non-fictionThis article is about local engagement with a post-war immigration reception centre. The author explains the community perceptions of and interactions with Bonegilla, its residents and ex-residents while the centre was operating. He then traces the way locals, working with ex-residents, created and championed Block 19 Bonegilla as a memory place and heritage asset. The roles played by locals and local government are explored and analysed.bonegilla, immigration reception centre, block 19 bonegilla

Bonegilla Army Base and Migrant Reception Centre began when funds were allocated to build Bonegilla Army Camp in June 1940. Builders began to erect about 600 huts prior to the Army moving in during September of that year. Between 1942 - 1943 it was enlarged to 848 buildings. In 1947 Bonegilla Reception and Training Centre began operating with the Army providing transport, security and catering services. From 1949 until 1965 the Bonegilla Reception and Training Centre operated without a military presence. Bonegilla Migrant Reception and Training Centre was made up of 24 blocks. It had its own churches, banks, sporting fields, cinema, hospital, police station and railway platform. It became the largest and longest operating reception centre in the post-war era. More than 300,000 migrants passed through its doors between 1947 and 1971, with most of those originating from non-English speaking European countries. From1965 with the increased Australian commitment to the Vietnam War and the need to find accommodation to train National Servicemen for Vietnam, the Army negotiated with the Department of Immigration to take over several blocks at Bonegilla. In 1971 the Reception Centre closed and the site reverted to the Army. After 1971 the Army undertook a major site redevelopment with the construction of Latchford Barracks as the Army Apprentice School. Later Latchford Barracks was redeveloped into part of the Army Logistic Training Centre. Between 1978 and 1982, nearly all of the centre was demolished in a major redevelopment. The new replacement buildings were formally opened as Latchford Barracks in 1983. Demolition of the buildings prompted calls for recognition of the site and the role it had played in Australia’s post-World War II Immigration program. After much discussion between the Department of Army and Heritage and local groups about the significance of the site, the Australian Heritage Commission proceeded with its listing on the Register of the National Estate. A Conservation Management Plan was prepared for Block 19 in 1996. The Army transferred Block 19 to the Victorian Government. In 2002 Heritage Victoria listed Block 19 on the State Heritage Register, giving attention to both the migrant and army connections with the site. Hut 97 at Bonegilla Migrant Experience is the home of the Wodonga & District Historical Society Inc.This image is significant because it records a building which is part of the Bonegilla Migrant Reception Centre which played a critical role as the largest and longest operating Migrant Reception Centre in Australia.A colour photo of Hut 97 at Block 19, Bonegilla Migrant Experience, now the home of Wodonga & District Historical Society Inc.hut 97 bonegilla migrant experience, wodonga & district historical society, immigration australia

Bonegilla operated as an army base from September 1940 and by 1943 was expanded to 848 buildings, including a general hospital. It provided training for small arms instructors, signallers, transport workers, bomb disposal and gas warfare personnel. In a response to the need to house the growing number of displaced persons coming to Australia, the Bonegilla Reception and Training Centre began operating in 1947. For some time it was a shared facility but the Army withdrew temporarily from Bonegilla in 1949, whilst still retaining ownership of the site. From 1949-65 Bonegilla Reception and Training Centre operated without a military presence. However, in the late 1960s and Australia’s commitments to the Vietnam War and pressed by the need to find accommodation to train men, especially National Servicemen, the Army negotiated with the Department of Immigration to take over several blocks at Bonegilla in 1965. Thirty-five huts were acquired by the Royal Australian Army Ordnance Corps as a Recruit Training Centre in which National Servicemen and recruits could attend 10-week ordnance courses. Shortly afterwards additional huts were acquired by the School of Military Survey, which established field-survey practical training areas and special astronomical observation sites as it began conducting courses in surveying. Instructors and trainees co-located at Bonegilla with migrant reception centre. In 1971 the Reception Centre closed and the site reverted to the Army. Progressively after 1971 the Army undertook a major site redevelopment with the construction of Latchford Barracks as the Army Apprentice School. Later Latchford Barracks was redeveloped into part of the Army Logistic Training Centre. Block 19 of the Mirant Reception Centre later became the Bonegilla Migrant Experience Heritage Park.This item depicts a heritage listed historical site located in the Wodonga district.A large poster size representation of the variety of buildings at Bonegilla, Victoria when it served as the location for the Royal Australian School of Military Survey. The insignia of the Royal Australian Survey Corps is featured in the top left hand corner.Top left corner: Insignia of the Royal Australian Survey Corps At bottom of sketches: "The School of Military Survey, Bonegilla Victoria / January 1966 - December 1982migrant reception centre bonegilla, army at bonegilla, australian military