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Boyd Family
Mason Family
Sydney
Migrant Hostel
Yallourn
Gordon
Galston
Hornsby
Bradfield Park
Migrant Hostel
Oxford
Falls
Bobbin Head
Manly
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HISTORY OF NISSEN HUTS
Nissen huts were named after Peter Norman Nissen(1871-1930)
a British army officer and mining engineer who designed
them. They were a prefabricated building of corrugated steel
in the shape of a half cylinder. With the U.S.A. preparing
for World War One, Nissen's design was immediately accepted
as an all-purpose building for use overseas. It had a
semi-circular cross-section for strength, cavity walls for
insulation, and required no special skill to erect. It had
the further advantage that it used common materials such as
concrete, corrugated iron, and plaster-board, and was
therefore cheap.Nissen huts became the standard U.S. army
building overseas, used especially by military personnel as
a shelter. Erection was normally carried out by six men over
a period of 4 hours. The record time for erecting a hut was
1 hour 27 minutes. Hundreds of thousands made their
appearance on airstrips, hospitals and army depots around
the world including Australia.
After the First World War Nissen huts helped with housing
shortages and were seen again in various guises in many
theatres of war.
The huts have seen service as migrant hostels, churches,
schools, chooks sheds and even barns.
MIGRANT HOSTELS
Nissen huts were a staple of migrant camps in 1950s
Australia.
Initially migrant workers hostels were run by the Department
of Labour. The administration of hostels was handed over to
Commonwealth
Hostels Limited in January 1952. The Department of
Immigration was responsible for Commonwealth owned hostels
and service camps used to house displaced persons and other
immigrants arriving in Australia. This Commonwealth-owned
company operated until 1978. They established and
administered migrant reception and training centres and
migrant accommodation centres such as Bonegilla, Benalla,
Broadmedows, Holmesglen, Somers and East Preston in
Victoria, Rushworth, Stuart and Wacol in Queensland and
Northam Holden, Graylands and Cunderdin in Western
Australia. In NSW, from 1948 to 1978, migrant hostels
operated in Adamstown, Balgownie, Bankstown, Bathurst,
Bradfield Park, Bunnerong, Burwood, Matraville, Cabramatta,
Cronulla, Dundas,East Hills, Ermington, Goulburn, Greta,
Katoomba, Kingsgrove, Kyeemagh, Leeton, Lithgow,Mascot,
Mayfield, Meadowbank, Nelson Bay, North Head, Orange, Port
Kembla, Port Stephens, Randwick, St Marys, Scheyville,
Schofields, Unanderra, Villawood, Wallerawang and Wallgrove. |