Shattered Ideals and Fractured Identities: Western Australia to Yugoslavia and back 1948 – 1955
On the 17 Nov 2018, at the Spearwood Dalmatinac Sport and Community Club, Dr Criena Fitzgerald, well know history author, launched her latest book (complete with a replica boat, dancing and shots!). She said ‘It’s beautiful to see people so passionate about their history”.
Dr Criena Fitzgerald with her husband Bill Musk and her daughter Harriet Fitzgerald on board the Pattizanka!
Shattered Ideals and Fractured Identities: Western Australia to Yugoslavia and back 1948 – 1955
It tells the story about those Yugoslav West Australians, who left behind their country of choice to help re build war torn Yugoslavia. Imbued with a sense of national pride they sought a new life for themselves and their children in Yugoslavia.
The story is told from the perspective of the migrants, the narrative follows their selfless fund-raising for the fight against fascism and their voyage on two ships – the liner SS Partizanka and the cargo ship SS Radnick.
This story documents their adaptation to a once familiar, yet strange country, their work, home life and the disillusionment with the system they encountered.
Dr Criena Fitzgerald and her daughter Harriet with some of the photographs displayed at the launch.
They returned to Australia along with other post war migrants, and resumed their lives economically poorer but culturally enriched by the experience. It is a unique story of migration and re migration.
As returned migrants they focused on resettlement and they and their children have continued to contribute to the social, economic and cultural fabric of Australia.
Copies of the book, signed by the author are available by emailing:- crienafz@iinet.net.au
Moya Sharp
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What a fabulous book this is.
I was at the launch of ‘Shattered Ideals and Fractured Identities’ and it was a privilege to meet so many who were on these ships.
Their journey is best summed up by the guest speaker on the evening, ‘Criena Fitzgerald knows more about our story than we do.’
Yes, the Partizanka (female partisan) and the Radnik (worker). In the 1940’s in Kalgoorlie Boulder there were many Dalmatian Yugoslav homes and many of them ran boarding houses for their countrymen who were single or separated temporarily or permanently from their families back in Yugoslavia.
I recall two at least from my parents’ boarding house who returned permanently to their old country on those boats, Mio Glavas and Jim Surina.