Archive for category: Features

When Australian Lutheran World Service (ALWS) began 70 years ago, it was formed so that our Lutheran family could walk alongside people in need. That’s exactly what people like you still do today, says Jen Pfitzner …

At the end of World War II, Europe was left in ruins and millions of people were forced from their homes.

War-scarred people needed new places to live and Australia needed new workers – so began a 20-year exodus of more than 300,000 people to Bonegilla Migrant Centre near Wodonga in Victoria.

The journey from Europe took weeks. Arriving at Port Melbourne, weary families then boarded a train for the rattly eight-hour journey to Bonegilla – just a few lights in a siding in a paddock. These people looking for a better life must have wondered where they’d ended up!

Yet our Lutheran family was there, welcoming them with open arms. Helping them find their feet. Listening to their worries and hopes for the future.

In 1947 many of the migrants arriving at the Bonegilla Migrant Centre were Lutherans, so the Lutheran pastor in Albury, Rev Bruno Muetzelfeldt, began visiting the centre.

Often there were more than 1000 Lutherans at Bonegilla at a time, so Pastor Muetzelfeldt became the full-time chaplain. The Lutheran ministry to migrants expanded to place Lutheran pastors on the ships coming to Australia.

Then, once the government found migrants a more permanent home, the Lutheran team at Bonegilla let the local pastor know they were coming. This meant people had a pastor supporting them from their homeland to Bonegilla and then to their new home. Their faith may have been the only constant through this unsettling time. What an amazing comfort people our Lutheran family helped provide!

In 1950 the newly formed Lutheran World Federation (LWF) decided a base was needed in Australia to help with refugee resettlement and the Lutheran church’s aid agency was born – Lutheran World Service-Australia (LWS-A).

By 1955 the Lutheran team had helped resettle 2350 refugees and more staff were needed. Brian Neldner joined the team as a case-work assistant. He would go on to serve people through LWS for almost 40 years.

Many of the migrants coming to Australia had left family at home. So support in these early years involved helping to bring loved ones to Australia by working with LWF offices in Europe. The Lutheran team also helped provide travel loans for family members.

LWS-A also supported some Lutheran churches with grants – they needed more room and services now that many migrant Lutherans were joining them.

In 1960 Pastor Muetzelfeldt took on a senior position at the LWS headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. Brian Neldner became the head of LWS-A. Lutheran Pastor Norman Sander was called to be chaplain at Bonegilla.

When the government began helping migrants to come to Australia, travel loans were not needed as much. Because the repayment of loans had been so good, Mr Neldner was able to set up the Secondary Purpose Revolving Loan Fund to help with resettlement.

In 1964 Brian Neldner moved to Tanzania to head up the new LWS program there and Adelaide businessman Sid Bartsch became the new director of LWS-A.

When the LCA was established in 1966, it was agreed that LWS-A would be its channel for overseas aid. Mr Bartsch promoted the emergency, refugee and development work of the Lutheran World Service around the globe. He encouraged Australian Lutherans to support this work.

This is how the work through LWS-A moved from receiving help primarily from LWF to resettle refugees, to giving help to others!

In 1971 the Australian Government decided to close Bonegilla, so the LWS-A office moved into Albury.

By this time the need for help for migrants had declined, so support increasingly shifted to aid and development around the world, with a focus on refugees. This continues today, with ALWS supporting work in refugee camps where nearly 1.5 million displaced people live.

Through LWS-A, Australians supported the worldwide work of LWF and responses to disasters and emergencies, rather than specific projects. This generosity and trust mean gifts could – and still can – be used where needed most urgently.

In 1974 LWS-A received funds for the first time from the Australian Government’s Development Assistance Bureau (ADAB, which is now DFAT – the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade).

But just when it seemed that support for migrants coming to Australia was no longer needed, things changed. Refugees from Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, plus eastern Europeans, and later people from Central America, fled to Australia to find safety and security. Backed by the Australian Government, LWS-A supported nearly 2000 families to begin new lives in Australia. The Australian Government continues to trust ALWS to deliver community development work, with a rigorous process every five years to maintain accreditation.

By 1985 it was clear that LWS-A needed to become an Australian organisation, rather than a branch office of an international one, with one reason being that the Australian Government wanted to work with Australian organisations. The LCA and LWS in Geneva agreed the office should be called Australian Lutheran World Service. In 1991 ALWS became the aid and resettlement agency of the LCA.

The first director of ALWS was architect Gary Simpson. He and the new ALWS Board continued to make sure donations were used efficiently and effectively to help people in countries like Mozambique, Cambodia and Nepal. ALWS also reached out to victims of war and disasters, in places like Rwanda, East Timor and Malawi.

Organisations responding to disasters must coordinate their efforts to ensure resources are deployed quickly and effectively. That’s why Action by Churches Together (ACT Alliance) – a group of churches and church-related organisations of different denominations working together – was formed in 1995.

