In recognition of the 82nd Anniversary of the arrival of the Dunera Boys at the Hay Internment and POW Camps 7 and 8 in 1940. (unfortunately the 80th anniversary was postponed in 2020)
The Dunera Museum has had a refurbishment with the redesign of the exhibition layout and is now divided into two distinct stories creating such an asset for Hay.
Dunera Museum open from 8am-6pm daily
Please note a $5.00 entry fee applies – payable to the Museum
You are invited to a special event, presented by the Tatura Irrigation & Wartime Camps Museum, Monash University and the Dunera Association, marking the 81st anniversary of the Dunera Boys and Queen Mary internees landing in Tatura.
The event will include:
– The opening of an exhibition of never-before-seen art works by Dunera Boy, Paul Mezulianik
– Guest speaker: Prof. Christina Twomey, one of Australlia’s leading historians on WW2 internment
– The unveiling of a plaque for the new mural depicting the internment camps at the Museum
WHEN:
1pm to 4pm, Sunday, 18 April 2021
WHERE:
Tatura Irrigation and Wartime Camps Museum, 49 Hogan St, Tatura
COST:
$5 entry for financial members of the Tatura Museum., otherwise $10 per person. Entry includes a light afternoon tea.
Please RSVP for catering purposes to taturamuseum@gmail.com
For more information, call the Tatura Museum on (03) 5824 2111 during open hours
The project to place a monument on the unmarked grave of Kurt Kriszhaber derived from an exhibition at the Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Naples, Florida. In that exhibition a letter was shown which had been written by Kurt Kriszhaber from his internment camp in Tatura, Australia.
In the letter he mentions a number of his relatives and wants to know if there is any news about them.
David Nelson, a former BBC television producer who worked at the museum and who had an interest in family history started to look for more information about the people mentioned in the letter.
He discovered that Kurt’s mother had died in Vienna in 1928 when Kurt was only seven. His father, Franz, was a jeweller, and had been in Antwerp in 1940 when the Germans invaded and was then deported to internment camps in the south of France before being transferred to Drancy transit camp in Paris, and then on to Auschwitz and his death in 1944.
Kurt’s Uncle Paul and Aunt Gretel were rounded up in Vienna and sent to the Minsk ghetto in November 1941 where they were murdered. His maternal grandparents were transported to the Theresienstadt ghetto and they too died in 1943 and 1944.
Kurt had a half-sister called Martha who managed to survive the war in Vienna despite being constantly watched and harassed by the Gestapo.
Kurt was born on 11 March 1921 in Vienna. He came to England in May 1939 and initially worked on a farm in Northamptonshire before being transferred to another in Staffordshire. After Churchill’s “Collar the Lot” order in June 1940, Kurt was arrested as an enemy alien and ended up aboard the HMT Dunera en route to Australia in July 1940. He disembarked at Sydney, was trained to Hay and then ended up in Tatura Camp. He wrote the letter from there in November 1941. He then joined the Australian Employment Company, and at the end of the war applied for Australian citizenship which he got in July 1946.
The official announcement was in the Government Gazette on 5th September, but on 7th September Kurt was dead, gassed in a bathroom in Alma Road, Melbourne.
David Nelson produced a presentation all about Kurt’s tragic story and to finish it off, asked his niece who lived in Melbourne to get a photograph of Kurt’s grave. Seeing that it was just a bare patch of earth, he decided to get a monument for the grave. In fact, in May 2017 he contacted the Dunera association asking for their help but at the time, their committee told him “unfortunately due to financial considerations we are not in a position to join you on the project”. Following another showing of David’s presentation, a lady visitor to the Holocaust Museum offered $500 to kick off an appeal and David launched a GoFundMe in August 2018. About 100 individual people contributed – members of David’s Genealogical Society, Visitors and Docents at the Museum, David’s family and Friends, contacts of the USC Shoah Institute in Los Angeles, individual members of the Dunera Association, and a final $500 from the Mosaica Organization in Jerusalem – and by March 2019 the target was reached.
A considerable hurdle to the project was establishing who had the “right of interment” and could allow a monument to be placed. David’s research into Probate records and correspondence in Australian National Archives established that State Trustees held the right but also that Kurt’s half-sister had been trying to release his estate over a period of fifteen years. State Trustees gave permission for the project to go ahead.
David then ordered the grave marker from Melbourne Memorials, and was offered a consecration by Michael Cohen of the Jewish Holocaust Centre. David re- established contact with the Dunera Association as being the best people to liaise, organize and publicize the consecration event, and was happy to hand over the finalization of the project to Ron Reichwald and the Association.
