Object numberM2019/017:001
DescriptionStainless steel ladle produced in Germany by Oxydex Rostfrei. The Original Olympia stamp suggests it was manufactured to commemorate the 1936 Berlin Olympic games; there is also an SS Reich stamp on the lower part of the handle.. It was used by Dr Francis Tuza and his family during his professional appointment in Föhrenwald Displaced Persons Camp in 1945; presumably it was repurposed from the belongings of an SS officer, or a communal kitchen used by SS staff. According to the donor, camp medical staff were given used household items to set up their homes upon commencement. Apart from the ladle, the collection also consists of photographs taken of the medical staff, their families and PR photographs of the camp.
Dr Francis Tuza was born October 3, 1914 in Jászberény, Hungary. He studied medicine at Pázmány Péter Catholic University in Budapest, graduating in March 1943. At some point during his studies, he moved to Szekszárd to specialise in gynaecology.
From the 7 May 1945 he assumed a medical post with United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) at Föhrenwald Displaced Persons Camp in Bavaria Germany (the site of company housing built in 1939 to house I.G. Farben munition workers). He and his wife Anna, along with other professionals working at the camp, were set up in accommodation in the nearby town of Wolfratshausen. By December the same year the camp was overcrowded and the conditions were challenging for both its refugee inhabitants and those commissioned with delivering aid.
On April 22 1946, Annemarie Tuza was born in the camp to Francis and Anna. In the months prior, Francis began amassing professional references with a view to immigrating to China or Australia. He received glowing recommendations from both the General Secretary of Children and Youth in London and the Chief Medical Officer of UNRRA Team 106 at the camp.
In 1949, the family moved to Australia. In 1950, after attending the Australian School of Pacific Administration, he was one of a group of European medical specialists recruited by Dr John Gunther (later Sir John) to staff the post-war medical service of Papua New Guinea. The Tuza’s were sent to Buin, in the far south of Bougainville where Annemarie was joined by a baby sister, Juti. The family remained in PNG for 18 years and when they returned to Sydney, Francis worked with the NSW Department of Health. He died at 80, on the 21 June 1995.
Dr Francis Tuza was born October 3, 1914 in Jászberény, Hungary. He studied medicine at Pázmány Péter Catholic University in Budapest, graduating in March 1943. At some point during his studies, he moved to Szekszárd to specialise in gynaecology.
From the 7 May 1945 he assumed a medical post with United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) at Föhrenwald Displaced Persons Camp in Bavaria Germany (the site of company housing built in 1939 to house I.G. Farben munition workers). He and his wife Anna, along with other professionals working at the camp, were set up in accommodation in the nearby town of Wolfratshausen. By December the same year the camp was overcrowded and the conditions were challenging for both its refugee inhabitants and those commissioned with delivering aid.
On April 22 1946, Annemarie Tuza was born in the camp to Francis and Anna. In the months prior, Francis began amassing professional references with a view to immigrating to China or Australia. He received glowing recommendations from both the General Secretary of Children and Youth in London and the Chief Medical Officer of UNRRA Team 106 at the camp.
In 1949, the family moved to Australia. In 1950, after attending the Australian School of Pacific Administration, he was one of a group of European medical specialists recruited by Dr John Gunther (later Sir John) to staff the post-war medical service of Papua New Guinea. The Tuza’s were sent to Buin, in the far south of Bougainville where Annemarie was joined by a baby sister, Juti. The family remained in PNG for 18 years and when they returned to Sydney, Francis worked with the NSW Department of Health. He died at 80, on the 21 June 1995.
Production date 1935 - 1949
Subjectpost-World War II, refugees, DP Camps, survivors, families, immigration
Object nameladles
Materialsteel
Dimensions
- diameter: 86.00 mm
height: 320.00 mm
width: 28.00 mm
width: 8.00 mm
Credit lineSydney Jewish Museum Collection, Donated by Anna Phillips