I received an email shortly before the break from Zurich Switzerland. Chris Szaday told the story of his mother Dorothea von Gizycki, who enrolled at Kilbreda in 1939, having arrived not long before from Germany, aboard the Wuppertal. She was a contemporary of my mother, both having been here in 1941, before Dorothea received a reference from Mother Margaret Mary Bourke to complete her Matriculation at MacRobertson Girls’ High School.

“My grandmother made her school uniform because the family couldn’t afford to buy a new one. Mum was just so proud to be permitted to wear a uniform. As a child in Germany, she had always wanted to join the Hitler Youth, not because of the Nazi ideology, but rather because she loved the uniform and the activities that were organised for young people at the time. Her Jewish background however precluded her from membership of this youth group. 

Kilbreda College played a huge role in Mum’s successful integration into Australian society and her psychological wellbeing, despite having the status of “enemy alien” at the time. She has always spoken very fondly of the sisters.

Mum turned 98 a few weeks ago. She has been in aged care for many years. I have just sent her a copy of this reference. Her advanced dementia may preclude her fully understanding it, but I hope she will still respond with animation when she hears the magic word ‘Kilbreda’.”

The family lived at 90 Mentone Parade, just down from the convent and she remained in the area for a considerable time, but currently lives in a nursing home in Caulfield. The family’s first meal on moving to Mentone was provided by neighbours, the Edwards family, who have remained firm friends ever since. This early sign of welcome was something the family came to see in many other areas, such as Dorothea’s welcome by the Kilbreda community, but also in an incident which was reported widely at the time. Not long after the ANZAC Day service in Mentone an article appeared in the local press.

“Many of those present at the Mentone memorial service on Anzac morning were curious as to the identity of a middle-aged man, of soldierly bearing, his coat decorated with strange medals, who, with his wife and two daughters, stood apart from the crowd and followed the service with respectful interest.

At the conclusion of the service a well-known citizen of standing approached the stranger and told him how much his gesture of goodwill was appreciated and told him that on future occasions not to stand apart, but to join in with other citizens in honouring the fallen soldiers.

The stranger said he was hesitant to do so on this occasion, as some might not understand that he, now a citizen of Australia and a fugitive from Germany, was anxious as a former captain in the German Army and the possessor of an Iron Cross (which he was wearing) to pay his respects to the memory of Australian men who had died in the war. Returned soldiers who were present gave the ex-enemy captain a warm welcome.”₁

This article appeared under different titles in the Herald and Argus: “Former Foe Honours ANZACs”, “The Man with an Iron Cross” and “Once an Enemy”.

Chris’s grandparents remained at Mentone Parade until their deaths in 1963 and 1970 and Chris’s aunt lived there until she moved to a Parkdale nursing home.

As an interesting aside to this story, I commented on Chris’s unusual surname and that it was shared by a young woman who had studied dentistry with my brother at Melbourne University. “She’s my sister!” was his reply.

The full story of the family can be found on Kingston’s Historical webpage: https://localhistory.kingston.vic.gov.au/articles/706

Damian Smith
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Notes 1 Mordialloc City News