Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1093354
NEWS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 17 MARCH 2019 JAMES DEBONO A dilapidated bungalow set up in the late 1920s in Hamrun, dubbed the 'Austral- ian Bungalow' which is now a protected monument, is set to be moved to the Ta' Qali national park. The relocation is aimed at increase pub- lic access to the monument, currently lo- cated inside the Ghammieri government complex in Luqa, and increase awareness on the history of Maltese migration. The project forms part of a long-term plan to establish a museum of migration, run by Din l-Art Helwa. The project aims to educate people on the history of Mal- ta's migration throughout the ages. The bungalow will be located in close prox- imity to the Ta' Qali crafts village. Extracts from parliamentary debates in 1930s suggest that this was one of a num- ber of wooden bungalows specifically set up for the training of potential migrants. Although Ghammieri housed the Mi- grants Training Centre, research carried out by Din l-Art Helwa shows the bunga- low was first set up at Bugeja Institute in Hamrun in the late 1920s. It was moved to the Ghammieri experimental farm in 1930 later due to space restrictions. Opened in 1928, the Migrants Train- ing Centre at Hamrun was established to train migrants in colloquial English, and skills such as rough carpentry, basic bricklaying, reinforced concrete, con- struction of buildings, scaffolding, bush and garden fencing, and general knowl- edge. By June 1929, 137 trainees had passed through the training centre, 39 of whom moved on to Australia. The bungalow was used as an exhibi- tion hall for Australian photographs, implements and literature to which the trainees had full access. The building was known as 'the Australian house', surrounded by a small garden, typical of buildings in Australia. More recently the bungalow served as the main lecture room by the Agricul- tural Services and Rural Development Division Department. Precisely how or why the bungalow was initially sent to Malta from Australia still remains a mystery. One suggestion made by researcher Samantha Fabry from Au- tsralia's International Council on Monu- ments is that the prefabricated building was directly sent from Queensland as an incentive to attract additional migrants to work within the cane fields of Mackay during the 1920s. Despite being granted protection in 2006, a restoration method statement shows that the structure is in a bad state of repair with its corrugated sheet roof becoming rusty, allowing water to per- colate into the wooden panels below. A number of supporting posts have also deteriorated and are unable to support the weight of the portico ceiling, and are presently propped up by temporary jacks. The bungalow is a single-storey room with a gabled roof and portico along three sides. The portico posts are em- bedded within a concrete platform while the rest of the structure rests on ran- dom masonry blocks. Corrugated metal sheeting covers the roof and directs rain- water into the perimeter metal gutters. The walls are clad with wooden-lapped boards and the internal floor is covered with plywood sheeting. Australian bungalow that greeted Malta's migrants to move house The bungalow was one of a number specifically set up for the training of potential migrants 'Australian bungalow' is to be relocated to Ta' Qali prior to restoration that could pave way to museum dedicated to Maltese migration