The Voyage of Their Life
Page 56
The Second World War by Martin Gilbert
The Holocaust: The Jewish Tragedy by Martin Gilbert
The Lucky Country by Donald Horne
Three Suitcases and a Three-Year-Old by Ann Mihkelson
The Edge of the Diaspora by Suzanne Rutland
Acknowledgements
My biggest thanks go to the passengers of the Derna who have been so enthusiastic about this project and so generous in sharing their life stories with me. When I began researching the voyage, fifty years had passed since our arrival in Australia and I didn’t expect to find much memorabilia after all this time. I couldn’t believe my good fortune when so many people gave me access to diaries, photographs, newspaper clippings and letters which they have kept all these years. I’m especially grateful to Helle Nittim Risti for her diary, Lea Ohtra Holm for her father’s journal, Cyla Ferszt for her assistance and vignettes, and Dorothea Ritter for her tireless efforts which have produced letters and documents.
So many people have helped me with the research. I’d like to thank Harold Grant, former Chief Migration Officer who was seconded to the UNHCR, Ellen Hansen of the UNHCR in Canberra, and Trudy Huscomb Peterson at the UNHCR in Geneva who searched the IRO archives for information about Colonel Hershaw. The helpful researchers at the National Archives of Australia who found sheafs of documents about the Derna and its passengers were a pleasure to deal with, and Irene Sullivan in the Canberra office was outstanding.
Professor Konrad Kwiet, an authority on the Holocaust, was always willing to discuss issues and answer my questions. Despite his busy schedule, Mark Aarons, author of War Criminals Welcome: Australia, A Sanctuary for Fugitive War Criminals since 1945, was kind enough to read through the relevant chapter of the manuscript and offer helpful suggestions.
Father Michael Protopopoff of the Russian Orthodox church in Geelong, who has recently written a biography of Archbishop Rafalsky, shared his knowledge with me. Author David Latimer explained the mechanism of steamships. Mary Conomos, my first close friend in Australia, was indefatigable in trying to find Greek passengers. Vic Alhadeff, Nick Papas, Stelios Korkidis, George Spiliotis, Pauline Griffin, Dr Roger Motyka and Bev Rahman all put themselves out to help me.
I’m grateful to the editors of the Polish, Latvian, Estonian and Greek newspapers and the co-ordinators of the SBS ethnic radio programs who helped to publicise my search.
Throughout the years of research and writing, I’ve been nurtured by an army of wonderful friends who never seemed to tire of hearing me talk about this project. I’m very grateful to Jenny Cooke who volunteered to add the role of reader to her already huge workload as journalist, mother and student. Her chapter-by-chapter reading of the manuscript was incredibly thorough, her suggestions were invaluable and her humorous remarks in the margin were a delight. During our weekly cliff walk, Dasia Black pushed me to delve deeper and helped me to explore the significance of the story. I appreciate her intellect and empathy. My special thanks to my dear friends Raymonde Raiz and Wanda Matt who read parts of the manuscript and made perceptive comments.
I’m very lucky that my children, Justine and Jonathan, are so supportive and involved in my work. From the moment I began this project they were always willing to listen and offer helpful suggestions.
My deepest gratitude goes to my husband, Michael, whose pride in me borders on the embarrassing. It can’t be easy living with an author who becomes so obsessed with a book that she can talk of little else, but he coped with his usual humour and grace. In between seeing patients, taking photographs and making cappuccinos, he found time to read the manuscript and make insightful comments. Michael, I’m glad that the Derna led me to you.
Words are inadequate to express my gratitude to Selwa Anthony, agent extraordinaire, who is indefatigable in her efforts and unremitting in her support. From the team at HarperCollins I’ve received the kind of enthusiasm and respect that writers dream about but rarely experience. I feel privileged to work with outstanding professionals like Shona Martyn, Linda Funnell and Kaye Wright. Linda Funnell’s sensitivity and relaxed manner make her a joy to work with. Nicola O’Shea has been a marvel of patience, good nature and efficiency. Proofreader Sue Grose-Hodge has gone through the manuscript with impressive thoroughness. I’m grateful to my warmhearted editor Mark MacLeod and appreciate his literary taste and meticulous scrutiny.
I’d like to thank the Literature Board of the Australia Council for their faith in me and for the grant which assisted me to write this book.
About the Author
DIANE ARMSTRONG was born in Poland and arrived in Australia with her parents on the SS Derna in 1948.
She received a Commonwealth scholarship to the University of Sydney where she gained a Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in English and History.
