70 year anniversary of the Dunera boys
IN ranks depleted by the passing of seven decades, they will return to the small NSW town of Hay in September to reminisce about a perilous wartime voyage from Britain to the far side of the world. The "Dunera boys" is the moniker bestowed on 2542 men, 2036 of whom were Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany and Austria, living in Britain and classed as enemy aliens.
IN ranks depleted by the passing of seven decades, they will return to the small NSW town of Hay in September to reminisce about a perilous wartime voyage from Britain to the far side of the world.
The “Dunera boys” is the moniker bestowed on 2542 men, 2036 of whom were Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany and Austria, living in Britain and classed as enemy aliens.
Seventy years ago this month, they were placed aboard the Dunera, bound for Australia. The ship had a maximum capacity of 1600, and conditions were described as “inhumane”.
On arrival in Sydney, the bewildered newcomers were taken to internment camps in the rural towns of Hay, NSW, Loveday, SA, and Tatura, Victoria. Subsequently reclassified as “friendly aliens”, hundreds were recruited into the Australian Defence Force. After the war, around 800 remained in the country.
Peter Felder, son of Dunera boy Henry Felder, is organising this year’s reunion, the first major gathering since a 50th-anniversary event in 1990. “So far, we’ve had 12 Dunera boys indicating they will attend,” he told The AJN.
Former internee Mike Sondheim will be one of the party. “The people of Hay always display their hospitality and friendship to us as long-lost sons having returned home.”
From September 3-5, the intenees will return to the sites of former camp seven and eight for a commemoration.
They plan to re-enact their arrival at the local railway station and follow the route they marched along from the station to the camps. Unlike in 1940, the Hay Shire Council mayor will formally welcome the visitors.
Among the activities planned, they will visit the grave of Menasche Bodner, the only Dunera boy buried in the Jewish section of the Hay General Cemetery, and will see the Hay Dunera Museum.
Enquiries: Peter Felder (03) 9561 2834; peter@felder.com.au.
PETER KOHN
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