Berkeley Migrant Hostel was built during the second stage of the Commonwealth Government migrant hostel building programme which saw the start of building hostels to accommodate British migrants and families. One part of Berkeley Migrant Hostel commenced operating on 27 December 1951 with the construction of the second part of the Hostel delayed by temporary closure in 1953. The second part of the Hostel was eventually brought into operation progressively from March 1965 and fully completed in January 1966. Berkeley Migrant Hostel was the first hostel planned to accommodate migrant families in the Illawarra and the last Commonwealth Migrant Hostel built in the Illawarra.
In 1950 the Commonwealth Government announced they would embark on its post-World War 2 plan of selected British migration, including those with family, as well as nominated British migrants who were sponsored by people already in Australia. Suitable shipping had been secured by the Commonwealth Government that was able to bring larger numbers of British migrants across to Australia. The coal and steel industries in the Illawarra were the primary recipients of skilled workers from Britain. These British migrants were often referred to as the ‘Ten Pound Poms’.
The Cabinet Sub-Committee held a meeting on 9 February 1950 where the decision was made to provide £50,000 to meet the cost of acquiring sites for additional hostels. Following this meeting, the Minister for Immigration, Harold Holt, announced that the Commonwealth Government would build hostels for 7,500 British migrants and families in NSW one of which would be in Port Kembla and would accommodate 2,000 British migrants.
The proposed additional hostel for the British migrants and families was referred to as Port Kembla Migrant Workers Hostels Units 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 and they were to be constructed at Berkeley and though referred to as Port Kembla Migrant Worker Hostel units 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7, it would be named Berkeley Migrant Hostel. The first section of Berkeley Migrant Hostel for 800 people was given a completion date of November 1950 with it to be fully completed by February 1951. These projected completion dates were not met.
Hostels for British migrants constructed throughout Australia avoided as much as possible the use of building materials that were in short supply Australia-wide. The Commonwealth Government also determined that the British migrant hostels were to have a defined set of scale and standards that resulted in some improvements in furniture and fittings more befitting for migrants from Britain.
Nissen and Quonset Huts were mostly being used in the construction of all new Commonwealth Migrant Hostels and the migrant hostel at Berkeley was no exception. Nissen Huts, of varying sizes, were used for the accommodation of singles, married couples with or without children, installing walls and doors as partitions inside the huts to create the different room configurations as required. Quonset Huts were used for amenity buildings such as dining halls or manager residences. All hostels were constructed in a very similar layout with toilet and ablution huts set in between rows of accommodation huts that were shared. How each hostel site layout was planned was determined by the location, the amount of land acquired and the topography. Other than that, there was very little that distinguished one Commonwealth Migrant Hostel from another where huts were used. The only difference was the faces of the people who transited through.
Briefly, the family units included dormitory accommodation generally comprised of 64 two bedroom and living room units to accommodate 192 persons and 64 three bedroom and living room units to accommodate 256 persons. Shared toilet and ablution accommodation for both sexes were provided based on one block to each eight families together with two laundries. The shared dining room and kitchen was as per the standard hostel units with the exception that it could be divided down the main axis with a light screen to provide separate dining rooms for children and adults with a service race in each. The number of dining halls and kitchens were determined by the size of the hostel, usually at one per unit, each unit accommodating around 400 people. In addition to dormitories, laundries and ablution huts, other amenities such as kindergartens and craft rooms could also be included. Further information on the standards for the construction of hostels for British migrants is available in “Commonwealth Migrant Hostel Schemes”.
These types of family hostels meant three times more the number of Nissen Huts usually required. As such, 50% of the overall building programme would require Nissen Huts and therefore it was necessary to double the number that had already been ordered by the Commonwealth Government.
When the hostel at Berkeley was first proposed it was thought that about 100 acres was required to allow up to 5 units to be erected. Officers from the Department of Labour and National Service had reviewed available land in the Berkeley locality and found land adjacent to the village of Berkeley that was identified as suitable to construct the proposed 5 hostel units. The area was at this time essentially still dairy farms and open country with a few residences and businesses. The land was under private ownership which the Commonwealth Government intended to acquire directly from the property owners.
On a plan dated 2 March 1950 the area proposed to be acquired was shown as pink and blue on the plan. These parcels of land, in addition to being sufficient to construct five hostel units, would also allow space for playing areas, falls for engineering services and land treatment and for future expansion if required.
Transport facilities were viewed as one of the great handicaps for Berkeley Migrant Hostel as Flagstaff Road was considered too steep east of Berkeley Village for bus transport to Port Kembla, and both Flagstaff Road and Canterbury Road were narrow and in poor condition in places. The Commonwealth Government liaised with Wollongong City Council for a road connection between Berkeley and Port Kembla to service the proposed hostel. The Council preferred the extension of Northcliffe Drive as the better thoroughfare than Gorrell’s Hill.
