Monash University Publishing will launch the latest book to examine the Dunera legacy with an event to be held this month at the Jewish Museum of Australia in Melbourne.

No One Knows Their Destiny
The Eckfeld Records: Inside the Dunera Story
by Professor Tonia Eckfeld
Published by Monash University Publishing
RRP $39.99 in paperback
ISBN 9781922979780

The event will take the form of a panel discussion featuring author Professor Tonia Eckfeld who will discuss the infamous history of the Dunera and its mostly Jewish interns with Professor Emeritus Paul Bartrop, with Dr Seumas Spark as moderator.

Who were the real men who sailed on the infamous ship, and how did the voyage transform their lives? Eckfeld draws on a deeply personal history to tell the story of her father and her uncle, Jewish refugees whose lives were shaped indelibly by their wartime experiences and internment – each to very different outcomes. Challenging popular or conventional ideas of the Dunera, these stories unearth new perspectives on the impact of war, trauma and legacy on family relationships.

EVENT DETAILS:
MELBOURNE
Inside the Dunera: Beyond Conventional Narratives

Date:  22 September 2024
Time:  2.00pm-3.00pm
Cost:  Free
Details:  Link here
Venue:  Jewish Museum of Australia, 26 Alma Road, St Kilda Vic 3182

SYDNEY
Inside the Dunera: Beyond Conventional Narratives

The author will also be in conversation with the Museum’s curator of Post-War Immigration, Roland Leikauf.

Date:  25 October 2024
Time:  5.30pm-7.30pm
Cost:  Member Event – Australian National Maritime Museum
Details:  Link here
Venue:  The Theatre, Australian National Maritime Museum, 2 Murray Street, Sydney NSW 2000

SYDNEY
Inside the Dunera: Beyond Conventional Narratives

 Tonia Eckfeld, the acclaimed art historian and author of No One Knows Their Destiny, will speak about her new book which delves into the deeply personal history of her father and uncle, Jewish refugees whose lives were profoundly shaped by their wartime experiences and internment, resulting in two very different outcomes. Her book offers a gripping and fresh perspective on the Dunera Boys, challenging conventional narratives and exploring the complex impacts of war, trauma, and legacy on family dynamics.

Date:  27 October 2024
Time:  2.00pm
Cost:  $25 non-members, $15 members
Details:  Link here
Venue:  Sydney Jewish Museum, 148 Darlinghurst Rd, Darlinghurst NSW 2010