At 20 years of age, Fredy Kocher and his friend Gerry boarded the maiden voyage of SS CANBERRA on June 2, 1961, bound for Australia and in search of adventure.
Leaving behind the mountains of Grenchen, Switzerland, Fredy had longed to travel the world and Australia offered the perfect doorway to explore life in an entirely new land.
He had a loving family, a good job, many friends and skied every winter, but the call of travel saw him set forth and embark on this next exploration.
Upon arrival to Station Pier in Melbourne in the darkness of night on June 27, the pair spoke little English between them but were met by immigration officials and directed to board a train to an unfamiliar destination.
When daylight finally broke, the surroundings of Bonegilla felt otherworldly: the eucalyptus trees were foreign and the orderly line of P-style army huts and large buildings of the Migrant Reception and Training Centre resembled a strange new village.
Fredy soon acquainted himself with the familiarity of other Swiss, German or French migrants. They gathered to amuse themselves with playing guitar, singing, exploring the surroundings and sharing their hopes and dreams.
Time passed quickly through card games and hut decorating as a new life began to take shape for the young man.
Every new beginning comes with adaptation, and for Fredy one notable adjustment was the food at Bonegilla.
Coming from the superb home-cooking of his mother, he was a little shocked to find salads with no dressing and there was always the persistent craving for fish and chips or a hamburger. This led to the occasional hitchhike to a nearby service station that was equipped with a café to satisfy these small cravings.
In his earlier youth, Fredy had been gifted a movie camera which ignited a life-long passion for filmmaking. While still at school, he worked as a projectionist at the local cinema in Grenchen, so it was no surprise that his camera joined him on his travels to Australia.
Fredy’s camera captured the daily life at Bonegilla’s centre in 1961– filled with moments of guitar playing, polishing footwear, laughing with new friends and the companionship that would endure for a lifetime. Notably many years later, Fredy went on to become the best man to one such friend he met at Bonegilla.
With a job as a fitter and turner on the horizon in Sydney, Fredy departed Bonegilla Migrant Reception and Training Centre on July 12, 1961, after almost two weeks of immersing himself in life at the centre.
What was supposed to be a two year stay in Australia blossomed into a lifelong love affair with the country – with Fredy becoming an Australian citizen in April of 1967.
Life took him to many parts of Australia, from Sydney to Griffith and Melbourne, where he fell in love with his wife, Mim. Together, they had two sons, Nicholas and Alexander, and celebrated 59 years of marriage. Their family increased to include two daughter’s in-law and five grandchildren.
“Fredy had many fond memories of his time at Bonegilla – it made a huge impression on him,” Fredy’s wife, Mim, shared.
“It was a time of hope and excitement for the start of his Australian adventure.”
As his Australian story continued to flourish, Fredy became known for his creative spirit and culinary talents, winemaking expertise and skills as an air-conditioning engineer. He continued to make films and often travelled back to Switzerland to share stories of his new life with his homeland family.
Fredy passed away in 2025 after almost 85 years full of adventure, joy and enduring love for his family.
Bonegilla was Fredy’s beginning. It sparked a deep affection for Australia and a lifetime of discovery, friendship and belonging. For Fredy, and for thousands of migrants like him, Bonegilla was not just a temporary stop, but a starting point where a foreign land grew to feel like home.
These memories became the foundation for a life defined by curiosity, connection and gratitude for the journey that began at Bonegilla.
Fredy later returned to Bonegilla in 2021 to reconnect with his past. The footage Fredy captured during his time at the centre in 1961 still lives on today. You can view the film by visiting Fredy’s Bonegilla Identity Card.
Special credit: Thank you to Mim Kocher for her invaluable contributions and memories that helped shape this piece.