That year Peter Schirmer became the assistant secretary of ALWS, with the job of creating resources for teachers. These resources – class activities, videos, presentations and more – are used by more than 70 per cent of Lutheran schools across Australia today.

During this time Gary and Peter also visited the communities ALWS was helping overseas in order to learn more about the needs of the people and to show them that our Lutheran family’s care for them goes far beyond financial gifts.

After 10 years Peter took over as director of ALWS.

When the Boxing Day tsunami struck in 2004, support for Indonesia began through its largest Lutheran church, HKBP. This work grew to include other LWF churches in Indonesia, in partnership with LCA International Mission and Lutheran Education Australia, with generous financial support from the LLL.

Our Lutheran family embraced the first Gifts of Grace catalogue in 2008, sending support for life-changing assets such as goats and chickens around the world.

Chey Mattner became ALWS director in 2013.

In 2017, when the first Walk My Way refugee education support event was held, our ALWS family, supported by the Australian Government, gave more help than ever before – $8.6 million!

In 2018 Jamie Davies became director.

In 2019, as part of the GRACE Project, ALWS supporters helped more than 40,000 refugee children go to school – matching the number of students in Lutheran schools in Australia.

In 2020 even COVID-19 couldn’t stop our Lutheran family’s support, as Walk My Way became Walk YOUR Way and people like you walked, wheeled, woofed and even toddled your way to help others.

It’s impossible to acknowledge every person since 1947 who has made our church’s aid agency what it is today. However, this small taste of ALWS history shows how God has used the energy, passion and kindness of our extended Lutheran family to bless the lives of many people hurt by poverty, conflict and injustice.

Today our church through ALWS works in 11 countries. Last year the ALWS family helped 297,498 people with the same spirit of service as Pastor Bruno 70 years ago. Walking alongside people. Side by side, every step of the way.

Thanks be to God for the blessings brought through ALWS, as together we seek to bring love to life.

Jen Pfitzner is ALWS Communications Support Officer.

ALWS TIMELINE

1947 – Pastor Muetzelfeldt begins visiting Lutheran migrants at Bonegilla Migrant Centre

1950 – Lutheran World Service-Australia is formed

1955 – By this time 2350 migrants have been helped

1960 – Brian Neldner heads up LWS-A and works to establish a loan fund for resettlement

1966 – LCA is formed. New LWS-A head Sidney Bartsch encourages the LCA to move to support the global work of LWS

1971 – LWS-A office moves to Albury

1974 – LWS-A receives Australian government funds for the first time

1978 – Resettlement support for refugees from Asia, after the Vietnam War

1989 – Official document signed on 10 July to form ALWS

1991 – ALWS becomes the aid and development agency of the LCA

1995 – ALWS becomes a founding member of ACT Alliance (emergency response)

2008 – The first Gifts of Grace

2017 – $8.6 million in support – most help ever!

2019 – GRACE Project supports 40,000 refugee children to go to school

2020 – TODAY: 11 countries + emergency help in others. Thanks to our incredible supporters!

Australian Lutheran World Service had its beginnings at the Bonegilla Migrant Centre, near Wodonga in Victoria, when Lutheran Pastor Bruno Muetzelfeldt began ministering to newly arrived migrants from war-ravaged Europe. Bonegilla operated from 1947 to 1971, accommodating more than 300,000 displaced persons and war refugees. Today, one in 20 Australians is thought to be descended from Bonegilla migrants and last year ALWS provided care to nearly 300,000 people across the globe. To follow are the reflections of some whose families were at Bonegilla. You can read more memories by members of the ALWS family at www.alws.org.au

‘I was six when I arrived at Bonegilla with my parents on 22 December 1948. My dad was Estonian and mum Latvian. We had left a cold European winter and were about to experience our first hot summer Christmas. My mum arrived wearing a fur coat! We came on the ship Protea with 700 passengers. We then travelled by train to Bonegilla. Our new home! Unlined Nissan huts. I remember the steps going up into the huts. They were very cold and very hot! I am truly thankful for our life in Australia. And it all began in Bonegilla and the kindnesses of so many, including Lutheran churches and ALWS.’

– Margrit Friebel (nee Schmidt)

‘The buildings were actual Nissan huts – curved corrugated-iron buildings, with no inner wall linings. I can remember Mum looking hot and fanning herself. She told me years later how much she hated the heat initially. Men often sat in groups. Probably smoking, playing cards and talking.’

– Ivar Schmidt

‘I was only 14 months old when we arrived from Italy, so my memories are my mum’s. When they first arrived, the hut they were placed in had wet mud floors and there was dried vomit still on the cot. Not such a welcoming start! On their wedding anniversary, Mum smuggled in a small gas burner to cook a special meal in their hut. She placed each part of the meal under the quilt covers to stay warm until all parts of the meal could be eaten together! So many at Bonegilla were carrying scars from World War II. It is the grandchildren who have really reaped the benefits of their decision to come to Australia and from their hard work.’

