Tag: Reunion

  • 79th Anniversary Melbourne Dunera Reunion

    79th Anniversary Melbourne Dunera Reunion

    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.

  • New Gallery at Tatura Museum

    New Gallery at Tatura Museum

    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 and local Councillor Kym O Keefe
    Jana Wendt and local Councillor Kym O Keefe

    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.

    Carol Bunyan (Dunera Association researcher), Lurline Knee (Tatura Historical Society), Seumas Spark (historian Monash University), Arhtur Knee (Tatura Historical Society)
    Carol Bunyan (Dunera Association researcher), Lurline Knee (Tatura
    Historical Society), Seumas Spark (historian Monash University), Arhtur
    Knee (Tatura Historical Society)

    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

    Rebecca Silk (Dunera Association member) and Mandy Huppert (daughters of Dunera internee Peter Huppert) with an Erwin Fabian sculpture
    Rebecca Silk (Dunera Association member) and Mandy Huppert (daughters of Dunera internee Peter Huppert) with an Erwin Fabian sculpture
  • 78th Anniversary Hay Dunera Reunion

    78th Anniversary Hay Dunera Reunion

    Carol Bunyan, Alex Byrne and Robyn Fuerstat Hay Shire Library, with wartime etchings by Alex Byrne in the background.
    Carol Bunyan, Alex Byrne and Robyn Fuerstat Hay Shire Library, with wartime etchings by Alex Byrne in the background.

    Reflecting on my 16th trip to a Hay Dunera reunion, I could not help but reminisce about previous such occasions in Hay.

    The journey to Hay is obviously the same each year, yet I marvel at the changing landscape from the undulating foothills of Central Victoria to the Long Paddock and Saltbush Plains of the Riverina, much as the Dunera Boys would have on their epic train journey from Sydney to Hay.

    I always aim to arrive in Hay by lunch time so as I can take in the atmosphere of this amazing town, so rich in history, not only of the Dunera Boys, but also of Australia in the era of the ‘golden fleece’ and at war. This year, I visited Hay War Memorial High School in order to meet their history teacher. The Dunera Association wishes to restart the essay competition in which students write about the Dunera story as part of their curriculum studies.

    Another reason I arrive early is so I can have time to view the exhibits at the Dunera Museum and mingle with any visitors present. Often, travellers are just passing through Hay and stumble on to this museum amongst others. Hay is a unique town of 2,600 inhabitants, with five museums. This year I met a couple from Meredith, Victoria, who expressed great interest in the Dunera Museum, but didn’t have time to participate in our activities. They are happy to now be on our mailing list and wish to return for a future reunion. I also take the time to go through the visitors’ book for interesting comments and maybe identify some future contacts.

    In attendance from interstate this year were: Geoff and Daniella Buchtahl, Seumas Spark and partner Rhiannon Tanner, Dianne and Russell Efron, Harvey Stern, Selma and Aubrey Seknow, Robyn Fuerst and Ron Jackson and myself.

    At Dunera Way. Carol Bunyan, Aubrey and Selma Seknow, David Houston, Robyn Fuerst, Ron Jackson, Russell and Dianne Efron, Harvey Stern, Seumas Spark and Rhiannon Tanner.
    At Dunera Way. Carol Bunyan, Aubrey and Selma Seknow, David Houston, Robyn Fuerst, Ron Jackson, Russell and Dianne Efron, Harvey Stern, Seumas Spark and Rhiannon Tanner.

    In addition were Hay locals Mick and Alice Beckwith, Carol and Laura Bunyan, some locals and of course our perennial hosts David and Coleen Houston. Again we would like to thank them for their tireless efforts in making this Dunera weekend so special.

    In addition to our normal weekend program, there was a viewing of the display at the Hay Shire Library of etchings by retired NSW State Librarian, and now artist, Alex Byrne AM. Some of these etchings were inspired by the stories of Kristallnacht, the Kindertransport, the Dunera story and Hay.

    This event was followed by dinner at the Jolly Jumbuck bistro, which always sets up the mood of conviviality present
    on these very special first weekends of September.

    Saturday morning brought with it the traditional cold, crisp but clear inland Australia chill, and the Hay Railway Station reenactment of the arrival of the Dunera Boys by the devoted locals who do this each year. In this historically authentic
    environment, it is not hard for me to visualise the drama of the arrival of my late father with the other Dunera Boys in 1940.

    The scene at the station includes the Hay Dunera Museum consisting of the two railway carriages of the type that the Dunera Boys travelled in on their journey from Sydney. This was followed by our usual ‘pilgrimage’ to the 50th Anniversary commemorative marker located in Dunera Way and adjacent to the locations of Camps 7 and 8.

