CHAPTER 5
The beginning of Wender & Duerholt in Australia
On the 18 February 1952 a group of 18 men and one married woman left Germany on an adventurous journey to South Australia.They had signed a contract with the company Wender & Duerholt G.M.B.H. in Germany to erect 500 Timber-frame houses for the Housing Trust in South Australia in a time frame of two years.
The paper in hand by those voluntary contract workers was a two-year Visa granted by the Commonwealth Government. Traveling to a Continent many of them never had heard of. Their journey began in Lennep. They travelled by train to Cologne, and then by express train to Genoa, staying over night in a Hotel before boarding a ship called “ROMA” which sailed under the flag, Flotta Lauro, down the coast of Italy.
These young men all but two were too young to have been in uniform and serve in World War two but now were traveling the world in a peace time situation. Crossing the Mediterranean Sea to Port Said through the Suez Canal to Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean to Colombo. Staying some 24 hours in Ceylon, and then sailing on to Australia.
The next stop was Fremantle Western Australia. The Immigration people came on board to check on papers however nothing was said nor did the contract workers understand sufficiently the English language. They sailed on to Port Melbourne, Victoria and disembarked the ship. It was March the 20th 1952. The language became a more outstanding problem. In the group were two managers appointed by the Owner - Director Egon Lohmann of Wender & Duerholt. These managers and the wife of one of the two men found themselves accommodation in the city while the papers had to be sorted out for continuation of their journey. This 500 houses were mend for the Victorian Housing Commission. Due to not having any money, most of the men were left to fend for them selves carrying their suitcases to the Botanical Gardens. There they stayed and waited two day’s for the outcome of paperwork. Luckily the Roma stayed in port for another day so they managed to go to the ship to have a meal. The train tickets became available for Friday night’s-journey to Adelaide arriving at 10 AM at the Adelaide railway station journey to Adelaide arriving at 10 AM at the Adelaide railway station.
The group of 19 people stepped from the train with excitement – confused and some how lost again. There was no one there to meet them. After some hours of
waiting a bus arrived and took the group on a journey to Warradale known to the locals in those days as “the Bush” and next to an army camp. The Bus stopped just past the Army camp on Morphett Road adjacent to a partly destroyed vineyard.
The Housing Trust had started to build some four-room cottages. At this time none of the cottages were completed no electricity was connected but the Housing Trust Authority came to assist in rescuing the contract workers and made three cottages available as accommodation. A near by milky, a small farmer, brought some bales of straw, which were used as beds. During the voyage the manager for the company Walter Wiegelmann had handed out at different locations travel allowance to each person the total amount of travel allowance was 10 pounds. Little money was left in any one-pocket when arriving in Warradale. For the following week the group managed to survive the best they could eating the cheapest food available mainly bread, fritz and jam. Eggs were obtained from a nearby farm and picking the left over grapes from the destroyed vineyard. Some days went by before the company bought a teapot big enough for the people. The cost of a cottage came to 16 shillings per week for rent. The amount was divided amongst the men living in these temporary buildings, and the company Wender & Duerholt made the deductions by taking the money out of the weekly pay packets. The contracts signed by the workers in Germany, it was very clear the cost of the fare had to be repaid to the employer Wender & Duerholt and the company would make a weekly two-pound deduction out of the wages until the cost had been recovered. It was also mentioned that if the company was successful and the project finished the money collected for the fares would be given back to the workers?
Wender & Durholt also stated in the contract paper that the company would provide camp accommodation for its workers. But nothing was mentioned to any one when signing the contract that the workers had to provide their own tools of trade for the project.
On Monday 24 March 1952 they were introduced to another paddock, in Dover Gardens, and they had to start work on the 500 timber-framed houses under a contract signed in Germany with Wender & Duerholt G.m.b.H. a project for the South Australian Housing Trust. A two-kilometer single lane bitumen road, called Morphett Road, connected the campsite at Warradale to the building site at Dover Gardens. At that time a 40-hour five-day week was the norm in Australia. In Germany it was still a 48-hour six-day working week. Tradesmen’s wages in Australia were 12 pounds 14 shillings for a 40-hour week, but the employers did not supply tools for the tradesmen. With no tools other than a pick, two crowbars and two shovels they started to dig the holes for the stump foundations for the timber-frame houses. Red-gum timber was used for stumps; jarrah timber was used for bearings and floor joists.
All timbers were very green and wet and the tradesmen did not have any tools to cut that type of timber.
A miscalculation of materials and time became visible as time went by, but who was to blame for it remains hidden. (perhaps,48hour 40-hour)
The cargo ship “ATTA” had become stranded due to a strike on its journey. It had the essentials for the company on board, camp building and fully equipped kitchen and its canteen. Regardless not having the essentials the young adventurous pioneering people became more interested in Australia and loved the warm climate disregarding the degrading work they had to carry out as qualified tradesmen orders given by the German management. Some weeks went by before the company bought a local machine, petrol driven borer and then the pre-cut materials for the houses started to arrive but the bases called foundation for the houses had to be obtained locally.
