Objekt des Monats
Jedes Objekt in der Sammlung des Deutschen Auswandererhauses erzählt eine ganz persönliche Auswanderungs- oder Einwanderungsgeschichte. In dieser Rubrik stellen wir Ihnen jeden Monat ein anderes Objekt vor – eine Fotografie, ein Dokument oder ein persönliches Erinnerungsstück.
November 2023
Object of the MonthEach item in the collection of the German Emigration Center tells a very personal immigration or emigration story. In this section, we introduce a different object every month – a photograph, a document, or a personal keepsake.
November 2023
Tweezers, around 1950
Historical Context
In Australia, there was a labor shortage in the 1950s, which is why the country was recruiting skilled workers from abroad. Unlike the Federal Republic of Germany or East Germany, which focused on temporary labor migration, Australia at that time was attracting immigrants who wanted to settle there permanently.
Short Biography
Werner and Margarete Oberländer lived in Stuttgart in the 1950s with their children Helmut and Anita. Both parents did not grow up in Baden-Württemberg: Werner comes from Chemnitz and Margarete fled from Pomerania as a result of World War II. Werner built their house in Stuttgart himself. The parents later told their children that they had seen advertisements for emigration to Australia, which promised good job prospects. In 1960, the family left Stuttgart to emigrate to Australia via Bremerhaven. Daughter Anita, then in third grade, recalls the departure situation as an adult. Besides the band playing farewell homeland songs, two emotions remain particularly vivid for her: the sadness of the relatives at the quay – and her own excitement and eagerness for the adventure that lay ahead.
Significance of the Object
The watchmaker Werner Oberländer takes a lathe and tools with him to continue his profession in Australia. Part of this is this tweezers. However, this endeavor proves to be more difficult than expected, despite Australia’s advertising for skilled workers. The first six months are spent in the Bonegilla immigration camp, about 300 km from Melbourne. The children do not go to school during this time. The father cannot find work as a watchmaker, which leads the family to travel further from Melbourne to Sydney and Wollongong, finally settling in Oak Flats. He does not find a position as a watchmaker; instead, he works in a steelworks. Initially, it’s not possible for him to become self-employed—he is not allowed to run a business from home. Only after a decade in Australia does he manage to buy land, build a house, and open his own watchmaker’s workshop.
Do You Also Have …
… a story of emigration or immigration in your family that you would like to share with the German Emigration Center together with the related objects and documents for its collection? Then please contact Dr. Tanja Fittkau by phone at +49 471 / 90 22 0 – 0
or by e-mail at: t.fittkau@dah-bremerhaven.de