THE OLD BECOMES NEW: ADELAIDE YOUTH HOSTEL

 

Michael Harris

ADELAIDE (Aus): 13th April -- The former 'St John's Home' at Brooklyn Park has been radically renovated and has become the 'Don Bosco Youth Hostel'. The hostel provides accommodation for young men and women from country areas who wish to study or work in Adelaide (university, apprenticeship, employment, etc.) and who have recently completed high school. The hostel doors opened on 20 February this year, with the builders still finishing the details. There are fourteen residents, three young women and eleven young men. Two are working; the rest are studying at the various university campuses, colleges or TAFE.

Officially in charge of the hostel are Sister Jennifer FMA and Bro. Michael Harris SDB.  The hostel actually has rooms for thirty-one residents. The accommodation is most satisfactory: all single rooms with private telephone, computer facilities, air conditioning, toilet and showers. Breakfast and lunch are 'self-service'; and the evening meal is prepared by a professional cook. The Salesian community joins the young people for the evening meal, which is good for both groups, young and not so young.

The residents have proved to be a very friendly group, and the Salesians are largely depending on them to publicise the hostel by simply talking about it to their friends, so that they expect the numbers will increase as the months go by. Some of the residents have been in Salesian colleges before, and this is quite noticeable in their approach to the Salesians. The others are gradually following their example of openness.  A few of the residents are musicians, and already helping with the Church liturgy, two of them having been quite involved in the Easter liturgies of a couple of the local parish churches, thanks to Bill, one of the pre-novices. There is already a fine fellowship among themselves - all from country districts far distant from one another (literally hundreds of kilometres).uite a number of new friends from the universities or work places have been
brought to the hostel  for a visit, or have simply 'dropped in' to see their new friends. The residents are gradually finding their way around  'the big smoke' of Adelaide, mostly on weekends of course.
There is still much to be done around the residence and its environs but the complex is fortunate to have three excellent tennis courts as part of the hostel.  For some Salesians, the hostel is an opportunity
for learning about an age group they have not worked closely with before.