We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the place now called Victoria, and all First Peoples living and working on this land. We celebrate the history and contemporary creativity of the world’s oldest living culture and pay respect to Elders — past, present and future.
Please be aware that this website may contain culturally sensitive material — images, voices and information provided by now deceased persons. Content also may include images and film of places that may cause sorrow.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are advised that this website may contain culturally sensitive material — images, voices and information provided by now deceased persons. Content also may include images and film of places that may cause sorrow.
Some material may contain terms that reflect authors’ views, or those of the period in which the item was written or recorded but may not be considered appropriate today. These views are not necessarily the views of Victorian Collections.
Users of this site should be aware that in many areas of Australia, reproduction of the names and photographs of deceased people is restricted during a period of mourning. The length of this time varies and is determined by the community.
Reuse of any Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander material on this site may require cultural clearances. Users are advised to contact the source organisation to discuss appropriate reuse.
Material collected and donated to Museum by Peter Drescher.
Black A4 folder with original and photocopied material in plastic sleeves.
Peter Drescher Collection of Memorabilia from Jaffa, Palestine and Camp 3 Tatura
German Kormoran survivors going ashore
Tells the life story of Ethel May Punshon, from Ballarat to St Kilda Victoria, spanning over a century and the crucial historical events she witnessed.
Soft cover paperback. Front cover has white writing for title and author. Pink and orange speckled background. Lady in a brown jacket and tie, with cream shirt and holding a double barrel shotgun. Spine is speckled orange with book title in white. Authors name in a white section. Back cover is orange and pink speckled with a white section giving a blurb about the book and author.
ethel may punshon, monte, miss montague, mickey and erica morley, camp 3 internment camp
Dr Frederich Kaempfe, a Chemist, was interned in Camp 3. He was captured in Iran on 15/09/1941 and transferred on the Rangitiki to Loveday South Australia. Transferred to Tatura in Feb 1945 and released to Sydney on 20 July 1946.
Pastel drawing of a large gum tree surrounded by smaller gum tress in an undulating paddock.Blue hills in the background.
F. Kaempte 1945
camp 3, tatura, painting, gum tree, pastel, art work, kaempfe, chemist
Written by Hans Wolter von Gruenewaldt, a German internee, who was interned at Camp 13. A theatre group was established within the Camp to present plays and concert performances and thus Die Nibelungen, a trnditional German Legend by Hempel was to be staged. There are 3 editions of this book. This is a copy of Hans Wolter's original version.
White cardboard front and back with a black strip as edge binder. Title in black with D and N in red. 24 pages in soft cardboard.
hans wolter von gruenewald, german internees, camp 13 murchison, camp 13 internees, camp plays, camp 13 theatre group
Author Margot Warnett grew up on a Dairy farm just outside Tatura
A4 size paperback book with predominantly blue sky and an illustration of two girls standing on a wire farm gate. One girls has a purple check dress on, black gum boots and holding a white rabbit. The other girls has a blue dress, gum boots and holding a black duck. A white and brown horse, a calf, a sheep and farm dog and a lizard are also in the picture. The two girls are also pictured on the back cover.
Written by Margot Warnett Illustrated by Julie Haysom
warnett, book, children, meg and peg, dairy farm
Mauve and Pink cover with a painting of a large brown lace up boot. The book title is depicted on a wrought iron sign.
non-fiction
Berlin, 2010: A deathbed promise launches Kathy Giuliano on a quest for the truth about her family during World War II. Alone, she travels to Berlin in search of an enigmatic octogenarian who holds the keys to the past. The only clues to his identity and whereabouts and are a black-and-white photograph and an outdated address in Reinickendorf. England, 1938: After fleeing Nazi Germany for the safety of England, a teenage boy is captured when Churchill gives the order to 'collar the lot'. One of 2,000 prisoners on the hell-ship Dunera, he is sent to Australia. At the 'family camp', he makes footwear and forms life-long friendships. Eight years later, what does he find when he returns to Berlin? Victoria, 1943: With the Japanese at Australia's doorstep, a mother and daughter are arrested at their cane farm in far north Queensland and sent 'down south'. Their crime? Teaching the Italian language to school-children. The internment camp at Tatura changes everything. The secrets they share must be kept for the rest of their lives.
