Historical information

Harry Gorry bid for & purchased on internet auction site. The seller's mother was putting these & other items up for auction. Her father/ the seller's grandfather was Dr. Bruno Koening, a German surgeon detained by Allied forces while fleeing New Guinea in 1941. He was detained & sent to be interned in Camp 3, Tatura. There he met the painter Cesare Vagarini & they became friends, thus 4 years later upon the end of the war Vagarini gave the surgeon the two paintings in thanks & in memory of their friendship. Dr Koening then passed the paintings down to his daughter, where they remained in the family for 60 years. The seller's mother decided it was time to sell & was happy that the paintings went to a good home, as the family was until now unaware of the connection between Vagarini and the Tatura Museum. Harry Gorry just happened to notice a familiar name in an auction that he came across by accident & purchased them for our benefit. (Most information copied from Tatura Bulletin article, April 2014).

Physical description

Watercolour painting, depicting barracks at Camp 3. Picture showing fencing posts & bare ground in foreground, and row of huts in background, with 4 trees behind them.

Inscriptions & markings

at bottom left of picture.