Nine Russians, who worked their passage from Vladivostock on the steamer Hornsby Grange [having worked off the fare as stokers and sailors], arrived in Sydney on Saturday last [30 May 1908, returning in July with a frozen meat for Vladivostok], and have decided to make their homes in this State.
[It should be noted that since they were neither members of the ship's crew nor passengers, they entered Australia without any registration from the immigration authorities. no ship records of Hornsby Grange have been found so far by any researchers].
They are all young men, willing to work, and ready to leave the city to expend their energies in agricultural or other walks of life. They Include
an experienced farmhand,
a house painter,
a pianist,
a portrait painter,
and signwriter,
an engineering machinist,
and a viticulturist. [виноградарь] etc
A youth of 16, named Ratzul is the son of an officer in the Russian army, but, he explains, he objects to learn a "trade", which will result in his being killed or being ordered by others to kill somebody else.
[Among the main contributing factors for the exodus of Russians to Australia at that time were the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 and the revolution of 1905–1907. Initially, these were political emigrants, former prisoners of war of the Russo-Japanese War, evaders from military service, and simply people who were dissatisfied for one reason or another with the existing regime.]
They are a fine set of men and as money is running short, they are anxious to find employment. This they have found rather difficult, in view of the fact that they are unable to speak English.
Three of the men visited Mr. Albert son, of Messrs. Albert and Son, King street, who was able to converse with them in their own language.
Konstantinoff, one who comes from a Russian University, assured Mr Albert that three of them were honest and trustworthy men. Questioned as to whether the others were free from sin, he said:—
"Well, Mr Albert, that Is a wide question, and I will reply that we have all sin, but none of us have any sin which might injure our nearest friend or the patron who employs us. Neither will we do anything that the law of the country can object to. For myself, I cannot guarantee that I am pure and holy all through, from the root of my hair to the nails on my toes, otherwise, if I were, I would rob the Pope of his Job."
"Are you. sure, if your friends go to the country to farm, that they will work?" inquired Mr Albert.
"I myself," replied Konstantinoff, "have not done any manual work in my life until recently, although I have always had to support myself. While in the University, I gave lessons, preparing pupils for the gymnasium, and for this I used to get about 3 roubles a month, which was ample means to support mc and pay for my books, professor's fees, "pravalh lectia" and clothing, etc. I, however, worked my way on the [steamer] Hornsby Grange—see my hands. Well, the others will show you harder corns than these. Never in the whole of our 21 days' voyage from Vladivostock to Sydney did we shirk or fake our work. All that we did was done to the best of our ability. My gymnasium knowledge is of no use in this country, nor will my "atestate zrelosti" (certificate of ripeness, which is given to every student past the eighth class, classical gymnasium), do me any good. I play the piano, guitar, and the ballaika (a Russian three-stringed instrument), but 1 am an inferior reader of music, and I cannot play a "livre ouver."
"Why don't you go to your Consul?" "Bateushki! "We were there, but he doesn't understand a single syllable of Russian. We might just as well talk to the moon."
RUSSIANS IN SYDNEY. (1908, June 9). Singleton Argus (NSW : 1880 - 1954), p. 1. Retrieved May 20, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article79658956