ww2 italians, internment, tatura, queensland, debbie terranova, berlin
Painted by George Rosenkranz
The watercolour has a thin black border around it, a 1 cm brown paper frame, a 4cm plus white mat and framed in a brown wooden frame. Picture is a view looking down into a valley with a pointed top mountain in the centre of the picture. Blue skies with a bird flying in right side. front of mountain are a couple of trees, rocks, grass and plants.
george rosenkranz, south africa
Sia Fujitsu, the son of Jiroguma Fujitsu was born on 27 May 1926 in Yamaguchi-Ken, Japan. His trade is listed as Employee of Culture and his religion is Buddhist. He was captured at Tawao, North Borneo on 27th January, 1942 and was interned in Loveday South Australia until he was repatriated to Japan on 21st February, 1946. Kurt Winker was born in Germany in 1902 and was a survivor of the "Arandora Star". He was sent to Australia on the "Dunera" where he was interned at Tatura 1940-1945.Sia
Photocopy of a pencil and ink Portrait of a Japanese youth Short black hair, dark eyes and pink lips. He is wearing a jacket that appears to be too large for him and white collar and beige coloured tie. There is light blue shading around is head and shoulders. Japanese lettering in black ink on the left of the picture translates to his name "Sia FUJITSU". Signed in black ink by artist Kurt Winkler, Loveday, 1942.
Kurt Winkler LOVDAY 1942
Camp 13 Murchison Reunion of ex guards and pow's in 1974
1 Black and white photograph of Gerhard Kruger, wearing a tartan tie check shirt, pen in right hand.
gerhard kruger, murchison, camp 13 murchison, camp reunions
Written by Gerda Kuebler, telling her recollections of life in Camp 3 Tatura during WW2 as an internee from Palestine and a Templer.
3 double sided A4 pages of typed copy, in plastic sleeves. Original also in file.
gerda kuebler, camp 3 tatura, palestine internee, templer internee, internment camps ww2
History of the Kyabram Methodist circuit from its foundations in 1874 to the year of its centenary, but it is set in the context of the greater Methodist Church both here and in England.
Yellow hard cover book with dust jacket of yellow with green stripes and white section. Back of dust jacket white with part of the yellow spine showing. Title and author is in black on front and spine. Drawing of a dragon (yellow) on a limb (green).
kyabram, kyabram methodist church, w h bossence
Dispatch rider Norman James Whitford. Army Garrison
Black and white of dispatch rider on his motorbike
Dispatch Rider/Driver Norman James Whitford V18848. Garrison Battalion
Black and white portrait photo.
whitford, norm whitford, 17th army garrison, garrison
17th Battalion AMF Garrison Sentry. Private Albert Russell.
Black and white photograph of soldier on sentry duty outside camp. The soldier is in full uniform and holding a rifle with bayonet. A small corrugated iron hut. a large wire gate, supported by timber poles. Accommodated huts are inside the fence.
camp, 17th garrison battalion, albert russell, mould, russell, tatura
Given to Peter Forster by Jack Muir of Tatura. Peter was told it was made in Camp and given to him.
Jim Sullivan was posted to Camp 4
Black and white photograph of man casually sitting on a rock. black shoes and Sergeants strips on his pullover.
sullivan, camp 4, japanese, tatura
Sgt Allan Timms was a Sergeant in Camp 3 Tatura
Black and white portrait of Camp 3 Army Garrison Sergeant Allan Timms in uniform. Wearing uniform hat and Sergeant strips on his uniform.
timms, garrison, camp 3, wendy hicks, sgt timms
Index by Lorraine Waldron to the book Heart of the Valley Toolamba 1840 to 1983
Booklet A4 softcover light blue with dark blue spine black typeface
heart of the vallely, toolamba, stewart morvell, bill morvell, lorraine waldron, shepparton family history group 2008
Donation from Altona Historical Society, Owen Hyde. The book shows different styles of courthouses and their builders around Victoria.
