Camp Committee While Berrima Camp was formally controlled by the Australian Army, the day-to-day management was left largely to the Camp Committee consisting of ships’ captains, officers and seamen. The Committee dealt with the organisation of the camp in liaison … Continue reading
In March 1915 the first group of 89 internees arrived on foot at Berrima. The gaol was hastily cleaned up and made secure. The internees’ luggage had not arrived and there was no furniture. They were supplied with basic sleeping … Continue reading
The original plan in 1830, by Major Mitchell, the Surveyor General, was for Berrima to be the administrative centre for the County of Camden with courts and support services. The village developed slowly due to the delays in building the … Continue reading
!["[This] is made of wood and constructed to replicate Chilean houses of the day. It was a present from a cousin on our departure to Australia."](../../../cms/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/sereno-house-150x150.jpg)
Meet Olga Sereno and see the ornament she brought to Sydney in 1973 of a traditional Chilean house. Continue reading
Meet Marta Aquino and see the miniature iron she brought from Uruguay in 1974. Continue reading
Meet Angelita Gomez and the music book she brought from Uruguay in 1970 that was considered ‘illegal’. Continue reading
Meet Anita van Altena and see the silver cork stopper she brought from Holland in 1964 to start up her own business in Australia. Continue reading
Significant numbers of people of Sudanese background have recently settled in the Blacktown region of outer western Sydney. Many have come as refugees from the civil war conflict in southern Sudan and were drawn to Blacktown, the heart of the … Continue reading
We would like to acknowledge the extraordinary courage and generosity of the community participants for sharing their memories. We thank them, their families and the Blacktown Sudanese community for supporting this project. Makuei Ajak Ariik Hermann Androga Awola Charles Bak … Continue reading
Since the mid-20th century, Blacktown City Local Government Area (LGA) in outer Western Sydney has become home to settlers from many parts of the world. Although people from Afghanistan, Iraq, Liberia, Iran and Sierra Leone have recently moved to the … Continue reading
Civil War Revolution, unrest and war have ravaged Sudan’s history since its independence from British and Egyptian rule in 1956. The ruling parties have been predominately military regimes favouring Islamic-oriented policies, in distinct contrast to the beliefs and practices of … Continue reading
The Republic of Sudan is Africa’s largest country and is located in the north-east of the continent. One of the poorest countries in the world, it has been afflicted by a series of incompetent and corrupt governments, war, drought, … Continue reading
Listen to Charles Bak Chol Wol: CHARLES BAK CHOL WOL is a member of the Dinka tribe. He was born in southern Sudan where he was a medical assistant. Charles lived in Egypt for two-and-a-half years before arriving in Australia … Continue reading
“The town [in Uganda] was very bad, soldiers were looting. … We had to run with only the clothes on our bodies. … Everywhere they were shooting. … “
HERMANN ANDROGA AWOLA is a member of the Madi tribe and fled from Sudan to Uganda with his family in 1989. When crossing the border they were chased by the Ugandan army… Continue reading
Listen to Ayul Towng: AYUL TOWNG originally comes from southern Sudan. After civil war broke out in 1983 and everything was destroyed, she moved to the national capital, Khartoum, in 1985, where she lived for ten years. In 2003, Ayul … Continue reading
Listen to Charles Odur: CHARLES ODUR arrived in Australia in 2004. He had been living in a refugee camp in Uganda. He went straight to live in Blacktown because he has family there. Initially he worked in a meat processing … Continue reading
Listen to Alam Mathiang Machot: ALAM MATHIANG MACHOT left Sudan for the first time in 1987 and due to political instability in Ethiopia, was forced to return in 1992. He then spent several years in Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya … Continue reading
Listen to Edward Massimino: EDWARD MASSIMINO was born in Sudan and fled to Uganda with his family at the age of five at the beginning of the first civil war, living there from 1964 until 1976. Edward returned to Sudan … Continue reading
Listen to Prisca Kot: PRISCA KOT was born towards the start of the 1983 civil war in Sudan. Soon after, her family fled to a refugee camp in Ethiopia. They returned to Sudan only to have to leave again in … Continue reading
Meet David Hill and see the postcard he sent to his mum in England en route to Australia in 1959. Continue reading
The Premier of NSW, Nathan Rees made an apology to the ‘Forgotten Australians’ on 19 September 2009. On 16 November 2009, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd made a formal apology in the Federal Parliament to the ‘Forgotten Australians’. 500,000 people, including … Continue reading
Mayor Makuei Chagai: MAYOR MAKUEI CHAGAI was born in Yirol in southern Sudan. He lived in a refugee camp in Kenya for a number of years where he became involved in basketball. He came to Australia with his cousin’s family … Continue reading
Listen to Mary Mamour: MARY MAMOUR is a singer and songwriter. She was born in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum. She moved away due to the 1983 war, returning when the situation improved. Further troubles saw her leave for Egypt where … Continue reading
“A lot of our food is Sudanese food, but nowadays we disagree with the kids … they like the Australian food, McDonalds, junk food, sandwiches.”
MARY BIOR comes from Bor in southern Sudan. She fled with family when the civil war came to her area in 1983. Mary, with her sister and brother, survived in the bush…
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Listen to Margaret Odur: MARGARET ODUR is from Parajok in southern Sudan. She is a member of the Madi tribe and her husband is from the Acholi tribe. She came to Australia in 2004 to join her son, but still … Continue reading
Listen to Makuei Ajak Ariik: MAKUEI AJAK ARIIK has lived in many places since he was a boy, including Ethiopia, trying to avoid the troubles in Sudan. He returned to Sudan when the situation there appeared to improve. Due to … Continue reading
Listen to Abour (Grace) Jook: ABOUR (GRACE) JOOK is from Bor in southern Sudan, but lived in Kenya for several years before coming to Australia in 2004. In Kenya she stayed at Kakuma refugee camp at the age of eight … Continue reading
Many of Blacktown’s Sudanese migrants are newly-arrived refugees from war-torn southern Sudan. This is their story. Here you can see and hear how people escaped and lived, often for many years, in refugee camps, prior to their new life in … Continue reading
An oral history project recording the migration journeys and settlement experiences of southern Sudanese refugees now living in Blacktown, Western Sydney. Abour (Grace) Jook » Edward Massimino » Mary Bior » The Blacktown area has become home for migrants from … Continue reading
Meet Domenico Sidonio and see the clock that woke him up for work in the
Snowy Mountains in 1953.
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