Having identified the land to be used for the construction of the Berkeley Migrant Hostel, a survey was undertaken which produced an inspection and valuation by a Departmental Valuer which was reported in a letter dated 7 June 1950 and included the following descriptions: Mr S. Cook a total of 60¼ acres; Mr E.A. Lindsay 27 acres and Mr N.A. Gorrell 46 acres. In all, at total of 133¼ acres was valued at £15,925.
Negotiations with two of the owners of property to be acquired, Mr Cook and Mr Gorrell, were commenced by the Survey and Property Officer for the Commonwealth Government. In addition to acquisition of land, the Commonwealth Government also sought early access to the individual properties during the acquisition process to start site preparations for the hostel. The owner of the property was offered payment by the Commonwealth at an agreed percentage of the purchase price from date of entry to the acquisition date if early access was allowed.
Mr Cook wanted an increase in the proposed amount of percentage paid for early access and the option to retain 60 feet frontage to his property. Mr Gorrell was not agreeable to allowing the Commonwealth Government immediate access to his property as early possession meant he had to reduce his dairy herd by 20 to 25 cattle at a considerable loss to him. He was, however, willing to let the Commonwealth into a small portion of his land and make bigger areas available progressively.
The acquisition of land impacted the livelihoods of the dairy farmers in the area. Acquisitions reduced the amount of good grazing land which in turn meant a reduction in the number of cattle and consequently affected milk production. These impacts on livelihoods were felt by farmers wherever the Government (Federal or State) chose to acquire or resume land and not just in the Illawarra.
During subsequent visits from May 1950 by Commonwealth Government representatives to meet with property owners, it was learnt that Mr Cook had sold 4 acres with 50 feet access from the main road, Mr Cook and Mr Gorrell had prepared plans to subdivide their respective properties under consideration of acquisition with one subdivision lodged with Wollongong City Council. In June 1950 Mr Gorrell had received notification that the Housing Commission of NSW intended to resume his parcel of land.
After being notified of the advanced stage of the proposal to establish the Hostel for New Australians at Berkeley, Wollongong City Council sent a letter to the Commonwealth Government and reminded them of the conference between Council and the Department of the Interior on 29 May 1950 at which it was agreed that hostels should not be confined to one area and they should be erected throughout the Wollongong area. The Mayor of Wollongong, Alderman Dawson, had given them a tour of an alternative site for a family hostel for British migrants that was part of the 116 acres of Collaery land at Fairy Meadow in the process of being purchased by Wollongong Council.
Around the time when negotiations to acquire land were being discussed between the Commonwealth Government and the three property owners, the Department of Immigration was advised by the NSW Housing Commission that it also had some interests in the same land under consideration of acquisition for the Berkeley Migrant Hostel, as well as adjacent lands, for its housing project. The Commonwealth Government agreed to cooperate with the Housing Commission in a way as not to impede its development of the area when it was no longer needed for immigration purposes. The Commonwealth wanted to avoid conflict or risk either the Commonwealth or Commission being embarrassed or placed at a disadvantage. The Commonwealth Government also viewed the development of public housing in the area as a permanent solution to the problem of accommodating migrants.
The agreement was for the Housing Commission to resume the whole area for the housing project first and then the Commonwealth would acquire the land made available by the Housing Commission of NSW to construct a migrant hostel at Berkeley. This agreement was made on the understanding that resumption of land by the Housing Commission would occur immediately, following which the Commonwealth Government could gain early access to the land. Once the land was no longer needed for immigration purposes the Commonwealth would give the State first offer of refusal. These verbal arrangements were formally confirmed by memorandum to the Housing Commission on 21 July 1950.
The Housing Commission of NSW proposed to resume a total area of 567 acres 1 rood 13 perches for its Housing Project Area No 48 at Berkeley. The Commonwealth Government ceased independent negotiations with the property owners.
The Commonwealth Government had to wait for the NSW State gazettal of the resumption of land before it could formally commence the land acquisition from the NSW State Government. Immediate right of entry, whilst the mechanics of the land acquisition were underway and finalised, was also sought. Arrangements for the Commonwealth Government to access land to commence construction of Berkeley Migrant Hostel probably occurred around mid 1951.
Mr Cook made representations to the Housing Commission to return to him a small section of land adjacent to his quarry measuring 1 rood 28¾ perches fronting Flagstaff Road that had been resumed by the Housing Commission. The Housing Commission notified the Commonwealth Government by letter of 31 October 1951 about Mr Cook’s request and that it intended to implement action for its return to Mr Cook. The Commonwealth Government’s Department of Works and Housing had no objection to the reduced area for the hostel site following the return of the small section of land to Mr Cook. This small section of land was located between Unit 1 and Unit 2.