The company slipped into a predicament and had to fly out at Wender & Duerholt Germany cost two first class senior (ex soldiers) tradesmen on a three months working permit visa to overcome its tradesmen labour shortage and also bear the return airfare cost for the two people. Their wages was also paid partly in Germany after they had returned to Germany. By this time Eugen Lohmann the Owner and Director of Wender & Duerholt in Germany had made two visits to his new building company in South Australia but never mentioned under what Federal Government agreement his company had obtained the financial arrangement to bring German workers with a two-year working visa to Australia. On 2 May 1952 the “Nelly” arrived at Port Adelaide bringing migrants to Australia. The second group of contract workers for Wender & Duerholt was aboard. Amongst them were many tradesmen with no tools . By that time the Housing Trust had completed the 4 room cottages in the vineyard and electricity was connected. All cottages in the paddock had only front fences, which came from a disused sheep yard.The Housing Trust made some more cottages available it became a situation where two people shared a tiny room.
The centre room of the cottages meant to be the kitchen had a stove fired with wood along side was a cupboard with a sink. In one of the cottages the kitchen was used as a bar. A lean-to at the back of the cottages housed the laundry and bathroom a copper was in the laundry and chip heather in the bathroom. In many cottages the door from the kitchen to the laundry was used as a table laying the door on stacks of suitcases. Later in the year, round about November the building materials for the camp arrived. But in the mean time two more groups had come to the compound and the men had brought their wives and children along. Not one of the contract workers had discovered the bureaucracy problems the German people had in coming to this country and the company did not reveal its financial difficulties to its contract workers.
Amongst the crates of window glass was a large board bearing the words in German, “Kehre zurueck Kamerard, ihr seit verkauft” or, in English, “Return home Colleague, you are sold.”
It seems some one back home was giving a warning with out telling the full story.
But they laboured on regardless in the abandoned market garden field with no roads water or electricity being provided before hand. The grass and weeds competed with the constructions of houses during the winter months. The project was completed some two years later and the local people called the area “little Remscheid” for a while. There was no unity amongst the workforce other than having parties where some men very much enjoyed themselves drinking beer and wine in the camp. The cost in running the camp and the canteen kitchen had to be shared by the contract employees as agreed when signing the contract papers in Germany, it turned out the camps running cost was much higher compared to the deduction already made in repaying the money for the fare. Due to singing by some men in the camp (in 1953) the Adelaide Liedertafel became uplifted when Wilhem Soen senior played the roll as a conductor. On the 24 April 1953 the director Mr. Schultz confronted some contract workers with a document called “Vereinbarung” trying to enforce the contract workers loyalty to Wender & Duerholt Australia after they had made the final payment for their fare to the company but there was never a final receipt given.
Die Frage besteht heute noch"wo kam das Geld her fuer die Personen fuer die Fahrt nach Australian"?
From the records of the Housing Trust, on the 23/9/1952 a house was made available for Manager-Architect Mr. Helmut Link and his wife as residents for two pounds five shillings per week. A second house became available for the Company Wender & Duerholt for office use on the 27/1/1953 at a cost of two pounds and fifteen shillings per week. Due to the shortfall of income in wages for the company Wender Duerholt Australia In 1953, Eugen Lohmann gave that timber-frame exhibition house standing in Victoria, one time in the earlier day, was promised to Wilhem Soens, to Helmute Link and his wife as a wedding present.
In 1953 Wender & Duerholt G.m.b.H. in Germany set up a far more stringent new procedure document due to its application problems, which they had experienced when sending the first batches of contract workers and families to Australia.
The weekly two-pound deductions in re-paying the fare in becoming a Wender & Duerholt (Australia) employee remained in force in the new drafted document. This stringent demand stated in the document turned many good tradesmen away.In 1955 as Wender & Duerholt (Australia) had completed its contract in building 500 timber frame houses for the South Australian Housing Trust, due to the generosity from the Housing Trust in granting a one-year extension period to complete its project. The total time for the project was two years and six-months. During 1952–1954 the parent company of Wender & Duerholt G.m.b.H. in Germany and Wender & Duerholt (Australia) had familiarised itself with the Former Enemy Alien Regulations Act. In the mid 1950’s the Former Enemy Alien Act changed and the German contract workers officially became migrants.
According to records; The Housing Trust paid the final retention money’s in 1954-55 to the company Wender & Duerholt (Australia).
The company changed secretly unknown to any employees its management structure also registered a new company “Walpole Industries Pty. Ltd.” under a directors name of Walter Wiegelmann but leaving the name Wender & Duerholt (Australia) on its main depot at Bennett Ave.
