QUEENSLAND'S GERMAN CONNECTIONS - PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE

Wherever there are Germans, there will be a social hub, and the sunny Gold Coast is no exception – Peter Ludlow paid a visit to Carrara to find out more. My first impression of the Gold Coast German Club building is its size – much larger than that gained from its webpage image. Inside the club, president Hans Heinrich and his team prepare the auditorium for the club’s 37th anniversary ball: the tables are already laid out for a gala dinner, while large clumps of balloons – black, red and gold (symbolising determination, strength, and generosity) – festoon the floors and hang from the lights and wooden railings of the upper gallery. A long German flag winds right along the gallery railing too. Carved wood is everywhere – enclosing the bar and band podium – and small wooden figures all give the room a warm and welcoming feel. As I watch, the workers call instructions Gold Coast German Club

“We have a big dance floor here and have four resident live bands each of which play on different nights (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday). They play all types of music – not just traditional German tunes. For example, this weekend our Hungarian band is playing, and that is especially attractive to our Hungarian members. Thursday

to each other in German. Then Hans Heinrich comes over to greet me in English, and to explain the history of the club on the Gold Coast. “The club started 37 years ago when a group of people of German descent got together to play the card game Skat , and to sing – two popular German pastimes. As the numbers increased, it became necessary to have a clubhouse, so after five years of fundraising, a clubhouse was opened on this site. There have been numerous extensions over the years, until we have

nights are our rock’n’roll night and our oldest couple are in their 80s! “Our other big annual event is Oktoberfest, which Germans around the world like to celebrate. In the early days of our club, we used to stage it outdoors , but it became difficult to manage, and costs became prohibitive, so these days we have it inside, and it is still just as much fun!” Hans came to Australia in 1972 to work

the building as it is today, on seven acres total. “The Tallai (Mudgeeraba) district just near here has a large number of people of German origin. Ten years ago there were some 7,000 of them but their numbers have decreased as their older members passed away. Today, club membership is about 60% of German origin or descent, but we have people from 25 different nationalities, with most in the 35–70 age group. There are only three national clubs on the Gold Coast with their own buildings: the Italian Club and the Croatian Club, which is under construction.

as a chef in his relatives’ restaurant in Victoria. Although he had three years of English lessons at school, it was no preparation for ‘Aussie English’ and its slang, so communication with the 20 other kitchen staff was difficult. Hans was forced to learn quickly! After four years, he came to Queensland and joined the Gold Coast German Club in 1982. Since then he has held many positions, the past 15 years as its President. As I go to leave, I notice the anniversary ball flyer on the noticeboard – live music by ‘The Huns’ – and Hans quips, “Who said we Germans don’t have a sense of humour?” germanclub.com.au

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