The Housing Commission of NSW formally advised that it had resolved to give approval for the Commonwealth Government to acquire areas of that land that comprised 19 acres 3 roods 12½ perches from Lot 8 of the Berkeley Estate (former owner Mr Lindsay) and 12 acres 1 rood 39 perches from Lot 9 of the Berkeley Estate (former owner Mr Cook) having frontages to Flagstaff Road and Canterbury Road respectively. These two areas were made available to the Commonwealth Government at cost to the Housing Commission for the purposes of erecting a migrant hostel with the exception of a small area not available for acquisition by the Commonwealth as it was needed by the Housing Commission for the linking up of two roads as proposed in the Housing Project plan. This road would be called Nannawilli Street.
On 2 January 1953 the Registered Surveyor reported that whilst surveying the Berkeley Migrant Hostel area one Nissen Hut was found to have encroached on adjoining land still in the ownership of Mr Lindsay. Earlier, in February 1951 the Commonwealth Government had approached Mr Lindsay to acquire the land but Mr Lindsay made a strong plea to the Commonwealth not to acquire this section of his land as it was essential to his business as it was the only piece of flat land which remained and was needed to rest his cattle as it provided good grazing and shelter. The Commonwealth Government decided not to acquire the land. However, when the discovery of the placement of the Nissen Hut on Mr Lindsay’s property was discovered, the Commonwealth Government needed to acquire this section of land as it was easier than dismantling and removing the hut. In April 1953, the solicitors for Mr Lindsay, Cox & Wiseman, were again contacted by letter and advised the Commonwealth now required to acquire this additional piece of his property for the Berkeley Migrant Hostel. Mr Lindsay knew that this time he had no option but to allow the Commonwealth Government to acquire it.
Mr Lindsay was provided a Notice of Acquisition of Land, under the Commonwealth Lands Act, by letter dated 7 August 1953. A Claim for Compensation in Respect of Land Acquired for 36¼ perches was submitted. The claim was for £125 of unimproved land and the owner was listed on the Form (C.1) as John Charles Lindsay, Berkeley Road, Unanderra, Farmer. The form was signed on 7 October 1953 and Mr Lindsay received compensation payment of £125.12.0 which included interest from date of acquisition to date of payment.
Given the Housing Commission needed a vast area to be able to pursue its housing development plan which reduced the size of the land it would offer to the Commonwealth Government to acquire for a hostel, plus the objection raised by Wollongong Council, the Commonwealth Government altered its plan for additional hostel units for British Migrants in the Illawarra to a two unit hostel at Berkeley (capable of accommodating 800 persons) and a 3 unit (1,200 person) hostel at Fairy Meadow at the site of the Collaery Estate as recommended by the Wollongong Mayor.
When the decision was made by the Commonwealth to defer its acquisition of the site for Berkeley Migrant Hostel until the resumption was gazetted by the NSW State Government, there was an understanding that the expected gazettal of the area would occur within three to four weeks (being early to mid-August 1950), then the Commonwealth was consequently advised that the gazettal notice would be finalised by 11 September 1950 and then 29 September 1950, but this was not the case. The resumption of the land by the Housing Commission of NSW did not appear in the NSW Government Gazette until 8 December 1950. Delays in the Housing Commission advising the Commonwealth Government on the price in payment for the acquisition meant that the formal acquisition of compulsory acquisition was not commenced until 19 September 1951.
The delay in gazetting the resumption by the Housing Commission had caused a delay in the Commonwealth Government gaining early access to the proposed Berkeley Migrant Hostel site and consequently delayed the construction of the Hostel. Shortage of materials, labour and finance were also said to have contributed to delays. The announcement by the Minister of Immigration about the construction of a five unit hostel at Berkeley first appeared around March 1950, giving the Commonwealth Government at least 12 months to acquire the land and construct one or two hostel units of the five units proposed at Berkeley in time to accept the first of the expected intakes of British migrants and families in April 1951 (although the arrival of British migrants a month earlier had them accommodated in Unit 1 at the Unanderra Hostel). Local newspapers such as the Illawarra Mercury and the South Coast Times and Wollongong Argus, reported that the construction of one unit at Berkeley Migrant Hostel was expected to start in October 1950 by Concrete Constructions and in November 1950 by contractors Kennedy and Bird. The first intake of April 1951 was accommodated in one of the completed hostel units at the Balgownie Migrant Hostel as the Berkeley Migrant Hostel was not ready. Berkeley Migrant Hostel would not be ready to accept its first intake of British migrants until the end of 1951. In June 1951 it was reported that Berkeley Hostel was under construction and a total of 117 men were employed on the construction of the Berkeley Hostel at this time and in early October 1951 two hostel units at Berkeley were nearing completion.
According to the Parliamentary Hansard Report of 12 November 1957, Unit 1 officially commenced operating on 27 December 1951 and at one point the construction of Unit 2 was suspended.
Commonwealth Hostels Limited took over the running of the Berkeley Migrant Hostel site from the Department of Labour and National Service on the week ending 2 February 1952. At this time the Hostel had 143 residents all with British nationality that comprised 92 adults (46 male and 46 female) and 51 children.
In April 1952 a newspaper reported that the construction at Berkeley Migrant Hostel was interrupted when about 80 carpenters from Kennedy and Bird went on strike for nearly two weeks. Then in December 1952 a report appeared that said hostels at Berkeley were nearing completion.
