A memoir of 573 pages including photographs.non-fictionThis book is the memoir of Dr Brian Neldner who dedicated over 40 years of his life supporting refugees around the world through his service with the Lutheran World Service. After World War II, a mass exodus of refugees from war torn Europe occurred, resulting in the arrival of more than 300,000 people to Bonegilla Migrant Centre near Wodonga, Victoria over a 20 year period. In 1947, many of the migrants arriving at the Bonegilla Migrant Centre were Lutherans, so the Lutheran pastor in Albury, Rev Dr Bruno Muetzelfeld started visiting the Centre which at times housed more than 1,000 Lutherans. He soon became the full-time Chaplain. In 1950, the newly-formed Lutheran World Federation decided a base was needed in Australia to help with the resettlement of refugees, and the Lutheran Church’s aid agency was born – Lutheran World Service-Australia with its first headquarters in Albury. In 1955, Brian Neldner joined the team as a case-work assistant and for the first 5 years of his work lived at Bonegilla in the same basic conditions as the newly arrived people he supported. This was the beginning of an amazing life of four decades of service to refugees throughout the world. In 1960 he became the head of Lutheran World Service – Australia (LWS-A) In 1964, Dr Neldner moved to Tanzania to head up the new LWS program. The next 40 years of his life included working to assist refugees in places such as Mauritania, India, Ethiopia, the Middle East and making a major contribution to international cooperation regarding support for refugees including the Steering Committee for the Humanitarian Response for the United Nations in Geneva.brian neldner, lutheran world service, lutheran migrants at bonegilla

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

From the mid-1860s families of German ancestry arrived in the Wodonga district, travelling in groups from South Australia. The majority of these people were of the Lutheran religion. At first there was no Lutheran pastor or church in the area and they held services under the gum trees or in their homes once they had been built. The early arrivals included the Haeusler, Klinge, Bartel, Rothe and Paech families. They were later joined by members of the Muller, Lange, Pumpa, Lobbe, Heckendorf, Zeinert, Schubert, Schuster, Schubert and Terlich families amongst others. The first Lutheran Church was built in Havelock Street, Wodonga and was dedicated in 1875. This building was used for approximately 90 years until it was demolished and replaced by a temporary building and then a second church which was dedicated in 1978. The Ovens and Murray Advertiser on 4th August 1874 reported "The Rev. Goessling pastor of the German Lutheran Church, Gerogery has laid the foundation stone of the new church for the members of his denomination residing at Wodonga, in accordance with the rights of the church. The building was to be 30 feet by 20 feet and 14 feet high, of brick with white facings and Gothic windows. There was to be a porch and vestry, one at either end, measuring 8 feet by 10 feet". Plans were initiated to build a new church from the late 1990s. After many years of planning and hard work, the last service in the Saint John’s Lutheran Church in Havelock Street was held on Sunday 7th May 2023 and a new Church was constructed. From 14th May 2023 the Parish held its worship services in Luther Hall at Victory Lutheran College in Drage Road, West Wodonga. The new Saint John’s Church was consecrated on 18 August 2024.This photo is significant because it depicts the original Lutheran Church in Wodonga. It is the work of a recognised photographer Thomas Bonsema who was born in Wodonga in 1876.A black and white photograph of an old stone church building.Lutheran Church Wodongawodonga churches, lutheran church wodonga, thomas peter john bonsema