85 years ago: the arrival of the Dunera

Events in Australia

As it does every year, the Dunera & Queen Mary Association is organizing events in 2025 to commemorate the deportation and internment of around 2,800 Germans, Austrians, and Italians – most of them persecuted by the Nazis. They arrived in Australia from England and Singapore in September 1940—85 years ago—and were imprisoned behind barbed wire. The event will be commemorated in the state of New South Wales at the end of August and beginning of September.

Sydney

On August 31, guests are invited to the small Dunera Museum at the Doltone House event location directly on the Jones Bay Wharf. This is where the Dunera docked on September 6, 1940. The afternoon event will feature a talk by writer and university lecturer Dr. Belinda Castles. She is the author of numerous books; in „Hannah and Emil“, she explores the lives of her grandparents during the World War, including her grandfather’s forced journey on the Dunera.

Hay

In the morning of September 7, the meeting traditionally begins at Hay railway station, where participants can visit the Dunera Museum, among other things. Participants are welcomed by Mayor Carol Oataway. This is followed by the equally traditional march from there to the site where Camps 7 and 8 were located. There is a stop at the Dunera Obelisk, which has commemorated the history of this site since 1990. In the afternoon, participants can visit other sites and museums in Hay associated with the internment camps. The day ends with a group dinner. A group dinner is planned for the evening before, and a group morning tea is planned for the morning of September 7.

Tatura

There were seven internment camps in the vicinity of Tatura (State of Victoria). At the event there in April, British journalist Nick Ross, son of Dunera Boy Hans Rosenblüth, spoke. A video recording is available.

Nick Ross at the Tatura Irrigation and Wartime Camps Museum.

Some events are subject to a fee. Anyone interested in participating is asked to fill out the corresponding form in the official event information and email it to the association by August 22 for Sydney and August 31 for Hay.

The Dunera docked at Jones Bay Wharf on September 6, 1940. The venue is housed there on August 31.

Information and registration

Am Dunera Museum im stillgelegten Bahnhof beginnen am 6. September die Veranstaltungen in Hay.
Fotos: Dehn.

Information and registration