More than a Boat Mechanic

Very much part of neighbourhood events and BBQ's, 73-year-old man from Germany, Klaus Becker travelled to Australia in May 1959 to a migrant camp in Bonegilla VIC. He told me the second day he woke up in Australia to find a beautiful lake in a paddock, he thought to himself, 'this will do me.'

Living in Bonegilla in Victoria, for a number of years with his father, he moved to the Adelaide Hills and in a short time later, moved again to Osborne near Port Adelaide, where there were little houses and mainly factories. Klaus had his education like everyone else those days and decided to study mechanics.

Like a lot of the mechanics in the 50's he worked hard and loved every minute of it. He could have lived anywhere, but instead, chose to stay here. After some experience in security work in Melbourne, he much preferred Adelaide. Upon finding another job in engineering, it took just 5 weeks for his promotion and he was allected the 'maintenance formal' for his workplace and maintained boats 8 hours a day.

After many years he, had retired and built a few boats using a workshop out the back of his personal sporting goods store, using boat mounds from Adelaide icon and designer, John Duncanson.

Proud of where he lives, Klaus says he's had an interesting life and considers himself more patriotic to Australia than to Germany because of 'how good the country has been to him'.

It was a pleasure to have met him.