| | Ferdi Klaus, President of the German Karneval Society, Geelong From his Opening Speech at Osborne House, Geelong – 4 September 2015 German migrants have been coming to this country since 1788. By 1991, 110000 German born citizen had arrived. The captain of the first fleet, Arthur Phillip, was half-German from his father’s side. Captain Phillip became the first governor of NSW. The Germans were the first non-English group to establish colonies – notably in South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland. By 1830, about 10% of he population was German – most of them coming from East and Central Germany. Many were Lutherans, experiencing religious persecution in Germany. Many of the early German settlers were peasant farmers, who took up various agricultural pursuit around the Barossa Valley and Victoria. In December 1849, Dr Alexander Thompson, a Geelong pioneer and Lord Mayor of Geelong, arranged for at least twenty families o settle on his land in Grovedale. By 1860, seventy German families had settled in the area that became known as Germantown. |
In 1854, a school was built, which was also used for church services until a proper church was built in 1859.
The Germantown Hotel was established. The hilly country and the volcanic soil proved very suitable for orchards and vineyards and Germantown became the largest wine producing region in Victoria
Market gardens were established and produce was carted to Geelong in wheelbarrows. Water had to be brought in from the Barwon River, a distance of 5km away. Those early German migrants were true pioneers. Many streets in Grovedale bear their names: eg Bieske Road, Winter Street, Rossak Drive and Heyers Road.
WWI had a devastating effect on Germantown and other German settlements.
WWII made life even harder for Germans living in Australia. The range of anti-German actions included verbal abuse and assault and damage to property. The German Club in Brisbane was destroyed by arsonists. 7500 Germans were locked up in camps – all this despite German-Australians showing no support for the Nazis. They did not get involved in politics – they only supported their language, their religion and their culture.
Of course, after WWII it did not take long for German migrants to be welcome again. Most of us came to work and live in this beautiful country.
When I arrived, we were not real pioneers like the early settlers who came on rusty old ships that took several months to get here. We travelled on proper passenger ships and the Immigration Department looked after us. Having spent four weeks in Bonegilla, thirty of us boarded a train to Geelong. An Immigration Officer was waiting at the station. He put us in a taxi, and off we went to a Boarding House – with instructions to report to work at the Ford Motor Company on Monday morning.
At my Boarding House, I was the only German, and with little knowledge of English, I had a few problem! But, my host family was very friendly, and their son even felt sorry for me! He invited me to go out dancing on Saturday night. I put on my German suit and my dancing shoes, and off we went to the Palais in Geelong. It was a beautiful Dance Hall, full of lovely looking girls and well dressed boys. Yet, I must have looked like an outsider – none of the girls were willing to dance with me! After thirty knock-backs, I gave up. Still, the organisers catered for rejects like me – up on the balcony, I met several of my fellow countrymen. We sat together, watching cartoons on y big screen. At least Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny gave us a bit of a laugh, until we went home. I only went to the Palais the once.
Then, my friends told me about the Winter’s Wine Cellar in Grovedale, formerly known as Germantown. They went there on Friday nights, to drink a glass of wine and socialize. This became a routine every Friday night. The wine was good and cheap. Behind the bar, there was a very friendly lady, we called her Oma Winter. Her family was one of the original families that established Grovedale, and she told me the story of the first settlers in the area. She also suggested that we start a German Club.
My friends and I sat down and discussed the possibility of establishing such a club. I said: “A German Club? It is only 11 years since the war. The Aussies may not like it. Well, I come from the Rhineland and there we celebrate Karneval – it’s a festival where people get together and have fun. That’s exactly what we want: enjoyment for all of us!”
Everybody agreed and someone said: “What are we gong to call this club?”
I said: “Well, we live here, on a very big island. Why don’t we call our club “Närrische Insulaner” – Jolly Islanders.
Everybody agreed! Our club was born and our emblem shows the Joker sitting on a kangaroo.
The first function was held at the Railway Institute in Latrobe Terrace. 150 guests booked in, nearly 300 turned up. That was in 1955.
