Newcastle Exhibition Unearths Hidden Stories of German-Speaking Migrants

newy.com.au – A new exhibition opening at Newcastle Museum on 17 June is bringing the overlooked stories of German-speaking migrants in the Hunter region to the fore. Heimat in the Hunter traces the lives of families who left central Europe to rebuild after the devastation of war, blending academic research with personal mementoes that speak to migration, memory and the idea of home.

Among them is Margarete Ritchie, who migrated from Austria in 1955 as a three-year-old. Her family’s journey — by ship from Genoa through the Suez Canal to Fremantle and finally to the Greta Migrant Camp — is captured in a detailed travel album created by her father. “I am quite honoured to have my parents’ quest to make a good home for their family in Australia, far from the turmoil in Europe in the early to mid-1950s, included in this exhibition,” Mrs Ritchie said.

The exhibition features items drawn from both the Museum’s collection and treasured possessions loaned by local families. These include a tailor-made wool dinner suit owned by Viennese civil engineer Ernst Baumwald, who arrived in Australia in 1939 with a suitcase of clothes, German-language technical books and a slide rule. “Two vital items came with him from Vienna: his technical books and his slide rule,” said his daughter, Hedy Fairbairn. “Every calculation and computation for his design work was made with that slide rule.”

The exhibition was developed in collaboration with the University of Newcastle, with historians Dr Sacha Davis, Dr Jaime Hunt and Associate Professor Julie McIntyre contributing research. “Their experiences on the one hand are individual and specific, and on the other hand speak to the story of migration to the region more broadly,” said Dr Davis. “Yet German-speaking migration to the region has frequently been overlooked.”

Newcastle Lord Mayor Ross Kerridge said the exhibition plays a vital role in acknowledging the diversity of the city’s past. “It is important to share and preserve stories of the communities and residents who have made Newcastle what it is today,” Cr Kerridge said. “I commend the work of Newcastle Museum and the University of Newcastle on this wonderful exhibition.”

Julie Baird, City of Newcastle’s Director of Museum, Archive, Libraries and Learning, said, “This is a history not just of German-speaking migrants, but of courage, creativity and connection, where objects become anchors for memory, cultural continuity and the migrant experience.”

Visitors are invited to share their own stories as part of the University’s current research project, German as a Heritage Language and Culture in Newcastle and the Hunter Valley, led by Dr Hunt. Supported by Create NSW, the University’s Copley Bequest Pilot Research Fund, and the Australian Linguistic Society, Heimat in the Hunter runs until 21 September and is free to the public.