People

THE NEWCOMERS.

The Snowy Mountains Scheme needed a huge workforce, but there were not enough workers in Australia because of post war development, so another source of labour had to be found. This ties in neatly with society’s attitude at the time that Australia had to “populate or perish”.

The Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric Authority began an intensive recruitment campaign overseas, concentrating in post-war Europe. It also absorbed many of the migrants who were arriving in Australia in response to the Commonwealth Government’s Immigration Scheme. Many of these migrants were skilled professionals; others had only their muscles and a will to succeed in a new land. Eventually workers from over 30 countries brought their talents to the planning, construction, maintenance and operations of this enormous venture. Overall 100 000 workers contributed to the building of the Snowy Scheme with two-thirds of them being migrant workers.

Americans, Norwegians, French, Belgian, Swiss, British, Italian, and Japanese companies were brought in to work alongside Australian companies to build the Scheme and to equip the power stations under the inspired leadership of the first Commissioner, a New Zealander, Sir William Hudson.

Norwegians were the first to arrive because the company which built the first phase of the Scheme – the Guthega Project, contracted them. Engineers, technical staff, tradesmen and other skilled workers came from Germany. Others followed them from Britain, Central Europe and Italy.

As well as skilled workers, migrants also made up part of the tunnelling crews and the teams building the dams and power stations, stringing high voltage transmission lines across rugged country, putting in 1 600 kilometres of roads and building campsites and townships.

Not only the population changed but also the region’s landscape was altered. Adaminaby and Jindabyne had to be relocated because they were the sites for storage lakes. The residents had to adjust to this enormous change in their lives. Some were sad and regretted leaving their homes and beginning again, while other were pleased with the change.

The Authority conducted free English classes in all the camps and townships. By 1959 the population of Cooma had risen from 2 000 to nearly 10 000. Many of the people who worked on the Snowy Scheme brought their families or married local people and settled in the district. The Avenue of Flags along the park in the main street of Cooma represents the multicultural mix that came to this rural town during these exciting days.

Although from diverse cultures, the people who worked on the Snowy Scheme realised a common goal: to complete the Scheme. Former enemies put aside their fears as they saw their children going to school together, speaking the same language and playing in the same teams. In fact, the Snowy Scheme helped to forge the multicultural nation we know today.

The Snowy Scheme