This year, our club is celebrating its 60th anniversary. A great achievement for our committee and members.
Here at the exhibition in Osborne House, we display some of our costumes and medals and give a general introduction to our history. Our proudest possession is our Club House in Norlane – where the former Migrant Hostel used to be. It is a little piece of German tradition right here in Geelong. We appreciate being able to bring back some of the memories of our country men – for all to share.
The Germantown Hotel was established. The hilly country and the volcanic soil proved very suitable for orchards and vineyards and Germantown became the largest wine producing region in Victoria
Market gardens were established and produce was carted to Geelong in wheelbarrows. Water had to be brought in from the Barwon River, a distance of 5km away. Those early German migrants were true pioneers. Many streets in Grovedale bear their names: eg Bieske Road, Winter Street, Rossak Drive and Heyers Road.
WWI had a devastating effect on Germantown and other German settlements.
- All Germans had to register at the nearest police station.
- All German clubs had to close.
- It was prohibited to publish material in the German language.
- 69 settlements had their names changed from German to English, including Germantown in Geelong. It became “Grovedale”.
WWII made life even harder for Germans living in Australia. The range of anti-German actions included verbal abuse and assault and damage to property. The German Club in Brisbane was destroyed by arsonists. 7500 Germans were locked up in camps – all this despite German-Australians showing no support for the Nazis. They did not get involved in politics – they only supported their language, their religion and their culture.
Of course, after WWII it did not take long for German migrants to be welcome again. Most of us came to work and live in this beautiful country.
When I arrived, we were not real pioneers like the early settlers who came on rusty old ships that took several months to get here. We travelled on proper passenger ships and the Immigration Department looked after us. Having spent four weeks in Bonegilla, thirty of us boarded a train to Geelong. An Immigration Officer was waiting at the station. He put us in a taxi, and off we went to a Boarding House – with instructions to report to work at the Ford Motor Company on Monday morning.
At my Boarding House, I was the only German, and with little knowledge of English, I had a few problem! But, my host family was very friendly, and their son even felt sorry for me! He invited me to go out dancing on Saturday night. I put on my German suit and my dancing shoes, and off we went to the Palais in Geelong. It was a beautiful Dance Hall, full of lovely looking girls and well dressed boys. Yet, I must have looked like an outsider – none of the girls were willing to dance with me! After thirty knock-backs, I gave up. Still, the organisers catered for rejects like me – up on the balcony, I met several of my fellow countrymen. We sat together, watching cartoons on y big screen. At least Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny gave us a bit of a laugh, until we went home. I only went to the Palais the once.
Then, my friends told me about the Winter’s Wine Cellar in Grovedale, formerly known as Germantown. They went there on Friday nights, to drink a glass of wine and socialize. This became a routine every Friday night. The wine was good and cheap. Behind the bar, there was a very friendly lady, we called her Oma Winter. Her family was one of the original families that established Grovedale, and she told me the story of the first settlers in the area. She also suggested that we start a German Club.
My friends and I sat down and discussed the possibility of establishing such a club. I said: “A German Club? It is only 11 years since the war. The Aussies may not like it. Well, I come from the Rhineland and there we celebrate Karneval – it’s a festival where people get together and have fun. That’s exactly what we want: enjoyment for all of us!”
Everybody agreed and someone said: “What are we gong to call this club?”
I said: “Well, we live here, on a very big island. Why don’t we call our club “Närrische Insulaner” – Jolly Islanders.
Everybody agreed! Our club was born and our emblem shows the Joker sitting on a kangaroo.
The first function was held at the Railway Institute in Latrobe Terrace. 150 guests booked in, nearly 300 turned up. That was in 1955.
This year, our club is celebrating its 60th anniversary. A great achievement for our committee and members.
Here at the exhibition in Osborne House, we display some of our costumes and medals and give a general introduction to our history. Our proudest possession is our Club House in Norlane – where the former Migrant Hostel used to be. It is a little piece of German tradition right here in Geelong. We appreciate being able to bring back some of the memories of our country men – for all to share.