Hard cover with dust jacket. Hard cover is burgundy. Dust jacket is burgundy with a white rectangle on front with sketches of historic court houses surrounding the title and author. Spine has title and author on it.
courthouses, courthouses of victoria, courthouses of tatura, altona historical society, historic courthouses, courthouse architecture, courthouse trials
Dhurringile POW Camp Tatura
Black and White photograph of five people under two ornate arches at Dhurringile POW Camp. One man is standing next two three women and one man seated. All in uniform.
dhurringile, tatura, pow camp, danson
No 1 Camp Garrison beer garden. The sergeant is from the Canteen Sgt's Mess
Black and white photograph of the No 1 Camp Garrison Beer garden. Two hunts on the left of picture and and a partial glimpse of huts on the right. The huts are surrounded by gardens. In the centre of the garden is a table with two bench seats on either side. A man is standing off to the right of photo. A large tree behind him.
camp 1, garrison, beer garden, sergeant, sergeants mess, canteen, tatura, danson
Camp 1 Tatura
Black and White photo of Camp 1 Parade Ground with Guard Room on left with the number 24 on the side of one of the huts. Guards lined up outside on each side of ground. Personnel Hub on right. A stone walled garden is on the right. Two poles in the middle of the picture.
camp 1, tatura, army guards internment camps, camp 1 garrison parade, huts, guards, garrison
No 1 camp compound Tatura
Black and White photograph of No 1 Camp compound. Two huts behind a wire fence. Trees in the background. In the foreground is a round garden.
camp 1, tatura, danson, camp garden
The pendant was made for Sister Lorraine Danson by a German internee
Black and white photograph of a silver pendant made from a silver florin. A cut-out of a kookaburra and a baby bird with its mouth open sit of a branch. Leaves hang from another branch.
28 camp hospital, danson, german internee, pendant, silver, florin, handmade
The tennis court at 28 Camp Hospital Tatura
Black and White photograph of a tennis court, Two men and two women player each holding racquets. The court is surrounded by tall poles some appear to have lights on them. small shrubs in the foreground.
tennis, 28 camp hospital internment camp 1, camp hospital, tennis court, tatura
28 Camp Hospital Tatura
Black and white photograph of four hospital staff. Sister J Berryman in Nurses uniform with veil; an A.W.A.S Cook; a German Orderly; Sister E. Henderson in army uniform and hat. Standing in front of an unknown object on a path. Trees behind.
28 camp hospital, tatura, nurse, awas nurse, orderly, uniform
No 28 Camp Hospital Tatura
Black and white photograph of seven No 28 Camp Hospital staff pictured beside the Adminstration Block. Left to Right: Sgt "Blosson"; Sgt ?; Sister N Hamilton; Pte Mulrogue; Cpl (stores); Pte Malick; Sgt Sarsfield
tatura, 28 camp hospital internment camp 1, 28 camp hospital, hamilton,
The 28 Camp hospital store was opposite the camp kitchen. Pictured from left is an unknown Corporal, an unknown man, and Private Maher.
Black and White photograph of three men standing in front of a corrugated iron building. The garden is lined with rocks with large trees behind the building. One man has a white apron on the other two are wearing white gowns that appear to be or similar to medical gowns.
28 camp hospital, store, maher, danson
German Internees who worked as Orderlies at the 28 Camp hospital.
Black and White photograph of four German Internee orderlies at 28 Camp Hospital Tatura. Each internee is wearing a white apron.
german, orderlies, 28 camp hospital internment camp 1, tatura, internees, danson
Victorian Collections acknowledges the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the first inhabitants of the nation and the traditional custodians of the lands where we live, learn and work.
