The document discusses the waves of Hungarian migration to Australia and surrounding regions in the 20th century following World War II and the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. It describes the first two major waves which brought approximately 14,000 Hungarian displaced persons (DPs) between 1949-1951 and 15,000 "freedom fighters" who fled after the 1956 revolution from 1956-1958. It also discusses key reception centers for migrants like Bonegilla and the challenges of adaptation to Australian society for both groups. Notable successful Hungarian migrants highlighted include scientist George Bornemissza and businessman Stephen Forgacs in Australia, and engineer Thomas Paulay and diplomat Paul Szentirmay in New Zealand.

1. KÖFOP-2.1.2-VEKOP-15-2016-00001 - Public
Service Development
Establishing Good Governance
The Hungarian freedom fighters and
their legacy in the Pacific region
Endre DOMANICZKY
National University of
Public Service

2. Dual Aspectsofthe 60.Anniversary
From personal view: the revolution is very far from us: far enough
to weigh the personal ways and to find their milestones
From historical view: the revolution and its effects are too close
to be correctly evaluated. From historical view the distance between
the age of the revolution & the present is only a second.
The only possible way for us (for the time being) to examine some
tiny pieces of the whole story & to trust that our work can be
useful element for a synthesis in the far future

3. AustralianHungariansand theirMigrantWaves in20.century
Pre-WWII: thin waves, totally app. 2000 people by 1945
Post-WWII: 4 greater (congested) waves (between 1945-1989)
● DPs (fleeing supression)
● freedom-fighters (fleeing supression)
● southern Hungarians (as minority from Yugoslavia)
● migrants from Hungary under Kádár-regime

4. The First Two Greater Waves ofthe Hungarians
(1945-1958)
The DPs (or “Eastern Europeans”)
● fleeing supression
● Arrival at Australia between
1949-1951
● app. 14 thousand
The Fifty-sixers (or “Freedom fighters”)
● fleeing supression
● Arrival at Australia between
1956-1958
● app. 15 thousand

5. The New Home ofthe New Australians:
Australia

6. Australia bynight
We can see the real distribution of
the population -> getting the core of
the Australian history!
Five big starts on the coasts & inside:
nothing with bushfires!!!
on left: New Year’s Eve in Shanghai

7. TheWhite AustraliaPolicy
The stages ofthe Australian immigration policy
After the victorian Gold Rush (1851): increasing number of
foreigners -> anxiety in the society from the immigration ->
Australia is the country of the white race!
White, British Australia - official policy of the federal
government from the foundation of the Commonwealth
(1901)
"This country shall remain forever the home of the descendants of
those people who came here in peace in order to establish in the
South Seas an outpost of the British race." (Prime Minister John
Curtin, during WWII)
1947: 2,7% had non-British origin, 2011: 27% had non British or
non Australian origin.

8. Hungarians byship&ByPlane
The first wave arrived across the sea. The ships
stopped in different ports: Perth, Adelaide,
Melbourne & Sydney
The freedom fighters arrived partly by ship
(to the different ports) and partly by plane (to Sydney)

9. PassengerListfrom aShip
It is an useful source of the
immigration history. Allmost all
such documents are available on
the net.
individuals’ history-> elements of
any later synthesis
The another one important field
would be the oral history
interviews -> shortness of
remainder of the lifetime of
witnesses

10. DiplomaticRelationsin1956 a proposed Hungarian consulate in
Melbourne in the early 1950s
The negotiations had been started previously
The finalisation of an agreement washed up but
the Revolution
10 year break in the relations, a new chapter
started in 1966.
Hungarian missions in the region after WWII:
1967-2009: SYD; 1975-: CBR; 2013-: MEL; 2015-: WELL

11. Melbourne Olimpics1956
Riot narrowly avoided at olympic pool (Canberra Times, 1956.11.07.) - the bloody waterpolo
match between Hungary & Sovietunion
The Hungarian hero: Cardinal Mindszenty (series of articles on his life)
Mourning Hungarians, commemorations, demonstration in Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide &
Canberra
fund raising for Hungary
Australian Red Cross actions for Hungary
A Dél Keresztje (The Southern Cross):free bilingual issues of the Hungarian newspaper under & after the
Revolution for the proper information of Australians as well

12. TheGateS of Australia:
Bonegilla &theMigrantReceptionCentres

13. Lives &expectations
First wave (DPs)
They were collected in Western Europe after the WWII, they
lived some years in camps there
Australia learnt the conditions of the Hungarians living in camps:
many of them were young & educated -> Australia
decided to give a chance for the Hungarians (& for
Eastern Europeans fleeding from communism)
Compulsory two year contract
Living in camps & barracks in first time
They were seemed as foreigners at the beginnings (because
they arrived in homogenic society), the adaptation to the
expectations could be hard for all European newcomers.
Secondwave (56ers)
They were collected in camps but they were allocated soon
There was a positive image in Australia about Hungarians:
based on the personal experience with Hungarians
already living in Australia on one side and on the fame of
the freedom fighters coming now from Hungary on the
other side
Arrival at immigration camps (especially Bonegilla)
No two year contract any more -> everybody could work
immediately
Friendly society, helpful Hungarian communities -> the
adaptation of 56ers was easier than the first wave’s.

14. TheEffectsoftheRevolutioninotherplacesintheSouthernPacific
New Zealand
We can also find the periodicity of the Hungarian
waves here. NZ was an independent
destination for the Hungarians
Sparsely immigration since 1860s (only few
Hungarians before the WWII)
After WWII:
the DPs: (app. 200 Hungarians)
the 56ers (app. 1200 Hungarians)
Papua New Guinea
old ties between the island state & Hungary on
cultural & scientific fields (Lajos Bíró, Sámuel
Fenichel)
five generation of scientific cooperation
(Hungarian missions to PNG)
it was part of Australia until 1975
Hungarian workers from both great waves
after WWII to PNG (some doctors, teachers,
engineers)

15. Personal Ways,SuccesfulHungarians intheNewHome
Australia
First wave:GEORGE BORNEMISSZA,“the Hungarian Lord of
Flies” (1924-2014)
Second wave:STEPHEN FORGACS,owner the ship building
company of Newcastle (1935-2012)
New Zealand
First wave:THOMAS PAULAY,“Prince of Eartquakes” (1923-
2009)
Second wave:PAUL SZENTIRMAY,“First Hungarian honorary
consul in Wellington” (1928-2002)

16. THANK YOU FOR
YOUR ATTENTION!
EMAIL:
EDOMANICZKY@GMAIL.COM