This project is a joint venture between Hay On Track Development Corporation and the Hay Shire Council, funded by the NSW Ministry of the Arts and DEWRSB (Department of Employment, Workplace Relations and Small Business – Work for the Dole).

The project commenced on the 1^st February 1999 and it is envisioned that the display will be open by August 1999.

Under the guidance of Mr Ernie Donohoe, a retired master builder, and the former tourist officer for Hay, Mrs Anabell Barr, an enthusiastic group of 7 volunteers hopes to collect, collate and preserve information and memorabilia. A railway carriage has been purchased and will be renovated by the group to house the collection for display to the public.

At present one guards van has been relocated from Dubbo to the Hay railway station, where the hard work of stripping paint and renovation has begun.

This is just one of Hay’s exciting new tourist ventures. The most widely known project would be the Australian Shearers Hall Of Fame, which is expected to boost awareness of, not only Hay and the Riverina, but focus attention on rural industries and the towns they support, as a marketable tourist commodity.

The positive attitude toward this project has seen it come to fruition over a two-year period. Hay Shire Council and Hay on Track Development Corporation have been the driving forces behind this process. In a time of hardship and decline in the rural sector, it is great to see our small community of Hay, making economic progress and developing their tourism potential.

In 1940 workmen were hired by the Australian to build three internee camps in the isolated rural town of Hay in New South Wales. On 10 July of that year the HMT Dunera left Liverpool in England loaded with 2036 Jewish internees from Germany and Austria, bound for Australia. Also on board were 451 German and Italian Prisoners of War.

Conditions on the Dunera were nothing short of appalling. The passengers were not allowed to leave the ship during the entire voyage despite several resupply stops. They were rarely allowed on deck to exercise, and when they did, the British crew deliberately dropped bottles in their path to discourage them. The food was barely palatable and the conditions very unhygienic.

Almost all of the Jewish internees were professional people, ranging from doctors, professors, lawyers, entertainers, etc. They had committed no crimes and were only detained because of the war.

On 6 September 1940, the Dunera docked at Sydney, where the Internees were immediately moved from the ship to the 4 waiting trains which departed for Hay. At dawn on 7 September the first train arrived after a 19 hour journey. The internees were moved to camps 7 and 8 which had been recently completed. This would their home for the next eight months.

The camps were enclosed in 3 lines of barbed wire as well as the standard guard towers, etc. The accommodations were simple but adequate.

While interred, these people taught physical instruction courses, held concerts and even printed their own money. They also arranged to teach many of the younger members of the camp and have them tested by the Australian Education Department.

In May, 1941 they were all moved to Tatura in Victoria. However the camps were not to remain empty long. On the 26^th of May approximately 2000 Italian Prisoners of War, captured in Eqypt were moved into camps 7 and 8. The camps functioned quite acceptably as prisons.

Being prisoners of war, the Italians could be put to work. They were mainly engaged in farming and the camps became almost completely self-sufficient. Most of the Italians were quite happy in the camps and there was very little threat of escapes. At night the P.O.W.’s would often sing and could be heard for miles around.

In December, 1941 trucks arrived from Cowra with Japanese prisoners of war which were placed into the newly completed Camp 6. There are some suggestions that this move contributed to the history making Cowra Breakout.

Some of these "Prisoners of War" were nothing more than merchant seamen, islanders and pearl divers. However a legal difficulty caused all of the Japanese to be regarded as Prisoners of War.

The repatriation of the Japanese commenced on the 1^st March 1946 when all the camps were emptied. The camp Commander at the time was Colonel B.E. Klien, LT Col. C.S. Thane (the original camp Commander) having retired in 1944. 118 POWs were left behind and then transferred to Tatura on the 8^th March because of war crime investigations.

That was not the end of the camps however, because later that month Italian POWs returned to camps 7 and 8. Finally camp 8 was the last compound to be in use and then on the 28^th October 1946 it virtually closed.

In the ensuing months the camps were dismantled. Everything including building materials, furniture, tools, motors, lawnmowers, firewood etc was sold by public auction on the site of camp 8 on the 17^th and 18^th June 1947. The sale was conducted by Goldborough Mort & Co Ltd. and over 400 lots were on offer.

In conclusion, the various occupants of the camps – the Dunera Boys, The Japanese and Italians have had nothing but praise for The Australian Soldiers and how they were treated. In the dark days of World War II, when emotions were sometimes extreme, this was no mean feat. 

Helen Warr was awarded as one of the top three Work for the Dole participants in Australia for her work on the Dunera project. Right through her participation in the Work for the Dole Programme, Helen demonstrated dependability and a high level of motivation. She was eager to assist with any aspect of the Dunera train carriage restoration project and often spent much of her own time working on improving it.

While Helen was experienced with using computers she was unfamiliar with the Internet when she began the project. Her Internet skills rapidly developed over the course of the project. She was soon searching for reference material and creating an Internet site to promote the project. In addition she developed skills in desktop publishing and document design.

One of the aspects of Helen's participation in the project which most impressed her supervisors and peers was her many suggestions and ideas of ways to enhance the project. Her suggestions were 'almost a weekly occurrence'. Some of her ideas included using perspex to mount storyboards inside the newly-restored train carriage, which proved to be the only cost effective way to preserve the delicate photographs and memorabilia.

Another idea of Helen's, was to write to all the interested people who have signed the visitors book at the project site and provide them with updates on the project and its Work for the Dole team members. It is expected that this will encourage greater community interest and participation in the project.

Overall Helen made a significant contribution to the Dunera project and took a great deal of pride in her achievements. She was well liked and appreciated by staff and participants alike. Helen has paid part-time work and also does voluntary work with the local radio station.

Hay Shire Council and Hay on Track Development Corporation would like to thank the following groups, businesses and individuals for providing much appreciated support and resources for the Interpretive Centre:

• Department of Employment, Workplace Relations and Small Business - Work for the Dole Program.
• NSW Ministry for the Arts
• South West Arts
• Volunteers and Supervisors of the Work for the Dole Team
• Hay POW and Internment Committee
• Hay Business and Development Group
• Hay Historical Society
• Hay Gaol Museum
• Melbourne Jewish Museum
• Crightons Engineering
• Willshear Associates
• Hay Plains Holiday Park
• Max Bullus
• Past Camp internees, members of the 16th Garrison Battalion, their friends and families who have kindly contributed
• The many Hay community members and local businesses who have kindly contributed their time and resources to bring the project to fruition