The rich memories of Peter Razeng at Bonegilla

Peter Razeng’s first impressions when he arrived in Australia were of the open space, sunshine and the lovely sounds of the kookaburras and magpies.

"They called it a cackleberry, the kookaburra, because it cackled. The laughing bird,” he remarked.

Peter arrived at the Bonegilla Migrant Reception and Training Centre in 1959 when he was seven years old, after his family left war torn Europe to settle in Australia.

With the Soviet Union’s expanding into neighbouring countries, his father Alfred decided to leave in search for a safer place for his family.

“He wanted a safe haven for his family and he said it’s either Australia or Canada and we ended up in Australia which I’m very glad for,” Peter said.

Peter and his family boarded the MS Skaubryn, a Norwegian passenger ship which sailed between Europe and Australia before it landed at Station Pier in Melbourne.

“From there we boarded a red train, the ‘red rattler’ they used to call them, all the way up here to Wodonga and probably right outside Bonegilla itself.”

The journey was an adventure for young Peter, but arriving at Bonegilla marked the beginning of a new chapter.

The Razeng family went through immigration and were assigned to accommodation block 13.

“I remember coming into the bedroom and there was this sweet smelling straw mattress and I jumped onto it and bounced on it and said ‘yeah this is my bed dad’ and dad said ‘yeah that will do you’,” he laughs.

Peter enjoyed his time at Bonegilla, being surrounded by his family in a place full of new sights, sounds and smells.

With the Australian landscape so different from where he grew up, Peter recalls the infamous “snake story”, where a group of men decided to demonstrate Australia’s native wildlife to the residents.

They returned with a bag full of dead snakes, showing them to the gathered crowd. As people were getting more confident and closer to the snakes, one began to move and chaos ensued as parents pulled their children away.

For Peter, this was unforgettable, especially as he stood still, reassured by his father’s calm presence.

The Razeng family brought with them the flavours and traditions of their European homeland, with Peter’s mother, Valeria, being an accomplished cook, crafting dishes like stuffed marrows, potato pancakes called kartoffelpuffer, and cherry cakes.

Over time, these recipes blended with Australian influences, as the family exchanged culinary ideas with neighbours.

Peter later passed on his mother’s recipes to his own children and grandchildren, ensuring that their heritage remained alive.

After their time at Bonegilla, the family moved to Eurobin, near Myrtleford, where Peter’s father worked on a hop farm for three decades.

It was here that Peter grew up, attended school and integrated further into Australian society. He played football for local teams, met his wife Doris and built a life deeply rooted in the community.

Reflecting on Bonegilla, Peter describes it as a place of happy memories and the beginning of a new life in Australia.

“It was a place for kids to feel good about, it was an open space where kids used to run around the blocks.”

Peter expresses gratitude for his father’s decision to migrate.

“Dad made the right choice,” he says.

Now a proud grandfather, Peter values the sacrifices his parents made to create a better future for their children.