From Desert Sands to Golden Oranges

About the Book

This book is an important episode in the history of the development and modernisation of Palestine in the latter 19th and the first half of the 20th Centuries. It portrays the significant contribution made by a small group of German settlers from Wuerttemberg in southern Germany during their 80 years in Palestine.  This book focuses on the settlement of Sarona which was established as an agricultural settlement on the outskirts of Jaffa in 1871. Today the former Sarona village is an inner suburb of the bustling city of Tel Aviv, Israel.

The achievements of the German settlers, before the first significant Jewish immigration in the 1880s, demonstrated that European settlement was possible in the Holy Land.  The settlers of Sarona left a proud heritage in the Holy Land, Palestine and Israel. Their buildings, their enterprises and their agricultural ventures will forever be remembered as having contributed significantly to the modernisation of Palestine and ultimately to the benefit of Israel.

Testimonials

"This fascinating account is a significant addition to the understanding of the Templer phenomenon that has left a noteworthy mark on the landscape of Israel until today."
Dr. Yaron Perry, Head of the Schumacher Institute, University of Haifa, Israel

"...an outstanding literary achievement..."
Peter Lange, President, Temple Society, Stuttgart, Germany

"This well-researched book documents the history of the German Temple Society settlement at Sarona in Palestine. It is a fascinating and moving story of a settlement twice disturbed by war. The narrative is most readable and well-documented. The book stands as a memorial to the faith and achievements of the settlers."
Michael Ramsden, former Dean and Professor at RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia

"...a live picture of the colony, its cultural faces, the material culture, and the historical context..."
Dr. Danny Goldman, Architect and University Lecturer, Tel Aviv, Israel

"...a privilege to read this fine book..."
Dr. Charlotte Laemmle, Melbourne, Australia

"This book is an especially important contribution towards the history of Palestine. The swabian Templer settlement of Sarona was the first modern agricultural settlement in Palestine and was reputed to be a model settlement by the Jewish immigrants."
Dr. Jakob Eisler, Historian, Haifa, Israel

About the Author

Helmut was born in 1943 at Tatura, Victoria, Australia where his parents were interned. He is a descendant of the Glenks who migrated to Palestine in 1876 and who settled in Sarona as one of the pioneering families. His paternal grandfather and grandmother, Gottlieb and Paula (nee Knoll) were both born in Sarona, Palestine in the 1880s. His father Ewald was born there in 1909. His mother Anne (nee Schurr), came from Geislingen, Germany and went ot Palestine in the 1930s. Helmut's brother, Dieter, was born in Palestine before the War. The Glenks were part of the contingent of deportees who were brought to Australia in 1941.

After the War the Glenks settled in Bayswater, Victoria, Australia. They were the first Templers from Camp in Tatura to settle in Bayswater in November 1946. Helmut grew up there and finished his primary and secondary education in the local area.

On completion of secondary schooling he joined the Victorian Public Service and studied Public Administration at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology graduating with a Diploma. After a career spanning nearly 40 years with the Victorian Public Service, during which he held a number of senior positions as well as being Chief Executive Officer of a Statutory Authority, he left the service in 2000 to pursue other interests. On leaving the VPS he was awarded Life Membership of the Institute of Public Administration for ''outstanding contribution to the achievement of the Institute's objectives and for exemplary service to the Victorian Community''.

In 2001 he was a member of the group which organised the 60th anniversary get together of the Templer internees who had been interned at Tatura in 1941.

He has co-authored a short history of the Glenk family in Bayswater (published in ''The Fruits of Bayswater/Wantrina) as well as contributing other articles for Bayswater Inside Out (a local newsletter). He was a contributor to ''Ringwood Recalls'' (a history of the first 50 years of Ringwood High School/Ringwood Secondary College). He has been interviewed on the local Community Radio on some of his childhood experiences in Bayswater.

After extensive personal research, and with research assistance from Manfred Haering and Horst Blaich, he wrote the text and illustration captions for this publication.

Helmut lives in the Eastern suburbs of Melbourne with his wife Lorraine. They have three children and five grandchildren.

His interests are his family, history, travelling and reading. He is a keen vegetable gardener and likes the outdoors especially fishing and hunting.