Marking the 85th anniversary of Dunera

To mark the 85th anniversary of the arrival in Sydney of the Dunera from Great Britain and the Queen Mary from Singapore, a panel discussion, “His Majesty’s Most Loyal Internees”, will take place on September 14 at 2.30pm at the Shrine of Remembrance.

Poet Oswald Volkmann described the “Dunera boys” as “His Majesty’s Most Loyal Internees” – a description that also suits the Queen Mary internees. Deported to Australia during the Second World War as enemy aliens and imprisoned in regional camps, they were in reality loyal and posed no threat to Britain or Australia.

On board the HMT Dunera were 2542 men who became known as the Dunera boys, 2036 of whom were Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany and Austria, living in Britain and classed as enemy aliens. Approximately 250 Jewish men, women and children were also classified as enemy aliens in Singapore and deported on the Queen Mary.

Upon arrival in Sydney, all the ‘enemy aliens’, including the children, were interned in country NSW and Victoria. They remained interned until 1942 when most able-bodied men joined the 8th Employment Company of the Australian Army commanded by Captain ER Broughton.

During the panel discussion, leading historians, internees and their descendants will reflect on the challenges faced by the internees transported to Australia.

It will be chaired by Seumas Spark of Monash University and the speakers will be Tonia Eckfeld, University of Melbourne; Joy Damousi, Australian Catholic Universityl; Eva de Jong-Duldig, founder Duldig Studio; and Kate Garrett, Dunera and Queen Mary Association

After the conversation, guests can view works of art from the Duldig Studio displayed at the Shrine and gather at 4.45pm for a Last Post service on the Shrine Forecourt to mark the 85th anniversary of the arrival of the Dunera and Queen Mary in Australia.

Eckfeld, the daughter of a Dunera internee, and five former child internees on the Queen Mary – de Jong-Duldig, George Fink, Miriam Gould, Grace Moray and Ruth Simon – will participate in this ceremony.

De Jong-Dulig told The AJN, “This ceremony is very meaningful as it reminds me of the courage of my parents and the other internees who arrived in Australia as ‘enemy aliens’ to face a very uncertain future and how this country eventually enabled our group to survive and thrive.”

Asked what she would like Australians to understand about this time she said, “It was wartime and we were prisoners, but although living conditions were primitive we were treated with respect and kindness and as a child I was happy with my parents and plenty of playmates.”

The event is presented by the Shrine of Remembrance in partnership with the Duldig Studio and the Dunera and Queen Mary Association.

To book visit: shrine.rezdy.com/722712/panel-talk-his-majesty-s-most-loyal-internees