By June/July 1952 the number of occupants at the Berkeley Migrant Hostel had increased to 317, of which 153 were British, with the rest non-British but there is no record of their nationality at the time of the report. Residents at the Berkeley Migrant Hostel were now making a home, albeit temporary. Social functions would take place such as the Italian migrants who had put on a supper dance with the British migrants as guests of honour on 30 August 1952. The Italian migrants did their own catering of Italian dishes and each lady was presented with camellias as they entered the Hall.
On 28 February 1953 a nationality survey was undertaken and recorded 369 residents and staff at Berkeley Migrant Hostel. The breakdown of nationalities revealed 10 Australian, 121 British, 18 Displaced Persons, 102 Dutch, 25 Italian and 93 Germans.
There often were complaints made by the people accommodated at Commonwealth Migrant Hostels throughout NSW about the food and accommodation standards. Often it was complaints about increases in tariffs that drew the most criticism from Hostel residents. Unanderra and Balgownie Migrant Hostel residents had also over time raised similar complaints, and some Berkeley Migrant Hostel residents would participate in organised protests.
Meetings took place throughout November 1952 largely led by the British Migrants Association. The protests were not confined to Berkeley but throughout other Commonwealth Hostels in the district and other parts of NSW. Complaints and protests centred mainly around food, living conditions and tariffs.
In June 1953, there were complaints about the quality of food, from a number of migrant hostels throughout NSW, including Balgownie and Unanderra. It had been also been alleged that children at Berkeley Hostel had suffered from malnutrition because of the standard of food. It was proposed to conduct a trial in one of the Commonwealth Migrant Hostels for residents to do their own cooking and Berkeley Migrant Hostel was selected. However, after a ballot undertaken on Saturday 1 July 1953 by the migrants still living at Berkeley Hostel it was decided they did not want an eight-week trial. The number eligible to vote was 133 and 40 voted in favour and 41 against with 51 not voting.
Sometimes the Commonwealth Government would serve eviction notices on those who had refused to pay the tariff and also refused to stop cooking meals in their huts. On 21 July 1953 a total of 59 eviction notices had been received by migrants at Unanderra, Balgownie and Berkeley Migrant Hostels who did not comply with hostel regulations. At Berkeley Migrant Hostel a total of 38 evictions notices were served on five families and 33 found other accommodations.
Another incident of complaints about increased tariffs occurred in February 1967 when 60% of residents at Berkeley Migrant Hostel had refused to pay the increased amount. A committee was formed to protest Parliamentarians and local government authorities. Migrants from others hostels across NSW took similar action. The migrants were threatened with legal action if they failed to pay what they owed after holding out on paying their tariffs. This particular protest was reported as ‘petering out’ and did not seem to gain any momentum. Other migrant hostel led protests were successful and involved marches down Crown Street sometimes with support from Unions.
In mid-July 1966 a reporter and photographer visited Berkeley Migrant Hostel and spoke with people at random in the Number 2 Dining Hall. With one exception the reporter found that nobody was highly critical of the Berkeley Migrant Hostel. Mrs Austin and Mrs Hall, who had been at the Hostel only 7 and 9 weeks respectively, had specific complaints about the food and conditions but also said the hostel management was doing its best. Management when interviewed also had complaints and cited such incidents as butter splattered across the windows. Mr H. Hodge was the Operations Officer for Commonwealth Hostels on the South Coast and Mr W. Devenish was the Berkeley Migrant Hostel Manager at the time of this article being written. The reporter found the situation at the Hostel was much better than the press and public was often led to believe by the Hostel residents and that management was usually on the defensive. The managers said that the whole problem revolved around the fact that most of the residents lived in their own homes in England and adjusting to communal eating and living was not easy. The reporter wrote that some of the resident’s complaints were justified, but so were many of the hostel management. The reporter also wrote “But the problems are said to be psychological rather than practical. There are faults on both sides, but no more than can be expected under hostel conditions”.
Newspapers reported on the Berkeley Migrant Hostel being temporarily closed in January 1953 because it was uneconomical to operate a hostel when “The number of staff practically equalled the number of residents at Berkeley”. The remaining residents could choose to be re-housed at Balgownie or Unanderra Migrant Hostels. The 90 men employed by Kennedy and Bird at Berkeley Hostel were dismissed. Unit 2 at the Berkeley Migrant Hostel was only partially completed when the Hostel was temporarily closed (it would be brought into operation progressively from March 1965).
After having been temporarily closed since January 1953, the Berkeley Migrant Hostel was placed under a caretaker in September 1953. The closure came about because of the 1953 nation-wide credit squeeze imposed by the Federal Government, which also affected migration numbers.
