of Coniston had also protested to City Council against establishing a Balts camp near the Coniston Brickworks. This led to Council setting up a meeting with the Water Board in connection with the situation of the camp.
In the meantime, it was said that the Balts Camp at Springhill Road Coniston were a happy family with a number of accomplished musicians amongst their numbers who were able to provide themselves with good entertainment at night. Others were qualified in trades and professions such as school teachers, students, electricians and mechanics. The Balts were laying the Berkeley main, which was to boost the water supply to Port Kembla. Most of them had been in Australia less than a year. Some were ex-servicemen, some of them fought with the underground movements, some served with the British forces. Several had also been prisoners of war in Germany. Many of them spoke English. They all expressed pleasure at being in Australia and were delighted with the beaches in Wollongong. However, in this article one Balt was quoted as saying “This pick and shovel work is heavy”.
The migrant workers did not perform specialist tasks such as electric field welding and cutting of pipes, but carried out all other work such as excavation, pipelaying, backfilling and concreting. By 1951, a gang of 18 men was employed on the Springhill Road main, twenty six men were engaged on the Mt Keira Inlet main and 133 men, divided into five gangs on the Mt Nebo-Berkeley main.
In March 1949, members of the Water Board and City Council aldermen met where Council complained about the slow rate of progress of the Water Board’s projects in the district and the establishing of a migrant camp at Coniston without properly consulting Council. The Council had wanted the camp placed north of the petrol depot on the Port Kembla Road and that the Coniston location put to Council had been rejected. The Council objected to camps being established in built-up areas such as Coniston. The Water Board representatives said they felt sure that the Council had been consulted and had been assured that a plan for the camp had been confirmed definitely and emphatically as satisfactory by the Council and that Council was quite agreeable to the camp being established at Coniston. The Water Board had tried to acquire land near the petrol deport or lease it but the owners, AIS, informed them they were not prepared to negotiate as the land was required in their development programme. The Water Board was unable to agree to Council’s request to transfer the Balts camp at Coniston elsewhere. The Water Board’s view was that the present site was an ideal one because it was handy to transport, electricity, water services and a store as well as limited population on one side of the camp.
In June 1949 the Water Board had decided to enlarge its camp at Coniston to accommodate 75 men despite Council’s previous opposition and request not to enlarge the camp if the Water Board was bringing more migrants to work in the area, rather the Council wanted the Water Board to establish a second camp in another locality. The extra men were needed to make an impact on the large projects of work for the water supply on the South Coast which had fallen behind because of labour and material shortages.
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By 1952 the drying up of Displaced Person migrant sources and progressive termination of employment contracts, the Water Board had to look at local men to employ. But still the camp remained known locally as the Balts Camp. Some of the Balts migrant workers whose contracts had finished remained working for the Water Board as part of Water Board normal labour force. In the same year, the Water Board suffered funding problems which placed restrictions on the Water Board activities.
The Water Board last mentioned the migrant workers at the Coniston camp in their 1952 Sydney Water Annual Report. Therefore, the Balts Camp at Coniston was operating in late 1948/early 1949 and most likely ceased operating about 1952. Although, the unoccupied huts that were used to house the migrants, were still standing in October 1960.
Despite the valuable contribution the migrant Balt workers made to the growth and expansion of the water supply in Wollongong after World War 2, there is little, if nothing, remaining to mark where the Balts Camp was located nor is there any commemoration of their efforts. To be able to ascertain the location of the Balts Camp one must rely upon documentation from archival sources and try to match them against today’s maps.
This article is an acknowledgement of a group of people who were some of the first Balts post-World War 2 to come to Wollongong and together with the people already living in Wollongong, contributed to the growth of our City.
The Migration Heritage Project acknowledges the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the traditional owners and custodians of the land upon which the stories of migration in this newsletter have been documented, recorded and explored.
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WHERE WAS THE BALTS CAMP? WHO WERE THE PEOPLE?
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Do you remember the Balts Camp? Do you know someone who might have lived in the Balts Camp? Could you find on a map today the location of the Balts Camp in Coniston?
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If you knew someone, maybe your father or grandfather, who lived in the Balts Camp the MHP would love to hear from you, please email the Migration Heritage Project so their names can be included with this story on the MHP website.
If you want to have a go at determining the location of the Balts Camp on a street map today, scan a map, mark the location and email the map to the Migration Heritage Project. Results will be published in the next MHP newsletter.
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SOMETHING YOU CAN DO WHILE SOCIAL DISTANCING OR SELF ISOLATING DURING COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS?
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While we are social distancing, spatial distancing or self isolating at home maybe now would be a good time to start putting together your own migration story.
The MHP is still happy to receive your contribution to the Share the Stories Save the Memories Project about your journey to Australia and life in Migrant Hostels. More information is available on the MHP website via the link button below where you can download a copy of the template to get you started on your story. If you would like a Microsoft Word version of the template email secretary@mhpillawarra.com.au
Stay Safe
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And finally, congratulations to Colleen Mandicos who was awarded an OAM in the Australia Day Honours 2020 for her service to aged welfare. Colleen has been a member of the Migration Heritage Project for many years and the MHP is fortunate that she is also a member of the Committee.
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