EVENT
This consecration of the tombstone of the Late Kurt Kriszhaber will take place at Fawkner Cemetery Melbourne on Sunday 21st March 2021 at 11 am AEST, being the 100th anniversary of the birth of Kurt Kriszhaber
This event will be streamed on our Facebook page ‘Friends of the Dunera Boys’ live
In September 1940, the British authorities deported German and Italian ‘enemy aliens’ from Singapore on the Queen Mary. They were taken to an internment camp in Tatura, Victoria, where they joined some of the Dunera internees who had disembarked in Melbourne.
At 4:00pm on November 15, Emanuel Synagogue, the Dunera Association together with the Duldig Studio will present a special event to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the arrival of the Dunera and the Queen Mary. The event highlights the contribution of the internees to Australian cultural life, and explores the art of Karl Duldig, his wife Slawa and the collection of the Duldig Studio in Victoria.
The 79th reunion of members and friends of the Dunera Association was held on November 10 at Sukiert Hall, Caulfield Shule. Around 70 people attended and enjoyed the new venue and afternoon high tea format.
Peter Felder welcomed everyone present and remarked that it was the first time ever that, sadly, there were no Dunera men present. Peter thanked members for supporting him as president for the previous two years and announced that, following the AGM held earlier Ron Reichwald was the incoming President, Tori Tilley Secretary with Geoff Winter continuing as Treasurer. Peter welcomed all on the incoming committee.
The guest speaker was Professor Justin Zobell who spoke about the life of his stepfather, Dunera Boy Werner Pelz (25/09/1021 – 21/05/2006). Justin began by indicating the Pelz’s life was in many ways shaped by his time in internment. Pelz was born into a well off Jewish family and had a privileged childhood in Germany. He was allowed to go to the UK in 1934, as a farm worker, however, as a German refugee was rounded up in 1939 and sent to Australia on the Dunera.
Pelz described the richness of intellectual thought, and inspiration from his teachers at the classes held in camp at Tatura as “an awakening”. It was also the time that he converted to Anglicanism. He returned to the UK in 1942, became Reverend Werner Pelz married and took a position as an Anglican minister. Later he became disenchanted with Christianity and re invented himself as a commentator and columnist. He was prominent in the left wing press and on the BBC, Pelz wrote “Distant Strains of Triumph” – an autobiography.
Following his second marriage to Mary, Pelz attained a Phd in Sociology and migrated to Melbourne with Mary and stepchildren (including Jusitin). He spent 14 years at La Trobe University and later continued to lecture on western philosophy and sociology and continued to publish.
Justin described his stepfather as an amazing mix of cleric, sceptic, broadcaster and academic- much of it due to the formative experiences he had while interned at Tatura.
News from Hay and Tatura
David Houston from the Hay Dunera Museum reported on events in Hay. As visitors to Hay know, the Dunera Museum is housed in two restored railway carriages at the former Hay railway station. Years ago a third carriage was obtained but funds have not been available to restore it. Grants are now pending, at both local and state level, and the museum committee is optimistic that funding will be forthcoming to restore the third carriage. This will provide the cabling, solar power and display space that is badly needed.
Evert Worm from the Tatura Historical Society reported on the opening in September 2019, of a large extension to the Tatura Wartime Camps museum. It has doubled the size of the museum and provided greatly improved conditions for display of the exhibits. There are plans to continue the upgrade of kitchen and bathrooms going forward.
Evert reminded all present that the museum is open every day from 1.00 -3.00pm and houses a large collection of artefacts, memorabilia, diaries and art work form the Tatura camps.
On 15 September, 2019 a function was held at the Tatura Wartime Camps Museum. The purpose was two fold: to open a new gallery and to launch the exhibition Immigration and the Refugee: The Art of Erwin Fabian.
Attended by over 100 people, the new gallery was officially opened by mayor. Kim O’Keefe. Appreciation was expressed for the generosity from the Pratt Foundation, Tatura Milk Industries, Tatura Rotary Club, Jack and Stuart Pickworth, James Crawford and major funder Greater Shepparton City Council.
The second part of the formalities was the opening of the exhibition of artworks by Dunera artist and sculptor Erwin Fabian. It was opened by Jana Wendt.
Jana Wendt talked about Erwin Fabian’s early life- referencing how he was born in 1915 in Berlin to a family of artists. Erwin, she said hoped from a young age to be an artist and studied at the School of Applied Arts in Berlin. He left for England in 1937 and eked out an existence in London designing book covers and posters. He was deported on the Dunera and interned in Hay, Orange and Tatura. In Hay he shared hut 26 with George Teltscher and Klaus Friedeberger and made life long friendships.