    Morning tea was followed by visits to the Hay War Cemetery and the Hay Gaol Museum. It was a few years ago that I discovered the name of Martin Reichwald, my late father, in the records of the gaol, not as a prisoner but as a sick patient; the gaol was used as a military hospital during the war. The cemetery is a vivid snapshot of Hay’s history. Of particular interest is the Jewish section in which Menasche Bodner, the only Dunera Boy to die in internment in Hay, is buried.

    Saturday afternoon was free for us to participate in various activities including the viewing of the SBS documentary ‘When Friends Were Enemies’ at the Dunera Museum Library. This was followed by a delicious main dinner engagement at Bishop’s Lodge Motel Restaurant.

    On Sunday morning, we returned next door to the historic Bishop’s Lodge Historic House and Rose Garden for our farewell morning tea, again organised by the ladies of Hay, for which we were so grateful. Coleen Houston’s tea cake is always a highlight, as well as a diet destroyer. The development of the homestead, which is an amazing example of inland Australia architecture, was shown to us in a most instructional video. It shows the understanding of environmental issues in building architecture even way back in 1888.

    All participants then bade their farewells and commenced their long journeys home. The drive home is tinged with both sadness and satisfaction, but also in the knowledge that I will do this all again next year.

    Ron Reichwald 

  • 78th Anniversary Sydney Dunera Reunion

    78th Anniversary Sydney Dunera Reunion

    78th Anniversary Sydney Dunera Reunion
    Josef Toltz and Rachel Travers

    Twenty-five people attended the reunion at the Sydney Jewish Museum, including Rachel Travers and Julie Lippmann,
    widows of Dunera Boys Walter Travers and Henry Lippmann. Sydney committee member John Ebert opened the event,
    welcoming all and especially the first- time visitors. Peter Felder reported on the successful reunion at Hay and the
    upcoming Melbourne reunion lunch on 13 November.

    Peter presented John Ebert with a copy of Dunera Lives: A Visual History, the long-awaited book by Ken Inglis,
    Seumas Spark and Jay Winter, with Carol Bunyan. This was in recognition of John’s long-term efforts in maintaining the Sydney group and keeping everyone up to date on all things Dunera.

    We are most grateful to the Sydney Jewish Museum for welcoming us, providing refreshments and a most
    comfortable meeting space.

    Peter Felder

    Julie Lippmann and Anna Armstrong-Smith
    Julie Lippmann and Anna Armstrong-Smith
  • 77th Anniversary Tatura Dunera Reunion

    77th Anniversary Tatura Dunera Reunion

    Tour guide John Gribben with attendees at the Tatura camp site
    Tour guide John Gribben with attendees at the Tatura camp site

    A highly successful visit to Tatura was held on 15 April 2018. About 25 Dunera members and friends gathered, on a blustery autumn day, at the Tatura World War II Wartime Camps Museum. Sadly there were no Dunera Boys in attendance.

    While enjoying the country hospitality, we perused the many artefacts, artworks, reconstruction of huts, letters, memorabilia and other items in the immense collection that is overseen by the local historical society.

    Michelle Frenkel with Rhonda Rose
    Michelle Frenkel with Rhonda Rose

    It was a pleasure to welcome some first-time visitors to Tatura, including Singapore Group descendant Ron Beer.
    We had the pleasure of watching a new documentary compiled by the Tatura Museum titled The Seven Wartime Camps at Tatura. The first part of the film gives an excellent summary of the background to the camps and the arrival of the first group of Dunera internees in 1940. It also details the transfer of Dunera Boys from Hay to Tatura camps and the internment of the Singapore Group in the family camps 3 and 4.

    George Ferguson, Rebecca Silk and Peter Felder
    George Ferguson, Rebecca Silk and Peter Felder

    Tatura Historical Society president, Steve Barnard, welcomed people to the Tatura Museum and introduced John Gribben who later conducted a tour of camp 1. While imagining the 1000 inmates at each camp, it conjures up a rather desolate situation.

    One visitor reminded us that the Australian guards were fair and reasonable, food was ample and medical care was provided for the internees. In addition, cultural life in camp flourished, including lectures, clubs, sporting teams, theatrical and musical performances, study of matriculation and technical subjects through the “Collegium Taturense” which was organised by the internees.

    We are once again grateful to George Ferguson, Lurline and Arthur Knee, and the president, committee and volunteers from the Tatura and District Historical Society for their hospitality and kindness to the Dunera Association

    Michelle Frenkel with Rhonda Rose
    Michelle Frenkel with Rhonda Rose
    George Ferguson, Rebecca Silk and Peter Felder
    George Ferguson, Rebecca Silk and Peter Felder
    Sarah and Erica Chadderton, and Tonia Eckfeld, granddaughter and daughters of Reinhold Eckfeld
    Sarah and Erica Chadderton, and Tonia Eckfeld, granddaughter and daughters of Reinhold Eckfeld
    Attendees at the Tatura Museum
    Attendees at the Tatura Museum