On 20 July 1954 the Berkeley Migrant Hostel was re-opened when an intake of 346 British migrants required Hostel accommodation. These British migrants comprised 65 male adults, 69 female adults and 212 children. Upwards of 700 single men and 400 families were expected to be accommodated at the Hostel from July to December 1954. Tradesmen employed by J.O.A. Parkinson were working on the Berkeley Migrant Hostel around the time it had re-opened in 1954.
Mr Coombes had been appointed as the Berkeley Migrant Hostel Manager when it was re-opened but by October he had been appointed to the East Hills Hostel. Residents at Berkeley Migrant Hostel organised a presentation and social evening for Mr Coombes in the recreation hall at Berkeley Hostel where he was presented with an inscribed cigarette case and lighter by Mrs Allen who had been the Hostel Housekeeper. Mr Malmo then succeeded Mr Coombes as the Berkeley Migrant Hostel Manager.
In June of 1954 the Mayor of Wollongong, Alderman J.J. Kelly, announced that Northcliffe Drive was to be extended to provide a road connection between Berkeley and Port Kembla that would service Berkeley Migrant Hostel. The Commonwealth Government had requested a connecting road when it first proposed to construct the hostel at Berkeley.
Like other Hostels in the area, migrant hostel residents would organise social events that were held in the recreation or dining halls. One such social event took place on 18 December 1954 when a Christmas party was held in the Recreation Hall at Berkeley Migrant hostel where more than 240 children received gifts, sweets, balloons and cordial. The party had been organised by Mr and Mrs Childs and the social committee.
Many people of all nationalities transited through Berkeley Migrant Hostel and it was through their contributions that the Region achieved economic and cultural growth, expansion of industries, services and infrastructure, often without recognition. There were some migrants who did receive national acclaim such as “Mr Football” Les Murray commentator for SBS soccer. Born László Ürge he arrived in Australia after fleeing Hungary as an 11 year old with his parents Josef and Erzebet and brothers Joe and Andrew in 1957. The family was accommodated at Berkeley Migrant Hostel.
By July 1958 Berkeley Migrant Hostel reached 630 residents, 674 residents in 1959 and in July 1961 a total of 738 residents. From 1962 to 1964 the number of residents at Berkeley Migrant Hostel fluctuated between 250 and 600. On Wednesday 12 August 1964 Berkeley Migrant Hostel received a large Irish family when Mr and Mrs Mullens and their 12 children moved in. They were the biggest family to ever move into Berkeley Migrant Hostel after arriving in Australia on 11 August 1964. The children ranged in age from 16 months to 20 years with the eldest son still in Britain. A total of 926 residents at Berkeley Migrant Hostel was recorded on 13 November 1965 and comprised of 10 Australians and 916 British. By 25 June 1966 there were 1,218 residents made up of 9 Australians and 1,209 British.
Sadly in July 1961 an 8 year old girl from Berkeley Hostel died from Polio. As a result residents at Berkeley Migrant Hostel were one of the first to receive the anti-polio injections when the Wollongong immunisation campaign resumed in August. Residents from Unanderra and Balgownie Hostels were also amongst the first to receive the injections together with staff and residents at Wollongong Hospital. Berkeley Housing residents had blamed rubbish dumps along the lake foreshore for the outbreak of poliomyelitis and other infectious diseases in the district. Many of the children would play in the dumps. Blame was also placed on householders who actually lived away from the lake for the dumping of this rubbish. Residents also complained about the stench from the Berkeley Hostel sewerage pump in Holborn Stret. About eight more cases of polio had been reported from the Berkeley area following the young girl’s passing.
The Notification of the Acquisition of Land by the Commonwealth under the Lands Acquisition Act 1906-1936 at Berkeley NSW for immigration purposes was notified in the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette, No 45, dated 16 July 1953. The land acquired from the Housing Commission of NSW described in the Gazette as 12 acres 1 rood 39 perches and 19 acres 3 roods 12½ perches being parts of Lots 9 and 8 of the Berkeley Estate.
Finally, in January 1964, the Housing Commission submitted its claim for compensation for £13,014 to the Commonwealth Department of the Interior. The claim covered the net cost to the Commission of the land acquired (£11,582), Administrative costs for negotiations and settlement of former owners claims for compensation (£232) and half the cost for the construction of Nannawilli Street adjacent to the Hostel (£1,200).
The cost of erecting the Berkeley Migrant Hostel Units 1 and 2 was £724,573 which comprised the purchase of Nissen huts, (£34,560), erection of buildings (£670,737), electrical reticulation (£3,155), steam plant and reticulation (£12,671) and the supply of kitchen fittings, (£3,450) pounds.
Requisitions for the provision for the connection of electrical space heating were made for the installation of a number of circuits for 64 four room huts and 65 three bedroom huts of one general purpose outlet to each hut and one lamp point per room and the supply and installation of meter boards, removal of existing circuit brakers and other surplus control equipment, plus heating for each dining room. This work had been approved in March 1953 at a cost of £150,000.
