It must be very difficult to imagine what life would have like in a hop
picking camp. One of the only ways of knowing would be the
expereiences of those who had actually lived in them. Hopefully,
those who are old enough to remember will get in touch to let me have
their experiences.
In the meantime
here are some photos taken in the camp but they do seem to be somewhat
posed. The first two photos show a minister visiting the camp.
He was probably the minister of the area the pickers came from.
What the pictures do show is what the camp was like, the open
fires for cooking and the corregated iron hopper huts. The third
photo shows an on site store taken from the inside looking out.
Note the small serving hatch well protected with chicken wire.
Christine Loughnane (nee Pursey) has identified her family in this photo.
From left to right: Gertie
Pursey (mother), unknown minister, Jennifer Pursey (sister), Stevie
Steed (cousin), Carole Pursey (sister) and Christine Pursey.