non-fictionA history of The German Austrian Club which was founded on the 16th of July, 1960. Migrants from Germany and Austria arrived in Bonegilla during the 50s and 60s and many were lonely and homesick. The Club became a meeting place for these people. This book follows the evolution of the club as a recognised social venue and contributor to the Wodonga community.german austrian australian club, wodonga clubs, german immigration

Several German families arrived in Wodonga, usually via South Australia, in the late 1850 and 1860s. Some of the earliest settlers to arrive were the Haeusler, Schlink, Trudewind, Pfeiffer and Klinge families. Many of them had left from Prussia and Bavaria to escape religious persecution. They all became actively involved in the community and made outstanding and lasting contributions to the development of the town. In the years 1868-69 more settlers arrived from South Australia and other parts of Victoria. Among the names were Heckendorf, Mueller, Zeinert and Schubert. These families were instrumental in lobbying for the establishment of the St. John's Lutheran Church in Wodonga, the foundation stone being laid in 1874. By the 1890s to the early 1900s many other Germany names were added to the local community including Muller, Lange, Pumpa, Greschke, Lobbe, Posselt, Kreuger, Schuster, Pertzel, Star, Draper, Mueller, Semmler, Thiele, Terlich, Wegener, Schreiber and Draper. Germans continued to arrive in the area until 1914. In the great post-war migration that started through Bonegilla in December 1947, Germans were among the tens of thousands who arrived. Most of the migrants who settled in Wodonga at this time were born in Germany. According to the 2016 Census, Wodonga still has a larger percentage of people with German ancestry than most other rural communities in Victoria. The German Austrian Australian Club, Wodonga was originally formed in 1960 by immigrants to Australia, to provide a meeting place for refugees and immigrants from Europe. Oktoberfest has become a world-wide occasion for all people to share in the celebration of Bavarian traditions. The Wodonga Hospital approached the Club and asked for their involvement in holding an Oktoberfest to raise funds for the Hospital. These Fests took 11 months to organize and ended up raising over $27,000.00 for the Hospital. A large number of families of German origin have arrived in the Wodonga area from as early as the 1850s. They have made valuable and lasting contributions to the area in a range of fields including agriculture, local government, businesses, retail and medical services. Their contributions are recognised in several street names in Wodonga. A white china beer stein bearing the blue logo of the Wodonga 1979 Oktoberfest. Logo includes an image of a woman in German national costume.Above the image "WODONGA" Underneath the image "OKTOBERFEST 1979"wodonga, oktoberfest, german immigrants

In the first years after European settlement of Australia, a varied collection of international coins, tradesmen's tokens and promissory notes were used by European settlers, while soldiers participated in the notorious rum trade. In 1825, the British government made the English Pound the only form of legal currency in Australian colonies. With Federation in 1901 the Commonwealth government became the only body with the constitutional power to issue currency. In 1910, nine years after Australia federated as a nation, a national Australian currency was formed, based on the British money system of pounds, shillings and pence. The Australian penny was first minted in England from 1911 to 1915, then in India from 1916 to 1918. Australia started minting most of its own pennies from 1919 until the introduction of decimal currency in 1966. This collection was donated by Mr. Heinz Kaupert of Wodonga. He was an active member of the German-Austrian club of Wodonga. He died in Wodonga in 2014.These coins reflect developments in Australian currency and were donated by a member of the Wodonga Community.A collection of 20 penny and half penny coins mounted in a frame behind glass. They are divided into 3 sections - English currency used as Australian Currency before 1939, Australian coins used 1901 - 1939 and currency used from 1939 - 1966.australian coins pre-decimal, australian penny, australian halfpenny