The Commonwealth Government had considered building of another hostel at Unanderra (Flagstaff Road) between 1952-1954 but a survey of employment requirements in 1951 revealed that there was a surplus of unskilled male labour in Wollongong area and the Commonwealth Hostels at Unanderra, Berkeley and Balgownie were not being fully utilised, therefore no requirement for additional hostel accommodation in Wollongong was necessary. Settlement for the sale to Wollongong City Council of Lot 202 Flagstaff Road, Unanderra, was settled on 3 December 1982.
In addition to erecting Nissen and Quonset Huts to accommodate migrants in Hostels, the Commonwealth Government was also responsible for provision water and electricity as well as treatment works for sewage and sullage disposal. It was necessary for the Commonwealth to install services to deal with the sewage and sullage disposal for the Berkeley Hostel. Negotiations with the Water, Sewerage and Drainage Board for the provision of a pumping house and treatment works that would serve both the Hostel and the adjacent Housing Commission Community Centre started from about May 1951 and improvements to the sewerage plant were made in April 1953. Land at Hooka Point was leased from the Housing Commission for the construction of sewer mains and works. The Commonwealth Government leased land at Hooka Point from the Housing Commission for a period of up to 10 years for the purpose of setting up and working a temporary sullage disposal plant. A ten year lease commenced in October 1951. A fresh lease and licence to occupy the land at Hooka Point was given for a further 10 years from 1961 when it was considered that the Berkeley Migrant Hostel would be required indefinitely. Ultimately the sewerage treatment plant would be transferred to the Metropolitan Water Sewerage and Drainage Board.
The amplification of the water supply had been made as a joint request to the Metropolitan Water, Sewerage and Drainage Board by the Commonwealth Government and the Housing Commission of NSW and involved the laying of a new main from the Berkeley Reservoir that needed to pass through land that had been acquired by the Commonwealth Government for the Berkeley Migrant Hostel. The amplification was for the Avon-South Coast water Supply with 30 inch gravitation main summit tunnel to Berkeley. In late February 1954, the Metropolitan Water, Sewerage and Drainage Board advised the Commonwealth that no buildings should be erected over or near to the vicinity of the main and that approval for a grant of easement of 13 perches through the Hostel grounds be granted to them. The grant of easement was settled on 4 January 1957 at a cost of £10. The Metropolitan Water, Sewerage and Drainage Board sent a formal notice of entry dated 24 November 1958 to the Commonwealth Hostels Limited to construct a 30 inch watermain. The Metropolitan Water, Sewerage and Drainage Board in May 1959 requested to temporarily occupy part of an area within the site of Unit 1 measuring 29¾ perches for its staff to be accommodated during the construction of the pipeline. The Metropolitan Water, Sewerage and Drainage Board were notified of the approval and conditions in a letter dated 11 January 1959.
There is no doubt that the resumption of land by the Housing Commission and the acquisition of land by the Commonwealth Government impacted on the livelihoods and businesses, as well as the Commonwealth Hostels. The manager of Berkeley Migrant Hostel had to contend with encroachment and trespass from a nearby quarry and dairy farmers.
In October 1953 in the early days of the temporary closure of Berkeley Migrant Hostel an inspection was conducted by a representative from Commonwealth Hostels Limited where it was discovered that excavations and spoil deposits from the quarry had been placed on Commonwealth property North of Unit 2. The Contractor Kennedy and Bird were found to be responsible for the the ground damage made by dozer tracks that surrounded the spoils as well the construction of an access road to the quarry.
The owner of the quarry before it had been resumed by the Housing Commission was Stanislaus Joseph Cook of Canterbury Road, Unanderra, who a couple of years earlier had applied to the Housing Commission to revert a strip of land back to him when it interfered with his access. The quarry produced gravel which had been used in Commonwealth projects through Kennedy and Bird. The Commonwealth Government agreed with this section of land to be returned to Mr Cook by the Housing Commission after it was too deemed expensive to remove the overburden to construct the Hostel boundary fence.
The quarry itself did not encroach on Commonwealth property, it was only the spoils. The Quarry was located between Lots 8 and 9 where Units 1 and 2 of Berkeley Migrant Hostel were constructed. On today’s map that places the quarry approximately between Narriah Place and Halyard Street fronting Semaphore Road.
In February 1954, whilst Berkeley Migrant Hostel was still temporarily closed and in caretaker mode, the Caretaker-Manager, Mr Harre, sent a report to the Chief Property Officer to advise him of the trespass by local dairy farmers from adjoining properties as they used the Western section of the Unit 1 Hostel grounds to deliver milk cans to the pick up point that was located at the corner of (then) Flagstaff and Canterbury Roads. Mr Lindsay had previously always brought his milk by sled to a platform that had been erected on the Northern side of Flagstaff Road adjacent to the intersection and the compulsory acquisition of the hostel site had included the site of the platform. The Commonwealth eventually issued Mr Lindsay with a licence to pass over Berkeley Migrant Hostel land.
