SCHEYVILLE
Between 1802 and 1893 Scheyville was part
of a grazing common set aside for local settlers. During the depression of the 1890’s a village settlement was
established to ease the high levels of unemployment then in 1896 it was
converted into a government training farm.
In 1911 the farm was taken over by the
Dreadnought Trust where young British men were sent to Australia and sponsored
to learn agricultural skills.
In 1914, 87 Germans taken from boats held in Sydney Harbour were
interned and in 1915 a short lived program was introduced to train women in
agricultural skills while men were at war. The scheme for the boys concluded in
the 1930’s and a similar project provided farm training for Australian city
boys.
World War II saw Scheyville used for
military training by the 73rd Australian Anti-aircraft Search Light
Company and later by the RAAF 244 1st Parachute Battalion. In 1949 the decision was made to
convert into a centre for migrants.
It became one of the larger immigration hostel in Australia, with
immigrants mainly from Eastern Europe and Scandinavia, the hostel closed in
1964.
In 1965 Shcheyville once again became an
army camp with the needs through conscription for the Vietnam War.
Today there are only empty buildings only
the outside shell but if walls could talk
we are sure there would be lots of stories. As you walk through the dormitory areas with only the frame
holding everything together you can only imagine what may have been, this place
has great Australian historical memories.
Sunday 1st July 2012
We decided one morning to drive to Scheyville National park which is about a 30 minute drive.
This use to be for me a migrants camp for Dutch, Latvians and some other countries.
The kids use to go to my school which was Windsor Public School and that was about 1956 to 1960.
They were wonderful kids who enjoyed their life but must have been a hard life for their parents all living on a big camp site.
This use to be for me a migrants camp for Dutch, Latvians and some other countries.
The kids use to go to my school which was Windsor Public School and that was about 1956 to 1960.
These families went on to become established residents in the Hawkesbury. The Army moved in and my brother Darrel had a friend whose father was the camps commanding officer (Studdart). When they moved out I can remember the Windsor Rugby League club holding gambling nights out at the camp.
