Bethlen Naptár, 1959 (Ligonier)
Bethlen Almanac
BETHLEN ALMANAC 25 garian immigration began with the year 1948-49. At that time there were in Australia about three thousand Hungarians mostly Hungarian Jews. From 1948 to 1956 about 12,000 more Hungarians arrived to Australia. From 1956 to 1958 another 15,000 arrived. Today there are about 30,000 Hungarians all around in Australia. During the last year I prepared a map which shows where the Hungarians settled down in the metropolitan area of Melbourne. The map indicates that the Hungarians tried to settle down in the inner suburbs: Fitzroy, Carlton, Collingwood, Richmond, Brunswick, S. Melbourne, S. Yarra and St. Kilda. I visited almost all of them and I found that those who live in the inner suburbs are single men and women or family emits where there are no children only the husband and wife. It is easier for them to live in the City near to the factories and markets, shops, movies, even to Church. The larger families could not find roomy flats in the innersuburbs and try to build their own houses. A lot of people settled down right at the beginning, during the years 1948-49 in Susnhine, Deer Park, St. Allans, Tullamarine, Broadmeadows, N. Essendon, Merlynstown, Fawkner, Nunawading, Ringwood, Croydon. That the most dense population is around Fitzroy, — is natural. The Fitzroy Presbyterian Church being a strong Hungarian centre, attracted a lot of people to settle down in the neighborhood of the Church. The fact that around the Church lives a multitude of young singlemen and women, would suggest that the Church on Sundays is well attended by these men and women. In reality Sunday by Sunday the Church is filled by large family units, mother and father, grandparents, children and grandchildren of those who live in the outer suburbs. The young people who live in the innersuburbs, mostly single men and women hardly can offer a few pennies for the needs of the Church, and often happens that they excuse themselves saying: they cannot attend the Services because they do not have money to put in the Churchbox as they leave the place. On the other side, the large families have to spend extra large amounts for travellings, must give more because more members of the family attend the services. There is only one place in Melbourne where there is a regular Sunday Service for Hungarian Presbyterians. If the Church must follow its members, it would be necessary to hold regular services not only at Fitzroy but at Marybyrnong, Broadmeadows, Sunshine, S. Melbourne, Ringwood or Nunawading too.