Residents from the Berkley Migrant Hostel were accused of trespassing on an adjoining dairy farm and on one occasion it was alleged the Italians were shooting rifles on the Northern boundary of the hostel and children from the Hostel were playing and swimming in a waterholes of the creek leaving refuse that prevented cows from drinking the water and posed a risk of infectious diseases that could affect milk production. It was also alleged that the fences between the hostel boundary and adjoining land were being damaged leaving cattle able to escape, and allegations of theft of flowers and shrubs from the dairy farm’s garden.
Towards the middle of 1967, the numbers at the Commonwealth migrant hostels in the Illawarra were experiencing low occupancy rates and it was uneconomical to keep all three running. The decline in the number of migrants that needed to be accommodated in migrant hostels was attributed to tenants having found alternative accommodation by the Housing Officers now employed by the Commonwealth as well as the decline in the flow of migrants to Australia. It had been reported that Berkeley Migrant Hostel was only one-third occupied at this time when it could accommodate many more. When once again it had become uneconomical to keep vacant sections open Berkeley Migrant Hostel was temporarily closed in May 1967. In a press statement released by Commonwealth Hostels on 19 October 1967 it was said the closure was temporary and for an indefinite period. The (then) manager of Berkeley Migrant Hostel, Mr B.R. Wood, was transferred to the manager position at Pennington Hostel in South Australia.
The closure of Berkeley Hostel was said to result in a saving of about $10,000 a year. The closure affected over 300 residents who had been formally advised by letter and offered transfers to the other two Commonwealth Migrant Hostels still in operation at Fairy Meadow and Unanderra. Free transport was provided to move residents and their belongings to Fairy Meadow or Unanderra Hostels with preferences for Unanderra given to families with children attending Berkeley High School. A school bus to transport them from Unanderra Hostel to the High School was also promised. Twenty-four families had asked to be transferred to Balgownie Migrant Hostel and the first 10 ten of these migrant families were transferred on the morning of Saturday 21 October 1967. Only two families had sought transfers to Unanderra Migrant Hostel.
WIN TV reported on this closure of Berkeley Migrant Hostel and footage of that report can be viewed below.
The Berkeley Migrant Hostel ceased operations completely and was placed under a caretaker on 11 November 1967. Some staff remained at the Hostel to carry out routine maintenance on the huts and buildings as Commonwealth Hostels Limited had decided to keep Berkeley Migrant Hostel on a caretaker basis in case of an increased demand for labour in the Wollongong/Port Kembla area occurred. It would remain under Commonwealth Hostels Limited for about another 4 years before the Commonwealth Department of the Interior declared the property to be disposed. By March 1971 both Unanderra and Berkeley Migrant Hostels had been out of use as hostels for a few years but the Department of the Interior had still not yet decided whether to retain the land at Berkeley Hostel.
The town of Berkeley had rapidly transformed from a small fishing hamlet to a bustling township for industrial workers, particularly with the construction of the Berkeley Migrant Hostel. In the early days following its expansion, Berkeley did not have a good reputation, tarnished by a 1968 Sydney newspaper report of being a “sin-city”, with a lack of community facilities, vandalism and problems with youths. But not all problems were the blame of the town’s youth. The town of Berkeley owed much of its problems to the lack of community facilities. In 1968 the population at Berkeley was about 10,000 with many people previous tenants of the Berkeley Migrant Hostel who now lived in the Housing Commission homes. Despite repeated requests by the residents for a police station, these went unheeded. In 1968 there were two public schools, Berkeley and Berkeley West and one high school. Berkeley had only a shopping centre and the Drive-In, TAB, post office and supermarket. With the increase of the population of Berkeley that mainly resulted from residents of the Berkeley Migrant Hostel and residents of the Housing Commission homes, the needs of the education of the town’s children still had to be addressed. In time Berkeley became settled and established suburb of Wollongong.
A number of local community groups who used Berkeley Migrant Hostel facilities and recreation area for club activities were assured that when a decision was made about the Berkeley Migrant Hostel property each group would be given one month written notice by Commonwealth Hostels Ltd. The groups were advised by letter they had to vacate by 21 June 1971. A handful of community clubs such as the Berkeley Sports and Social Club, Scouts, Guides and Brownies and a Scottish dancing group, were given a reprieve after intervention on their behalf by the Federal Member for Cunningham, Rex Connor, and they were permitted to continue using Berkeley Migrant Hostel facilities until October 1971. The Girl Guides at Berkeley had bought an office building that had been used at the former Berkeley Migrant Hostel site for about $70 in about August 1971 when the huts were put up for sale by auction. The Guides had been using the room for seven years prior and faced the prospect of being without premises since the hostel closed. The moving of the hut to their own headquarters in Gallop Street was arranged by the Guides. This hut was destroyed by fire soon after it had moved to the new location at Berkeley.
