Nell Jones's Page

Hi Nell, thanks and can't wait to read your book. I just watched the video of the emmigration from Holland to Australia and I felt like I would see my Mum or Dad or Oma in the crowd, it feels so personal.Anyway the profile pic I put up is us welcoming my Oma off the ship from Holland at Fremantle Port, thought it was appropriate for now. Take care and thanks,

Janice xxx

Hello Nell and thanks for your welcome message - sorry for seeing it a little late but my mailbox has been nearly flooded with messages after finding back three of my friends I knew when I was in Scheyville (thanks to Joop who really did such a good detective work).  We are now in contact and exchanging pictures and films and memories.  We also got in contact with another ex-Scheyville friend who now lives in Holland.  It took just a few weeks time and now we are around 15 people who knew each other as kids at Scheyville!! Thanks Jo and thanks internet.

I didn't live in Bonegilla for a long time, around 2 months but spent 4 years in Scheyville and 1 year in Villawood.  And our story was a quite happy one, with incidents of course, but rather the kind of nice story - the reason my parents left Belgium was that my baby brother at that time was very sick with asthma and had to be put in a sanatorium in south of france aged 8 months - so australian climate seemed to be perfect for him hot and dry weather and my parents decided they would go to Australia instead.  That's how it all begun.  And then of course quite a classical migrant story, different camps, french speaking were a minority so that wasn't easy , my father worked quite far away and my mother regreted Belgium, the family and the friends, the way of life...  so after some consideration they decided they would go back to Belgium.  (My brother had not had any asthma crisis since the Suez chanel :). 

So that's the story ...  the little tragical side was when we, older children, arrived in Belgium.  We had lost 'our' country, our story, our friends, everything in fact... I was eleven and my brother was nearly 10, he had a kind of "nervous breakdown" or whatever you call that in english and was followed by a specialist for some time...  and I was mad at my parents for telling me that Belgium was beautiful (it is but it took me years and years to feel it)

I hope I will find your book, maybe in Holland or maybe on the internet; the subject highly interests me because when in the camps, I have lived close to people who had sooo different and difficult stories;  camps were like a micro cosm of all human sufferings and incredible hopes altogether.  I think I have never been nearer to "humanity" than then (sorry for my english that is not good enough to explain clearly what I mean but I think you will understand.  I could discuss about the subject for hours....:)  So I hope I'll be able to read your book :)

Good luck with the promotion and I'll let you know when I find it. 

Thanks for writing about the subject and take care.

Myriam

Hi Nell, glad to see you, yes with pleasure I will send the pic of the festival. That was the greatest event that we had. Lots of love friend . . .

Hi Nell, sorry I missed meeting you in Ubud, some other time! Cheers, Judith

I have orderd the book. I am looking forward to read it. My grandmother was Pieterdina Leutscher a sister of Annechiena (we called her tante Annie) My father was Stoffer Kruger.

Best wishes

Alwina

It's a pleasure to be here Nell! I really hope I can make it on Saturday, too. It would be so lovely to meet you.

Speak soon,

Karina