– Barbara Mann

‘Dad shared how he felt sad for the people arriving by train, often at night, at a little siding in the middle of nowhere and then being bussed to the camp. They would look so lost, with their suitcases and children clutching their hands. It would move him to tears. He said, “All I want to do is to do good for these people, for they will be the next generation to build our country”. The people were always so grateful. This was a new opportunity after the harrowing times of the war.’

– Elizabeth Stolz, daughter of Pastor Norman Sander

‘As I was only a toddler, my “recollections” of life at Bonegilla come from my parents. Due to World War II and the dire economic situation, my parents were devastated that they couldn’t return to Hungary; their only hope was to emigrate to Australia. My parents struggled with being so far from their families, but making friends with other migrants made life somewhat tolerable. The food was so bland that it left Mum with a life-long aversion to lamb! Mum and I were in Bonegilla for four months and joined Dad in Geelong where he had found work and accommodation.’

– Pastor Ernie Kiss

‘The language of love prevailed in spite of general language difficulties … We were not concerned as to what religion the people followed, we all just wanted to help them in their need. In adopting this attitude, we were sure of doing a Christ-like thing.’

– LCA Pastor Norman G Sander, chaplain Bonegilla Migrant Centre, 1960–1970

About Bonegilla Migrant Camp

• The name comes from the Aboriginal word for ‘deep water hole’
• It operated from 1947–1971
• The camp welcomed 309,000 displaced persons and war refugees
• People at Bonegilla were from 50 countries, mostly non-English speaking
• There were 24 accommodation blocks, each with a kitchen, mess hut, shower and toilet
• Men and women were in separate quarters
• There were 800 buildings with a capacity of 7700 beds by 1950

In 2020 around the world

You are part of a global effort helping 1,432,865 displaced people …

… from Somalia, South Sudan, across eastern Africa, Myanmar, Syria, Bhutan …

… in Kenya, South Sudan, Bangladesh, Jordan, Nepal and Myanmar.

ALWS partners and supporters express gratitude

I would like to extend my sincerest gratitude towards ALWS for acting as a faithful partner with LWF here in Burundi. Your support since 2009 is restoring hope, dignity and self-reliance for 2052 families, with flow-on benefits to another 8885 families. We see immediate positive results, and credit all the successes to the invaluable supports you provide.

– Claudette Nzohabonimana

National Country Director, LWF World Service – Burundi Program

On behalf of the Rohingya refugee community here in Cox’s Bazar, and the Bangladeshi host people, I give sincerest thanks to ALWS on your continuous support. You have been most valuable as you bring love to life for these vulnerable people, especially as we struggle with COVID-19. Through your support 14,000 refugee and host community people are cared for.

– Bhoj Raj Khanal

LWF Emergency Hub Coordinator, Asia & the Pacific

Congratulations ALWS on reaching your 70th anniversary. As the Member for Mayo and as a Lutheran school mum I have been proud to be involved in ALWS events like Walk My Way … what a blessing you have been to the thousands of people you have reached out to with practical support, in the spirit of Christian love.

– Rebekha Sharkie MP

Federal Member for Mayo

Representing communities where ALWS had its origins, it is a privilege to note this important anniversary. When a previous crisis saw the need to relocate homeless and displaced citizens after World War II, the Lutheran church here in my home town of Albury was ready to welcome them at Bonegilla Migrant Camp. There can be little doubt the love and assistance so many received helped turn Australia into the wonderful multicultural and peaceful democracy we are now. For this we owe ALWS our thanks.

– The Hon Sussan Ley MP

Federal Member for Farrer

It is a fantastic endeavour by successive generations of the Lutheran community to support refugees and displaced people in many parts of the globe through ALWS, and then make the connections back to settlement and building communities in Australia. Longstanding ALWS involvement in ACFID networks serves to strengthen and improve the work of the broader Australian development community and we are grateful for this.

– Marc Purcell

Chief Executive Officer, ACFID

Since 1999 ALWS has been a valued partner to the Australian Government’s efforts to reduce poverty and create prosperity and stability in our region and globally. ALWS responded to the call to confront the COVID-19 scourge, rapidly pivoting six of their ANCP programs, reaching over 90,000 people. On behalf of DFAT, I congratulate ALWS on 70 years and look forward to working together into the future.

– Jon Burrough

Director, NGO Program and Partnerships Section,

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

The LLL is blessed to have partnered ALWS during your 70-year history. Whether supporting the ALWS Awareness Program in Lutheran schools, or sponsoring Walk My Way, or helping fund community development work in Indonesia, LLL sees the great value of working together in partnership. This extends to LLL savings account holders who make this support possible for ALWS. We thank and praise God for each and every one of them.

– Allen Kupke

Chief Executive Officer, LLL

I thank God for the people of ALWS who work to keep our eyes ‘focused outward’. ALWS helps us see more clearly our neighbours in faraway places who need us to share with them some of the abundance that the Lord has given us.

– Bishop Paul Smith

LCA Queensland District