Object numberM2019/016:021
DescriptionLetter, from A. Constance Duncan, the Director of the Victorian International Refugee Emergency Council to Lothar Markiewicz, Hut 11, Camp 2, Tatura, Victoria, Australia, 18 July 1941.
At the suggestion of Mrs Atkinson, Constance Duncan asks Lothar whether he had any friends who would assist him in getting a visa for Uruguay, as both the English and Australian Commonwealth Government have not approved his release or return to England. This idea is presented with the caveat that Mrs Atkinson would not let Ellen travel to Uruguay due to the current dangers of crossing the Atlantic.
The Markiewicz Collection consists of private letters, official documents and personal papers which record the survival stories of three family members, Lotte, a single mother sending her two children, Lothar and Ellen on a Kindertransport to England, then her escape into the Berlin Underground. Ellen was looked after by Quaker families in England for the duration of the war but the teenage Lothar, aged 16, was shipped as an ‘Enemy Alien’ on the Dunera to Australia. He was rapidly released from internment and sent back to England. Light is also shed on the Quaker efforts for his release and return to England.
Lotte married Max Markiewicz, and had two children, Lothar born on 9 January 1924 and Ellen, born 18 August 1926, in Berlin. Lotte and Max separated shortly after Ellen’s birth, after which the children had limited contact with their father, usually meeting once per month. Max was murdered in Theresienstadt Ghetto 1943. Lotte survived in hiding in Berlin underground, moving to England after the war, and later settled in the United States with Ellen. Lothar married and settled in England until 1993, when he moved with his wife to Australia, to be closer to his son Michael and grandchildren.
At the suggestion of Mrs Atkinson, Constance Duncan asks Lothar whether he had any friends who would assist him in getting a visa for Uruguay, as both the English and Australian Commonwealth Government have not approved his release or return to England. This idea is presented with the caveat that Mrs Atkinson would not let Ellen travel to Uruguay due to the current dangers of crossing the Atlantic.
The Markiewicz Collection consists of private letters, official documents and personal papers which record the survival stories of three family members, Lotte, a single mother sending her two children, Lothar and Ellen on a Kindertransport to England, then her escape into the Berlin Underground. Ellen was looked after by Quaker families in England for the duration of the war but the teenage Lothar, aged 16, was shipped as an ‘Enemy Alien’ on the Dunera to Australia. He was rapidly released from internment and sent back to England. Light is also shed on the Quaker efforts for his release and return to England.
Lotte married Max Markiewicz, and had two children, Lothar born on 9 January 1924 and Ellen, born 18 August 1926, in Berlin. Lotte and Max separated shortly after Ellen’s birth, after which the children had limited contact with their father, usually meeting once per month. Max was murdered in Theresienstadt Ghetto 1943. Lotte survived in hiding in Berlin underground, moving to England after the war, and later settled in the United States with Ellen. Lothar married and settled in England until 1993, when he moved with his wife to Australia, to be closer to his son Michael and grandchildren.
Production date 1941-07-18 - 1941-07-18
Subjectrefugee experiences in Australia, immigration, Treatment of Aliens, Dunera, charitable organisations
Object nameofficial correspondence
Materialpaper
Dimensions
- width: 205.00 mm
height: 261.00 mm
Credit lineSydney Jewish Museum Collection, Donated by Michael Markiewicz