Susan Sedgwick, curator,  developed an Australian Communities Gallery exhibition for the Migration Heritage Centre and the Powerhouse Museum to tell the story of Estonian migration to Australia following World War Two.

Meie uus kodu – Our new home looked at the plight of the 80,000 Estonians who escaped to the West between 1940 and 1944. Homes were abandoned and families separated forever as some fled and others chose to stay. In September 1944 Soviet rule was re-imposed and the borders closed. They would not open again, nor Estonia regain its freedom, until 1991.

Many Estonians spent years in ‘Displaced Persons’ camps with their life on hold before being accepted for resettlement. Those who came to Australia exchanged two years of labour for their freedom. In the process, migrant labour supported Australia’s massive post-war development program.

While few were able to bring material possessions with them, all brought a rich and distinctive culture to their new home Australia. With their homeland behind the Communist ‘iron curtain’, many felt a duty to continue these traditions and to promote the liberation of Estonia.

The need for community support saw many Estonians congregate together. Significant numbers took up poultry farming, orcharding, canning or pickling at Thirlmere, where an Estonian community had lived since the 1930s. Others congregated in urban areas such as Cabramatta where land was affordable and employment available. Sizeable communities also formed in Newcastle, Canberra and Wollongong.

Meie uus kodu – Our new home displayed many precious items brought from Estonia or made while living in Displaced Persons’ camps. Photographs and objects showed the journey to Australia, the government work contract, working bees, social events and how people set about establishing their new life. Video interviews with Estonian Australians described why they left their home, what their new life was like, and their hopes for the future.

Meie uus kodu is a Migration Heritage Centre partnership project with the Powerhouse Museum, building on the success of the Wollondilly Heritage Centre’s From Estonia to Thirlmere exhibition.

PROJECT CONTACT:

Powerhouse Museum

Address:
500 Harris Street
Ultimo NSW 2007

Tel: 02 9217 0111

Web: www.phm.gov.au