Object numberM2011/034:028
DescriptionUndated letter probably sent in 1939, from Gerhard Steuerwald living in North Sydney to his brother Jurgen, living in England. Gerhard writes about his life in Australia. In April he is starting a new job as a reporter for the Daily Telegraph. He also mentions: Aussie rules, surfing, koalas, dingos, the heat, bushfires and unpredictable weather. He talks about their mother living in Germany; she has been banned from practicing her profession as a beautician. He hopes he can get a visa for her to come to Australia.
Excerpt: "All of the Lichtenbergs are now in Holland and so is Hans from Dortmund. And so all of them are leaving Germany one after the other. And the beloved uncle Ernst has departed from here four months ago! It’s just too sad that he has died! I have already applied for an entry visa for mother. Am hoping that she will arrive here in June or July. As a matter of fact she is no longer allowed to practice professionally …(?) treatment and manicure. This has been prohibited by the Nazis. Once mother has settled down here we want to fetch grandmother too."
He writes to his brother about swimming in the choppy sea, the heat and weather and the bush fires.
This letter forms part of a collection of 40 letters and postcards dating from the 1930’s that were sent to Jurgen Steuerwald in England, the majority, from his mother, living in Germany and his brother Gerhard, living in Australia. The contrast between the descriptions of life in Australia and England where the two brothers live in safety, and of the fear and danger borne by their mother living in Germany provide a striking contrast.
Excerpt: "All of the Lichtenbergs are now in Holland and so is Hans from Dortmund. And so all of them are leaving Germany one after the other. And the beloved uncle Ernst has departed from here four months ago! It’s just too sad that he has died! I have already applied for an entry visa for mother. Am hoping that she will arrive here in June or July. As a matter of fact she is no longer allowed to practice professionally …(?) treatment and manicure. This has been prohibited by the Nazis. Once mother has settled down here we want to fetch grandmother too."
He writes to his brother about swimming in the choppy sea, the heat and weather and the bush fires.
This letter forms part of a collection of 40 letters and postcards dating from the 1930’s that were sent to Jurgen Steuerwald in England, the majority, from his mother, living in Germany and his brother Gerhard, living in Australia. The contrast between the descriptions of life in Australia and England where the two brothers live in safety, and of the fear and danger borne by their mother living in Germany provide a striking contrast.
Production date 1939
Object nameletters
Materialpaper
Dimensions
- M11/34:28a length: 330.00 mm
M11/34:28a width: 200.00 mm
M11/34:28b length: 330.00 mm
M11/34:28b width: 200.00 mm
M11/34:28c length: 210.00 mm
M11/34:28c width: 200.00 mm
Language
- German Page 1 & 2
From Gerhard in North Sydney to his brother Jurgen in England
Undated letter
Dear Jurgen!
The very best thanks for your recent letter. I am still no reporter but presumably will take up the position of news transmitter in April or May with the Daily Telegraph. Two weeks ago 2 German airmen were here, who covered the huge distance between Berlin and here in a light aircraft. I interviewed the two of them for my paper. A few days later I heard that one of them crashed near Madras in India.
Here they play football to Australian rules. In contrast to Rugby they call it soccer. But for sure you would have found this out for yourself in the meantime. I assume you will thoroughly ponder over this in the next few years, before you take up football professionally. It’s not quite as simple as you might imagine. Six Pound a week for a start is quite nice but I am hoping that you will later earn more than 6 Pounds. As a reporter I get 5 Pound to start with and 10 Pound later on per week. A good reporter can get 15, 20 or 25 Pound per week. 1 Pound is about 10 Mark. So you can see how well you can earn in Australia. In fact Australia is the country where workers and employees get the best pay.
I am so happy that you got so many presents for Christmas. I got nothing but a book for the New Year. For the young lad who lives here I got a little car with electric lights as a present, which cost 13 Shilling.
As soon as I get some time I’ll have a photo taken of myself to show you my picture. As a matter of fact I got a letter from our father, who wanted to invite us to Berlin. But this is now too late. He lives in Berlin.
He too sent me a photo of himself. Enclosed I am sending you a snap of mother of which I have two copies. Also a snap of the Australian Koala bear. Next to the kangaroo the native bear or Koala is the most popular animal in Australia. In the interior of the continent they have the Dingo, a wild dog who can be a threat to sheep, but does not attack humans. If you go for a swim you have to be careful not to go too far out as sharks are around.
Do you ever go to the movies? Jochen (?) is in England too, so is Karli Marlies (?) and Wolfgang Frensdorff. All of the Lichtenbergs are now in Holland and so is Hans from Dortmund. And so all of them are leaving Germany one after the other. And the beloved uncle Ernst has departed from here four months ago! It’s just too sad that he has died! I have already applied for an entry visa for mother. Am hoping that she will arrive here in June or July. As a matter of fact she is no longer allowed to practice professionally …(?) treatment and manicure. This has been prohibited by the Nazis. Once mother has settled down here we want to fetch grandmother too.
(page 3)
Later on we’ll all meet again here. In the meantime grandmother has sent on to me the bicycle. Am hoping that it will soon arrive here so that I can get into cycling. I also get around a lot into swimming. Yesterday I was swimming for 25 minutes without interruption in a choppy sea. Afterwards I felt rejuvenated and newborn. One day we had 113 degrees heat (47 deg. C.) and this was a record. The bush land around Sydney and Melbourne, in part, went up in flames, with many farms, including the occupants including children living there, were incinerated! Later on we had downpours and now again we live under a blazing sun. In Sydney the weather can change several times in one day, you would not believe. Am hoping to hear from you again soon. Please give my love to uncle Renold and his wife.
Best wishes and good luck from Gerhard.
Credit lineSydney Jewish Museum Collection, Donated by Mrs Jean Stewart