1953 Thermobau Fertighäuser

Austrian Club Wellington New Zealand                       aus Österreich

50 Years Reunion  1953 - 2003

 

50 years ago 190 Austrian tradesmen came to New Zealand to build Austrian made kit houses (Thermobau Fertighäuser) to help ease a housing crisis.

 

A weekend long reunion was held recently, with the highlight being a Gala Ball at the luxurious Duxton Hotel in the City of Wellington..

 

Guests from many towns and cities in New Zealand, and some from

Australia, were entertained by a Swiss Band from Auckland. The Auckland

Austrian Club Dance Group provided an excellent floor show.

 

Guests were treated to a typical Austrian Smorgasboard especially prepared by the Hotel's Austrian Chef. Wine for the night was sponsored by

Austrian Consul Peter Diessel.

 

But the reason for the celebration is as interesting as the night itself.

 

In the early 1950's there was an acute shortage of building materials and labour in New Zealand, at the same time as intense pressure for family housing. In an attempt to force the local building industry into the construction of low cost housing, the government opened the industry to the importation of low cost housing. 500 prefabricated homes were brought from Austria and erected in Titahi Bay, near Wellington. For their days they were well thought out designs. Fifty years on, many of the original residents still live in them.

Once the houses were built, the Austrian tradesmen were invited to stay in New Zealand, as Otto Tiefenbacher put it - "we were so skillful and so good looking they asked us to stay.

 

Most of them did stay, and  many were at the 50 year reunion.

from left; Otto Tiefenbacher, Sepp Simonlehner, Sepp Hribar V and Armin Blum

 

Austrian Club Wellington   NZ