"HAPPY VALLEY"

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 74, Issue 148, 25 June 1931, Page 10

"HAPPY VALLEY"

SYDNEY’S UNEMPLOYED CAMP. FINE COMMUNITY SPIRIT. | SYDNEY, June 9. Homelese men ’and women, driven fro® then occupations by the depres non and without, money to pay even the lowest rent and yet still struggling to retain their self-respect and keep a roof of some sort over their heads—these are the kind of people, some 350 of them —who occupy “Happy Valley, the unemployed camp at La Perouse, near Sydney. Waiting till the sun shines through the murk of depression these people have gathered in a community that for self-help and orderly conduct must stand alone. In it you have complete self-government with an absence of bickering that is a lesson to larger communities; there you have persons bonded together by common misfortune and determined to make the best of things with a smile and a laugh; there, there is no bowing down before fate in spiritless resignation, but a whole-hearted and concerted effort to see that the lot of none in the camp is harder than it should be. The Governor (Sir Philip Game) and Lady Game visited Happy Valley to-day and went away greatly impressed with its conduct and the type of men ami women who compose the community. Constitution Drawn Up. For some months homeless families have camped at Happy A alley, and the numbers increased to such an extent that it was decided that some form of control should be instituted. Nine weeks ago a constitution was drawn up. This provided for the election of a committee of seven, with a president, vicepresident, organising secretary and treasurer. and rules for the conduct of the camp—which is on land owned by the Commonwealth—were drafted. The committee sees that these rules are rigorously enforced. Once a fortnight a general camp meeting is held, where the affairs of the community arc discussed by all, and the actions of the committee are submitted for approval. The meetings are conducted in a businesslike manner, and the constitution is adhered to rigidly. When 131 families had pitched their tents or erected huts on the site it was decided that saturation point had been reached and no further immigration is allowed now. Control of the camp is non-political and non-sectariap. Every Bite is numbered, and in the office gifts of food, clothing, or furniture that come In are tabulated and distributed according to the needs of the various families. Next to the office is a library, and next to that again is a storeroom, where donations are received and sorted out. In a cup-like hollow in the centre of the camp the ground has been cleared for recreation purposes, and already two football teams —Rugby and Soccer—have been formed. Many gifts have been sent to the camp, including a tent, which has been fitted out with beds for a hospital. This is in charge of a competent first aid man, who is a member of the community. Happy Valley may well claim that it is the best-organised camp of its kind, in Australia, and its inhabitants are determined to keep it so.