Having decided to become a writer at the age of seven, Diane became a freelance journalist. She has won national and international awards for her articles, including the Pluma de Plata from the Mexican government and the George Munster Award for Independent Journalism in Australia. Over 3000 of her articles have been published in newspapers and magazines in Australia as well as in England, Hong Kong, Holland, Hungary, Poland, India and South Africa.
In 1997 she received an Emerging Writer’s grant from the Literature Board of the Australia Council to write her first book Mosaic: A Chronicle of Five Generations, a memoir which was published in Australia in 1998. It was acclaimed by the late Joseph Heller and Nobel prizewinner Elie Wiesel, shortlisted for the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for Non-Fiction and for the National Biography Award.
When Mosaic was published in the United States, Barnes & Noble booksellers selected it for their ‘Discover Great New Writers’ series, and Amazon.com listed is among their ten best memoirs of the year.
In 2000 Diane received a Developing Writer’s grant from the Literature Board of the Australia Council to assist in writing The Voyage of Their Life, which was published in 2001 and became a bestseller.
Her first novel is Winter Journey.
Diane lives in Sydney with her husband, Michael. She has two children, Justine and Jonathan, and twin granddaughters, Maya and Sarah.
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Praise
‘Armstrong weaves in these individual tales with great skill. They flow in and out of the narrative in rhythm with the ship’s slow movement from the old world to the new.’
The Age
‘Armstrong’s triumph in this history is to avoid judgment or argument…she allows readers to enter into the mindset of the refugees, to empathise with them’
Weekend Australian
‘the characters become familiar and absorbing…almost unbearably moving’
Australian Book Review
‘She is a natural sleuth…her writing is clear, incisive, yet imaginative’
Sydney Morning Herald
‘[Diane Armstrong] has turned out an absorbing and very human work, laced with drama, love, hatreds and problems with almost Marx Brothers or Monty Python humour…A rewarding read.’
Australian Jewish News
‘a valuable contribution to the literature of multicultural Australia’
Newcastle Herald
‘meticulously researched and inspired insight into Australian history’
Brisbane News
‘A very moving account…her eye for detail brings these refugees to life’
The Australian Way
‘While it is a good read, The Voyage of Their Life is also an important historical document in that it gives humanity and dignity to the stories of dispossessed people arriving in postwar Australia.’
Wentworth Courier
‘Amazing story of survival at sea and life after World War II in Australia…Armstrong’s story is a remarkable tale of courage, persistence, and finding hope at a time when it appeared that there was none to hold onto.’
Travel Link
&
nbsp; ‘Using her nose for journalism and dogged detective work, Diane has pieced together a rich tapestry of lives’
Friday Magazine
‘Diane Armstrong’s study of the Derna is an important contribution to postwar Australian history. Her careful research combined with her excellent writing skills make this book essential reading for anyone interested in the development of Australian society.’
Dr Suzanne Rutland, Australian Historical Society Journal
Also by Diane Armstrong
Mosaic: A Chronicle of Five Generations
Copyright
Harper Perennial
An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, Australia
First published in Australia in 2001
This edition published in 2010
by HarperCollinsPublishers Pty Limited
ABN 36 009 913 517
A member of the HarperCollinsPublishers (Australia) Pty Limited Group
www.harpercollins.com.au
Copyright © Diane Armstrong 2001
The right of Diane Armstrong to be identified as the moral rights author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright Amendment (Moral Rights) Act 2000 (Cth).
This book is copyright.
Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission.
Inquiries should be addressed to the publishers.
HarperCollinsPublishers
25 Ryde Road, Pymble, Sydney, NSW 2073, Australia
31 View Road, Glenfield, Auckland 10, New Zealand
77–85 Fulham Palace Road, London, W6 8JB, United Kingdom
2 Bloor Street East, 20th floor, Toronto, Ontario M4W 1A8, Canada
10 East 53rd Street, New York NY 10022, USA
National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication data:
Armstrong, Diane, 1939–.
The voyage of their life: the story of the SS Derna and its passengers.
Bibliography.
Includes index.
ISBN: 0 7322 8150 4 (pbk.)
ISBN: 978 0 7304 5011 5 (epub.)
1. Armstrong, Diane 1939– – Journeys. 2. Derna (Ship).
3. Immigrants – Australia – Biography. 4. Europeans –
Australia – Biography. 5. Voyages and travels.
6. Australia – Emigration and immigration – 1945–1975. I. Title.
305.90691
The writing of this project has been assisted by the Commonwealth Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory board.
About the Publisher
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