Joe Speer Programs: Jazz with Joe on Monday from 12:00 to 1:00 pm Wednesday from 2:00 to 4:00 pm   Length of time in radio: With Edge FM in Bega (NSW) for 5 years and Gippsland FM for 8 years in October.   Reason for getting in to radio?: To propagate the history of Jazz and hopefully get people interested in Jazz.   Personal Likes: Jazz.    Blues. Good pop.   Country & Western   Personal dislikes: All forms of Rock.   Modern Jazz   Favourite Music: New Orleans and Dixieland Jazz   Hobbies: Philately  Chess and other indoor games   Brief Bio:  Born 31st January 1929 in Budapest Hungary.   Arrived September 1966 in Australia.   Been in Morwell since June 1999. Joe's Story

The 31^st .January 1929 the day I was born was a bitterly cold day in Budapest Hungary. ( I was informed in later years -20°). After an uneventful childhood, well sort of mum & dad separated when I was 3 ½ , and farmed me out to one of his friends. About a year later dad struck up a relationship with my stepmother a very nice ,strict and protective lady. I was not allowed onto the streets to play like most of the kids were, but had 2-3 other friends that I could visit and our interests were stamp collecting, chess and other indoor games. Finished high school at the end of 1943 and started my apprentice ship as a compositor in 1944.

 In Dec of that year I received instructions to pack a few things as along with another 1000 boys of my age we were being shipped off to Germany to man the ack ack guns.  Our train left Budapest on Dec13th and it took us 8 days to reach Vienna as we were constantly stopping to let supply and troop trains past who were heading for the front. From there to Eger in Sudetenland, (now renamed Cheb) in the Czech Republic as I found out on my recent trip with a U3A group to there) only took another day and a half arriving there on Dec 23 1944.

 As I was the only boy who could speak German I was kept at that camp as an interpreter, and at Easter 1945 was sent to Berlin with another boy in care of a corporal to pick up letters the boys sent home, but as the Russians  had already invaded Hungary never got there. We left Berlin and got off at the corporal's village as he received 2 days leave and he said ta ta boys do what you want I'm not going back as the Yank's are coming and there are no trains. So the next day  we decided to walk home.  After 3 months walking we got as far as Hof in Bavaria and were told to report to the Displaced Person’s camp. In the meantime of course the war finished, and it was just as well we did walk as far, as the American army started withdrawing to the pre-agreed occupation zone borders and Hof became the border between the American and Soviet zones.

 On the perimeter fence there were 4 Sherman tanks, which guarded the compound. I used to go there every day and about the 2^nd day this GI started talking to me and that’s how I eventually started learning English.

 He asked me if I wanted a job and introduced me and my pal to his mess sergeant, and so we got a job with the US army washing pots in the kitchen. The mess was in a local hotel which had been taken over by the army and we were given a room to live in and decided to stay. After a few months my mate asked to be repatriated home, so we parted company as I was happy with my life as it was at the time, plenty food, women and booze, what else did a 16 year old want?.

 After about 6 months the combat troops who I worked for were being sent home to the USA and the occupation troops took over. I was told they no longer wanted me so I decided to move on. Got on the train and eventually, for some unknown reason decided  to go to the British Zone, and ended up in a DP (Displaced Persons) camp at Hanover-Munden. As we all had to do some work, in return for free accommodation and meals, I was sent to the logging team to cut down trees for fire wood for the camp.

From there after a few months I moved to Gottingen, where I didn’t have to do any work. After a few months boredom set in so I decide to move on again and put my stakes down at Wunsdorf where I got a job with UNRRA (United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Agency) as a grease monkey in their garage and after a few weeks as night watchman. As there was no camp as such we were all billeted out. My accommodation was in the next village, in a farm house where I had a room to myself.

 Well that was OK for a few months but finally decided to move on yet again. This time it was just a short move to Hanover where I was sent to work to the British Ordonnance Stores, after a few months was informed that the Allies were now accepting ex Axis refugees, so applied to them all and was accepted by Britain as a coalminer.

 Arrived in Cambridge May 1948 and after 3 weeks was sent to Scotland to Cowdenbeath Miners hostel and  to the training colliery at Townhill a suburb of Dunfermline. After my training I decided to stay in Scotland and got a job in Glencraig colliery. While on the hostel I became interested in jazz and as there was a piano started learning it. I was also on the welfare  committee and one of my duties was to look after the welfare office on Saturday afternoons, book out the snooker tables, issue ping pong balls etc. and it was during my duty tour that I listened to Jazz Club on BBC every Saturday, and started buying Jazz records.

 About a year later with another Hungarian, Steve, we looked for private digs and moved off the hostel., but there were no pianos, so I decided to learn the trombone after buying a record by the great New Orleans trombonist Kid Ory. Joined Cowdenbeath  brass band, though they wanted a cornet player. All these mining towns in Scotland had their own Silver bands, so called because the instruments were silver plated.  They were strictly Brass bands and had no clarinets, saxophones etc.

 After changing digs and moving to Crosshill I joined the Lochore band on trombone. Meanwhile got to know Dave Russell at the local dances who was also  a jazz fan and we used to go to all the dances in the area when they had a Jazz Band playing, eventually persuaded him to learn the trumpet and started the Forth River Jazz Band.  Well we were actually already rehearsing about a year without a trumpet, just myself  Alisdair Crawford on clarinet, he later emigrated to Canada and Bill Wallace on banjo. (I’m looking at the article in the Peoples Journal of  25.11.1961 that’s how I got the names right, at that time we had been playing for about 5 years) 

I had left the coalmines in 1954, went to work in a foundry as a labourer for a few months. My landlord who was a driver for the Dunfermline and West Fife Laundry said they were looking for someone to do the dry cleaning so I took on that job, it was better and cleaner than working in a foundry.

