Music and art by Dunera-internees

Event in Melbourne, exhibition in Canberra

Under the motto “Daydreams and Nightmares” and with the subtitle “The Dunera Boys and the Art and Music of Trauma”, an invitation to Melbourne will be extended on 10 July for a lecture and live music about art and music from World War II internment camps.

The Australian historian and president of the Dunera Association Seumas Spark will show a short documentary film about the art of the Dunera Boys, created in the Hay internment camp. Pianist Edward Neeman will play excerpts from the 1st Symphony “Tatura 1943” by Dunera Boy Felix Werder. Chris Latham, who was the first musician to receive an art scholarship from the Australian War Memorial, will take part in the evening. He has been honoured with the “Ordre des Arts et des Lettres” in France and elsewhere for his work to alleviate the burden of trauma and help those affected.

The evening combines the series “The Music of Memory” at the Lamm Jewish Library, Melbourne, with the special exhibition “Hopes and Fears: Australian Migration Stories” at the National Library of Australia (NLA), Canberra. Two pictures by Dunera Boys will also be on display there from 26 July.

On the occasion of the exhibition, the NLA recalls the migrant roots of many Australian families. “Coming from all corners of the globe, these migrants have helped make Australia one of the most diverse nations in the world.”