Klaus, 98, is the last Jennings German carpenter still living in Canberra
Klaus Scharrer arrived in Canberra in 1951 as one of 150 German carpenters recruited to build the capital.
Klaus was 25 when he landed in Canberra on 10 December 1951, one of 150 young German carpenters AV Jennings hired to construct the city's early suburbs. Klaus worked building houses in prefabricated pieces before deciding to buy a small block for £125 and build his own.
In 1957 his wife Rosa followed him from Munich, and they began married life in a timber garage he had built. Klaus established his own joinery business in 1978, which grew to employ five people and won contracts including work for the ABC.
Now 98, he still remembers the five-week voyage, the hostel room and houses arriving in flat packs. Rosa, 94, learned English from the greengrocer across the road and later tailored suits for Canberra's diplomatic community.
They never moved back to Germany.
- 98, turns 99 in December
- Klaus's age
- 10 December 1951
- Arrival date
- 150
- German carpenters recruited
- £125
- Land purchased for
Why it mattersKlaus and Rosa's story traces how a city builds itself and how newcomers become rooted in place without planning to stay forever.
AustraliaTheir journey captures part of Australia's postwar immigration story and how skilled migrants shaped Canberra's growth from farmland.
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 2 h ago
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