Edwardstown visible. (In 1955 Eugen Lohmann lost partly his recht in being a directer of the company Wender & Duerholt Australia). Records at the Australian Securities & Investments Commission reveal there had been several companies listed under the name of Wender & Duerholt in Australia. For Wender & Duerholt, a starting date at Alice Springs is given as the 16/04/1968 to 02/07/1973. Another Company bearing the name "HELM CONSTRUCTIONS PTY. LTD". became registered on 02/07/1973 in Alice Springs. (Documents number 095 941 1A.) Both companies had the same directors names, H. Link and W. Wiegelmann in Alice Springs. H. Link and W. Wiegelmann held also their positions as directors at Wender & Duerholt (Australia) PTY. LTD. at Bennett Ave. Edwardstown South Australia, which had been operating from 1955 till 1981 at that address and the name Eugen Lohman disappeared.
By common practices this gave Wender & Duerholt (Australia) the opportunity of not being any longer legally responsible for it’s contract workers and families, whom the company had brought to Adelaide. The first major contract under the new directors Link and Wiegelmannn Wender & Duerholt (Australia) had been obtained by officially tendering from the Housing Trust in 1961. It became known as Christies Beach Housing Trust housing development area.
In 1958 Eugen Lohmann hatte sein Recht als director in der Firma Wender & Duerholt Australia unter Australian Gesetz-zustaenden (due to Taxation problem) verloren.
The old director Eugen Lohmann emerged again in the company Wender & Duerholt (Australia) and he donated “The Rainmakers Statue” for the Park. The plaque was unveiled on 21 May 1965 by the Hon. Frank Walsh M.P. the Premier of South Australia in the presence of Mr. Eugen Lohmann.
A sound recording interview with Walter Wiegelmann and Averil Holt had taken place 18 October 1981, it said; “We came out as Assistant Managers, and then in 1955 we became Directors of the Company, and then gave the companies, companies business right to the day when Mr. Schultz and Mr. Link and myself separated from Wender & Duerholt”.
The secretly taped interview 18 October 1981 of Walter Wiegelmann and Averil Holt became known in 1986. The tape is now at the State Library.
Some fifty years later the Marion Council conducted a research of its district and the history of Wender & Duerholt surfaced again. A book produced by the Marion Council, “MARION, A SUBURBAN CITY, 1945-2000”, written by R. J. R. Donley, gives a general insight of the district and its people in business. On 21 March 2002 a recognition and appreciation was expressed by the Mayor, Mrs. Felicity-ann Lewis, Marion City Council to the people of the original Wender & Duerholt (Australia) building company, which had built 500 timber frame houses in the Marion district from 1952 till 1955, and some of the people stayed to become citizens of Australia.
The remaining residents from the two building companies Wender & Duerholt (Australia) and Overseas Construction also celebrated their starting date of fifty years in having erected timber-frame houses within a time frame of two and half years in the Dover Gardens area of the Marion Council district. The City of Marion is a popular venue in which to become an Australian citizen. Council Citizenship Coordinator Michelle Andrews-Russo says there are several reasons for this.“A lot of migrants are settling in Marion,” or else they have heard about our ceremonies from relatives who live here. “So they choose to come to Marion to become Australians, and we are in the top five Adelaide metropolitan councils for citizenship ceremonies. We have had one every month since Australian Day.” And there was a third cause for celebration. In the course of her Mayoral rounds, Mayor Felicity-ann Lewis had come across the history of a group of German men who came to Australia exactly 50 years ago to build 500 timber-frame houses in the Marion area for the South Australian Housing Trust. Known as the “Wender and Duerholt Group” after their German construction company, the men and one woman made a significant contribution to the growth of Marion as a region. Many remained in South Australia, and on Harmony Day, more then 19 of them were honoured in person by the City fort-heir pioneering efforts in modern Marion. “Our heritage in safe hands.” Congratulations to Marion City Councilfor considering a heritage listing. Report by Rainer Jozeps, Director, National Trust.
The ceremony of unveiling of a plaque took place on 27 March 2003 at one of a selected Wender & Duerholt house called “Rose Cottage” built in 1953 on Morphett Road Dover Garden. Rose Cottage one of the timber-framed houses built in 1953 for the South Australian Housing Trust by German workers employed by Wender and Duerholt. Marion Council Mayor Felicity-ann Lewis and Valerie Aldahm the regional manager of the Housing Trust unveiling the plaque. Councillor Bob Donley said about 150 German workers from Europe came to Adelaide to erect the prefabricated houses.
“They did it fairly tough, there was a lot of prejudice against them,” he said. Due to their birth place country they came from. “They made an important contribution and many of them stayed and are still living here.” The McDonnell family eventually bought Rose Cottage, significantly transformed it and raised six children within its modest Baltic pine walls. “I’m proud of it, people admire it" Mr. McDonnell said. The Councillor, Bob Donley also arranged a small party to attend the unveiling of the plaque and selected a few people from the original company 1952-1955 of Wender & Duerholt (Australia) to attend.
"DIE WOCHE" Printed a part of the Wender & Duerholt company (von Nordrheinwestfalen in Suedaustraliien history), an "AUTOBIOGRAPHIE" written by Henry Smith. A company operated for 100 years from 1881 till 1981 is on display at the Tuchmuseum in Lennep.