‘Bonegilla — The migrants journey’ multimedia show is coming to Mooroopna.
For Simon Reich, capturing the stories of his father and other European migrants who moved to Australia is an important job, and one he thinks could well become his life work.
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He has already interviewed more than 50 migrants over the past five years about their experiences of journeying to Australia after the end of World War II.
Now, he has put together a multimedia show to bring some of those stories to a wider audience.
Bonegilla — The migrant’s journey has eight of those post-war migrants from several European countries featured, including Mr Reich’s own father, Manfred Reich.
In the multimedia show, the filmed interviews with them about being a migrant show on one screen, while another screen features their photos, home movies and documents.
The musical soundtrack is played live by Mr Reich on piano and a string quartet made up of four members of the Shepparton Symphony Orchestra.
The stage is also decorated with the migrants’ own possessions they brought over on the ship or used during their early life in Australia.
Mr Reich said the initial interviews came about after he did a podcast interview with his father about his experiences coming to Australia from Germany.
This sparked a thirst for information about the experience of migrants who came to Australia after World War II and its crippling effect on the European economy, infrastructure devastation and fear of repeated violence.
“Many that took this life-changing plunge, came through the Bonegilla migrant camp as ‘New Australians’, Mr Reich said.
“This performance gives voice to the hardships but life-affirming stories these immigrants share, giving them a chance for the often untold stories to be finally heard.”
Mr Reich said the show was not strictly centred around the Bonegilla camp, but the migrant experience as a whole, so even those that did not pass through the camp, would still get a lot out of the show.
“Having the word ‘Bonegilla’ in the title, conjures up all things related to post-war Australian immigration,” he said.
Simon Reich plays the piano alongside a string quartet as part of the performance.
“The migrants tell of their war experiences, why they wanted to travel to the other side of the world, and how they fared in their newly adopted country.
“At times it’s tragic, disheartening and racist, but ultimately, it’s a feel-good story of gutsy and inspirational people who created the backbone of Australian society.”
It tells the stories of the transition from the migrant camps, into society, and then into their own homes.
“For some people, their parents never talked about it or about the war because it’s quite traumatic.”
For Mr Reich’s own father, moving to Australia had not been on his radar, but he wanted to be somewhere safer.
“He didn’t even know where Australia was,” he said.
He said he found the same was true for many of those he had interviewed.
While he has made this show, Mr Reich said it was his “mission” to now capture as many stories from those old migrants as he could while they were still alive.
“Once they are gone, they are gone for ever. It is incredibly important to capture these stories,” he said.
“I feel like this could be my work to the end of my life.
“There’s so much to capture.”
Bonegilla — The migrant’s journey is showing at 2pm on October 18 at Riverlinks Westside in Mooroopna.
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