Meet Helen Simanowsky and see the blouse her mother made from a scarf given by German soldiers during WW2. Continue reading
!["The tablecloth is very special. When Princess Elizabeth of England was getting married in November 1947, the ladies in the [DP] camp decided to make her a present. They, including my mother, embroidered a beautiful little tablecloth. My mother copied that pattern and reproduced [it]."](../../../cms/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/simanowsky-tablecloth-150x150.jpg)
Meet Silvia Saccaro and see the nightdress she made for her baby daughter when they first came to Australia in 1961. Continue reading
!["We carried these things with us from Poland: a family prayer book from which the family prayed [and] my first Holy Communion bible."](../../../cms/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/radosz-painting-150x150.jpg)
Meet Zofia Radosz and see the handbag her mother was given en route to Gotha camp in Germany in 1944. Continue reading
Meet Stefania Petryk and see the diary she has kept since coming to Australia in 1950. Continue reading
Meet Anna Grenadier and see the vase and flower her mother gave her before she left Poland in 1973. Continue reading
!["This is the wallet I had with me from the age of 14. I had [it] with me in the Ukraine and all the time I was in France and Germany during the [Second World] war."](../../../cms/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/bojko-wallet-150x150.jpg)
Meet John Bojko and see the wallet he carried with him through the Ukraine, Germany and France during WW2. Continue reading
Meet Alina Paczynski and see the communion bread the Red Cross sent to her husband’s POW camp in 1940. Continue reading
Meet Connie Baker and see the tablecloth she made from a sugar bag during WW2 in Holland.
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Meet June Webb and see the jewellery box she bought in Port Said en route to Australia in 1960.
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Meet Lorna Denham and see the programs she sold at London’s Royal Opera House during the 1950s.
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!["This violin belonged to Dad [who] was a musician. At home, I used to lie in bed and request songs on the violin and my dad would play them for me. I would love lying in bed and listening."](../../../cms/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/scott-violin-150x150.jpg)
Meet Lily Scott and see the violin her father used to play when she was a child in Scotland.
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Meet Margaret Mort-Yates and see the beach pebble she brought from England in 1962.
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Meet Stella Lakomy and see her rug with the Polish WW1 war hero.
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Meet Trudy Schilling and see the heating element and jug she used to make her own coffee at Bonegilla migrant hostel in 1959. Continue reading
This document has historic value because it has direct links with Federation and the drafting of the first Australian Constitution that put in place the law that was the cornerstone of Australia’s ‘White Australia’ policy. Continue reading
Meet Mihai Maghiaru and see the Communist flag he tore in the late 1940s. Continue reading
The piano is historically significant as evidence of piano manufacturing in Australia prior to the World War I through to 1936, as it is possibly one of the last upright pianos, made by Carl von Heiden in his Sydney factory between 1904 and 1914. Continue reading
!["There were originally 60 or so German music records I carried over in my briefcase, but now I have only a dozen [and] they’re pretty worn out. They were songs we grew up with, and on hot summer nights in Bonegilla, it was wonderful to listen to our own music. I think it helped us bridge those first few months in Australia to get over our loneliness."](../../../cms/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/wolff-records-150x150.jpg)
Meet Harry Wolff and see the German records he played at Bonegilla migrant camp in 1966.
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Meet Walter Schmied and see his plane from Austria. It was also used to build his first home in Australia in the 1960s. Continue reading
The Villawood Migrant Hostel recipe books and dining equipment are historically significant as evidence of the daily ritual of communal dining at the Hostel from 1948 until the mid 1980s. Continue reading
The condombe drums have historical and cultural significance for the Uruguayan community in Fairfield. Just as it provided respite for the African slaves who brought this rhythmic drumming from Africa, it continues to remind South American migrants of the difficult social, political and economic hardships that caused their families to migrate. Continue reading
The spaghetti maker and dolls are historically significant as evidence of migrant folk art transplanted from Italy to the Fairfield in the suburbs of Sydney. Continue reading
The sampler and medal are historically significant as evidence of the migration of liberal entrepreneurs from Britain and the prosperity they achieved in 19th century NSW and Fairfield through hard work, chaste and piety. Continue reading
Meet Ann Cusack and see the map she drew at her Greek school in Egypt in the mid-1950s. Continue reading
The textiles machines are of historic significance as evidence of the transfer of haberdashery and tailoring of clothing from the Italian village to Fairfield in the Australia suburbs. Continue reading
The pincers are historically significant as they were made by Carl Konemann. The Konemanns’ are regarded as one of the early pioneering families in Fairfield, providing the essential services of horse shoeing, tool making and repairs and coach building. Continue reading
The Bier stein and eisstock game piece are social and culturally significant. The German-Austrian Society of Australia Club was formed to assist Post World War II migrants to resettle into suburban Fairfield community life between 1945 and 1960, and fulfil an important social and cultural role in an alienating culture. Continue reading
The 1831 convict brinks are historically significant because Horsley House is the only Australian colonial house that can be directly related to Anglo-Indian architecture. Continue reading
Meet Denis Donovan and his hurley stick from Ireland.
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Meet Emilia Pastore and see the mate set she brought from Uruguay in 1973.
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