Jana Wendt spoke about the theme of human dignity. She said that, at this time when public discourse is becoming less and less civil, the work of artists like Erwin Fabian is much needed to remind us of our common humanity with people on society’s fringe such as refugees. Most of Erwin’s works are untitled yet they are powerful and have a great deal to say about the refugee experience.
Seumas Spark (historian from Monash University) ended the proceedings by thanking the funders of the exhibition- Gandel Philanthropy, the Besen Family foundation, Gordon Darling Foundation as well as Geirge Ferguson and the Tatura historical society. Seumas also joined everyone present in sincere gratitide to Erwin Fabian himself and his assistant Emil Toonen.
MIGRATION AND THE REFUGEE: THE ART OF ERWIN FABIAN
Erwin created a visual record of his internment using whatever materials that he could find. He later joined the 8th Employment company and was sent to the army Education Service where he illustrated army publications. After 1946 he made a living as a graphic artist first in Melbourne and then In London.
Fabian returned to Melbourne in 1962 and turned to sculpture, working mainly in metal, sometimes in wood and also plastic. He has had more than 60 exhibitions in Australia, Britain and Germany. His sculptures, drawings and paintings are held in collections public and private in Australia and Europe.
The Tatura exhibition contains both works he did while in camp in 1940 and 1941, as well as recent works on the global themes of forced migration and the experiences of refugees. Ewin has returned to the materials of ink and correction fluid on paper, not unlike his internment works in pen and ink on paper. At the age of 103 Erwin Fabian’s creativity is undimmed.
The exhibition is not to be missed. Erwin Fabian’s works can also be seen at Australia Galleries in Collingwood and the Robin Gibson Gallery
L-R: Paula James (daughter), Henry James (Dunera) & Leah James (wife).Henry James – 97 ½ yrs old (originally Heinz Jacobius)
The Sydney Reunion commemorating the 79th anniversary of the arrival of the Dunera Boys in Sydney was held at the Sydney Jewish Museum on Sunday 15th September 2019. In attendance were approximately 25 descendants and friends. Several regular attendees sent apologies due to the holding of a significant event at the Tatura Irrigation and Wartime Camps Museum, being the opening of the museum extension and the exhibition of art works of Dunera Boy Erwin Fabian.
John Ebert, a Sydney committee member of the Dunera Association and organizer of the reunion, opened proceedings welcoming all attendees, particularly Dunera Boy Henry James, his wife Laura, Mrs Julie Lippmann, wife of Dunera Boy the late Henry Lippmann, founder of the Dunera Association and the first editor of the Dunera News and Mrs. Hilary Weisser, wife of the late Mendel Weisser, a Dunera Boy.
John Ebert then introduced the President, Dr. Peter Felder, who outlined recent Dunera Association developments, including the following developments: the establishment of a Heritage Room at Jones Bay Wharf and the Dunera Solar Farm in Hay. Dr. Felder also outlined future events in Melbourne on 10th November and in 2020 for the various 80th anniversary commemorations. He also appealed for additional committee members in Sydney.
Rebecca Weisser, Dunera descendant, journalist and author was called upon to mention the opening of another Erwin Fabian exhibition at the Robin Gibson Gallery in Sydney which will be open until 2nd October.
Our guest speaker, Louise Anemaat was introduced by Dr.Felder. Coincidentally, she had been a student of Professor Konrad Kwiet, well known in the Dunera community. Ms Anemaat is professionally an art gallery curator and is now an Executive Director of the State Library of NSW. Her presentation centred on the importance of libraries in the compilation of histories and how libraries and memories intersect with communities such as the Dunera community. Collecting institutions such as libraries, safeguard these memories so the stories are not forgotten. Ms Anemaat also paid tribute to the collection of Henry Lippmann’s papers that were donated to the Library of NSW. She was particularly honoured to be in the presence of Mrs Lippmann. Collections such as these are at the heart of libraries around the world and allow historians and other readers to interpret and interrogate what was written in forming lessons from our history. Ms Anemaat concluded, “Libraries play a vital part in the recording of our history and give us the tools to learn and interpret the information for the benefit of the future”.
Ron Reichwald, Secretary, thanked Ms Anemaat for her contribution to this reunion and presented her with an inscribed copy of the book ‘Dunera Lives’.
As a result of the President’s earlier appeal, two attendees volunteered to join the Dunera committee as Sydney representatives.
Everyone then adjourned for an afternoon tea and mingling, completing a most successful reunion.
Participants viewing the ‘mountain’ of barbed wire which was used in camp 3’.