Refugees held in Australian internment camps established universities
German and Austrian refugees held in Australian camps created universities at Tatura and Hay during WWII.
Between 1940 and 1942, some 2,500 German and Austrian refugees held in Australian internment camps created universities. About 2,500 detainees arrived on the HMT Dunera in July 1940, transported from British camps that were overcrowded.
German and Austrian detainees established universities at Tatura in Victoria and Hay in New South Wales. The Tatura university was named Collegium Taturense.
It taught Malay, Greek, mathematics, bookkeeping, jazz and fashion drawing. Leonhard Adam, a lawyer and judge from Berlin, became pro-rector.
He taught law and ethnology. The camps supported teenage boys whose education had been interrupted by the war.
After release, many refugees pursued university and professional careers.
- Some 2,500
- Detainees on Dunera
- July 10, 1940
- Ship departure date
- 57 days
- Dunera journey length
- Tatura, Victoria and Hay, New South Wales
- Camp locations
Why it mattersThis history shows how education and intellectual community sustained people facing imprisonment and displacement.
AustraliaThe story highlights Australia's history of detaining refugee intellectuals and contemporary challenges to refugee access to education.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 2 h ago
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