An emotive and historically important exhibition has recently opened at the State Library of New South Wales.
Entitled DUNERA: STORIES OF THE INTERNMENT : A STATE LIBRARY OF NEW SOUTH WALES EXHIBITION resurrects a little known part of Australian history during World War II
In that time Australia had concentration camps referred to as internment camps.
In 1939, Britain cleared declared anybody who was of German origin as an enemy alien.
A single ship, The DUNERA, transported 2546 men and boys aged 16 to 66 from Britain to Australia in July 1940 after a 57 day voyage in oppressive conditions.
Many of these internees were Jews but unfortunately were lumped in with Germans who sympathised with the Nazi ideology. Internment camps were set up in Hay New South Wales and Tatura in Victoria. A temporary camp was also set up in Orange.
In the past five years the State Library has created an archive of the artwork and oral histories that emerged from the incarcerated aliens – mainly Jews.
To relieve the boredom of these benign conditions many turned to depicting camp life in drawings and, where available, vinyl recordings.
The internees in some cases were provided with string instruments or a piano and musical notation.
As a result there was an outpouring of creativity resulting in what you see in the artworks displayed in the exhibition, interspersed with a detailed history of the time.
Many internees were released in 1942 but few returned to Europe and many joined the Australian army as they were no longer considered aliens.
A few suffered from post traumatic syndrome after what they had experienced. Some had survivor guilt and a few took their own lives.
However many were resilient and went on to become valuable contributors to postwar Australia.
In fact in my first year at Sydney University when I was undertaking my Law degree, one of my lecturers was a Dunera Boy!
This excellent exhibition is on display at the State Library of New South Wales until the 4th May 2025.
Text and photos by Ben Apfelbaum