In Dec 1957 I met Marea at a dance and 8 weeks later on 15.2 58 we got married. in Dunfermline Registry office, as her local parish priest refused to marry us, as I was a foreigner, and not a member of his parish, maybe even a Nazi. November 13 of that year our daughter Josephine arrived. After a few job changes I became a salesman collector and had to give away the band as Fridays and Saturdays  were late finishing days. On the 12.12.1959 our first son Rudy was born, to be followed on the 13.8 1961 by Louis.

In 1964 there was a change of government and my take home pay, the commission part had dropped by 3 -5 Pounds a week (a lot of money those days) because of a credit squeeze and unemployment was on  the increase. To give the kids a better chance I decided to emigrate, to Canada or Australia, found out that Canada was too cold and you couldn't work for 6 months of the year. Finally I managed to persuade Marea to go to Australia. We were accepted, but because I was not a British citizen I didn't qualify for the £10 assisted passage. So I applied to be naturalized and received it 1966, back to Australia House in Edinburgh and we finally sailed on the Castel Felice of the Sitmar line on 25.8.1966.

 Arrived Sydney at the  end of September, were taken to East Hills hostel, out side Liverpool, actually across the road from Holsworthy Barracks. When I got a job in the city they transferred us to Bunnerong hostel, at Matraville just up the road from the GMH factory. Eventually in 1969 we got our Commission house in St Mary's an outer  western suburb of Sydney.  Left for work at 4.30 am 6 days a week as I had a cleaning job at 5 am, before my daytime job.

 In 1967 after my first car a 1960 Renault Dauphine was written off, I bought my first Rover a 1951 Cyclops, the one with a fog light in the center of the grill. In August of that year after reading an advert in the Sydney Morning Herald about the Rover Owners Club Economy run  which we took part in, joined the Club and am still a member.

 About 1985 Marea joined Nepean Valley Toastmasters Club, and took me to a meeting about 2 months later and I joined. Held the positions of Treasurer,  Educational Vice President and in 1988 became President. We also used to visit Blacktown, Seven Hills and Richmond clubs and had an advanced club at Richmond Agricultural College. Took charge of Rooty hill High school Youth Development Course run by Nepean Valley Toastmasters Club.

 In 1990 our eldest son Rudy bought an engineering business in Eden, after leaving the RAN as a Petty Officer. As he was working long hours, had to do his own cooking washing etc I suggested he find a house and when he did, Marea and I  moved there and I was doing the administration for his  business. While there we joined the Down South Historic Vehicle Club at Pambula and was treasurer for 5 years, did a number of outings with them, including a tour to Tasmania 1995.

 We also joined the Down South Jazz Club and I acted as band co-ordinator for 5 years.  It was a friend in Eden who told me that Edge FM the Bega Community Radio was looking for people and after contacting them, did the training and joined, Ken Gordon, one of the original founding members of the Merimbula Jazz Festival was   broadcasting a Jazz show and we did alternate Sundays, as he found it too much to do the show every week

 After Rudy got married, through his now ex wife we had a look  at a house in Morwell, it was out of our price range, and settled on a cheaper one in 1999 and moved in the June long weekend, this was the first home we owned and I had just turned 70 six months before. We completely renovated it, inside and out and added an extra big room to it. We renovated the bathroom and kitchen. Also had to get the place completely rewired, installed a reverse cycle air conditioner and new electric cooker.

 In January last year we sold our place in Tobruk St and bought our current home in McMillan St, we’re still busy renovating, but have less weeding to do, which was the main reason for moving and the added bonus being that we have a beautiful view over looking the Valley.

 After arriving here I immediately enquired about a Community Radio station, and was lucky as the lady who did the Jazz show ( Jazz with Dorothy) had jut left as she got full time employment, so I took over in October 1999 after completing my training and am still doing my show. I also go to the Programme Advisory Committee meetings and Ed Vermulen had mentioned at one, that U3A would like to have about a half hour a week and offered them time off my programme. In 2002 I joined U3A, did a couple of computer courses and am attending the computer discussion group regularly.

 In June this year, actually left on the 23^rd of May went on a trip to Prague along with Gwenda Vermulen organised by Yvonne Forrest a lady from Darwin U3A. It was very interesting, educational and sometimes quite hectic, due to long walks over cobble stoned streets, as busses are not allowed to enter many of the tourist sites. Probably wouldn’t be able to anyway as the streets are very narrow in these older parts of towns. My legs were quite painful even though I used a walking stick so I missed some things as I had to stay near our meeting points, but I still enjoyed it very much. We were all looked after by the Czech members who went out of their way to give us a good time. All our accommodation, transport and meals were either provided or paid for by them, of course we are reciprocating with a fund we all contributed to, when they come here. There were 45 Australian members on the trip, a big contingent from WA, who were doing a memory training course the first week, while our group spent touring the sights of Prague. Once we got on the road for our Cental European tour, they joined us. (I Have no idea why these countries are labelled  Eastern European when they are in Central Europe)

 Visited. parts of the Czech Republic, a half day to Vienna, Slovakia, then 2 days in Hungary of which one was in my home town Budapest, back to Slovakia up  to the High Tatras, back to the Czech republic where we visited Zlin the original site of the Bata shoe empire, also before that we visited Ceske Budejovice (Budovar) the home of the original Budweisser beer.