By June 1971 the Department of Labour and National Service had decided that by maintaining Fairy Meadow (formerly Balgownie) Migrant Hostel on an operational basis and Unanderra Hostel as reserve accommodation in case of emergency, there would be sufficient accommodation for migrants to meet the area’s needs in the foreseeable future. The Berkeley Migrant Hostel accommodation had been assessed as sub-standard for migrant accommodation. The Minister for Immigration authorised that the Berkeley Migrant Hostel and all Commonwealth buildings making up the Hostel be declared for disposal. The Berkeley Migrant Hostel was declared surplus to requirements on 18 June 1971 and the property was vacated by Commonwealth Hostels Limited on 21 June 1971 and the Commonwealth Government assumed responsibility from Commonwealth Hostels Limited. The Department of the Interior officially declared the land for disposal in December 1971.
The Berkeley Migrant Hostel land deemed surplus was 19 acres 3 roods 12½ perches, originally part of Lot 8 of the Berkeley Estate fronting Flagstaff Road and 10 acres 2 roods 21 perches, originally part of Lot 9 of the Berkeley Estate fronting Canterbury Road. In all 29 acres 3 roods 9½ perches was to be disposed which was the residue that had been compulsory acquired from the Housing Commission of NSW with the exception of 36¼ perches that had been separately acquired from the property owner, Mr Lindsay, and a small section measuring 1 acre 3 roods 18 perches retained by the Commonwealth for proposed migrant flats. Later, when the Commonwealth decided not to proceed with the migrant flats this property was also sold.
The Secretary of the Housing Commission of NSW sent a letter dated 19 January 1972 to the Department of the Interior reminding them of a previous agreement, dated 21 July 1950, that when the Commonwealth Government acquired the land following the Housing Commission resumption for the housing development programme, the Housing Commission of NSW would be given first offer once it was no longer required by the Commonwealth. The Housing Commission of NSW had always maintained interest in the acquisition of the two parcels of the land and now asked for confirmation the land could be made available for housing purposes and what price the Commonwealth would require for it. The Housing Commission of NSW could not fulfil plans for the Housing Project at Berkeley without the land from the former Berkeley Migrant Hostel site.
In May 1972 the Department of the Interior advised the Housing Commission of NSW that it would be prepared to make the land that comprised a total area of approximately 29 acres 3 roods 9½ perches available to them for acquisition. The Commonwealth was prepared to sell the land to the Commission for $200,000 plus survey and legal costs.
Lot 1 that was retained by the Commonwealth for the proposed migrant flats was also needed by the Housing Commission of NSW to allow the extension of Nannawilli Street. Without Lot 1 the full construction of the extension could not proceed and its retention also interfered with the housing project subdivision. The Housing Commission requested the Commonwealth to re-examine its intended use of this piece of land. The Commonwealth continued to retain this section of land for proposed migrant flats, but it did change the size and the boundaries to accommodate the Housing Commission subdivision requirements.
By 1972 all the buildings had been removed from the property of the former Berkeley Migrant Hostel site having been either sold or demolished. The empty property of the Berkeley Migrant Hostel site then became a dumping ground for rubbish. Wollongong Council submitted a complaint about the condition of the land at the former Berkeley Migrant Hostel site and requested the Australian Government arrange for a number of abandoned car bodies and general litter be removed. This was completed in August 1974 at a cost of $200.
By 12 August 1973 arrangements for the exchange of contracts for the purchase of Lot 7 DP219085 and part of Lot 9 FP11113 was initiated. In March 1976 a cheque in the amount of $200,374.00 ($374 was for survey costs) was paid to the Commonwealth of Australia. The sale of the Commonwealth land acquired for Berkeley Migrant Hostel to the Housing Commission of NSW was completed on 12 April 1976.
In February 1977 the Minister decided that the land that had been retained by the Australian Government at Lot 1, Nannawilli Street, Berkeley, (former Hostel site) was no longer required for the construction of migrant flats and it was made available for disposal. In April 1977 the NSW Premier’s Department was asked if it had any interest in, or requirement for the property. The NSW Housing Commission was interested in this property now measuring 2 acres 1 rood 36¼ perches after the change in the land boundary. The Australian Taxation Office provided a survey and valuation of Lot 1 as being zoned Residential A and was on gently undulating good building land, slightly elevated from the surrounding area which was predominantly a Housing Commission Estate. The land was unfenced and it had no other improvements erected on it and its considered market value was $25,000. Contracts were exchanged, Transfer and Certificate of Title Volume 12934 Folio 173 executed and payment to the Commonwealth Government received, the matter of was finally settled on 19 October 1978.
The property sold to the Housing Commission of NSW once used for the accommodation of migrants was now the site for the Housing Commission of NSW to continue constructing homes to house citizens of the Illawarra that included migrants who had made Berkeley their home.
The Berkeley Migrant Hostel officially commenced operations on 27 December 1951 and operated until 11 November 1967.
The Berkeley Migrant Hostel was the last Commonwealth Migrant Hostel to be constructed in the Illawarra and although it was built for the accommodation of British migrants it would house many nationalities when assisted migration programmes were offered to other European countries.
There is very little evidence, if any, left of the Berkeley Migrant Hostel today.