Germans came on the First Fleet, and by 1900 they were the fourth-largest European ethnic group on the continent, behind the English, Irish and Scots. Most settled on the land, and place names like Hahndorf, Hermannsburg and Fassifern speak eloquently of their presence.
Australia, Wilkommen (1990) documents the rich and varying contribution made by Germans in Australia. Originally welcomed as hardy pioneers, German settlers were responsible for discovering and opening up vast tracts of land. German scientists and entrepreneurs played a large role in the Australian economy. But as the German empire expanded into the Pacific, and Britain and Australia were drawn into two world wars, perceptions of Germany and its people changed and immigrants were caught in the crossfire between the old and new worlds. This book examines these issues surrounding German immigration into Australia, and the shifting perceptions of both the immigrants and the nation itself.
This book deals with immigration processes of Germans who have arrived in Australia since 1945. It is an attempt to catch the voices of these people, to let them talk about their hopes, aspirations, achievements and disappointments. In 2010 notices were sent out all over Australia, asking Germans (most of them Australians today) to write about their experiences, about challenges and positive happenings. The book contains 28 chapters written by German-born women and men from all walks of life, some came to Australia as children, some as adults, others talk about the lives of their immigrant parents, one person pays tribute to a partner he has lost recently, and who describes her impressions about university life in Germany and in Australia, another person looks back at twenty-three years in Australia and the fine line that divides him and the Australian people. Most, but not all, are success stories. This book also includes three chapters about organisations that provided a buffer zone for new arrivals in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s: Club Harmony of Melbourne, the Club of the Danube Swabians in Adelaide, and the SA German Club. The final chapter is an interview with a person who had to flee Nazi Germany in 1938, with Ernie Salomon.
Wunderbar Country (1982) examines the experiences of Australia’s second largest migrant community, the Germans. Many Germans saw Australia as a land of social equality and mobility, with unlimited resources and economic possibilities. This book analyses Australian social legislation and the labour movement, the subject of much debate in Germany. Articles present both sides to an argument, with some stating that Australia was indeed a workers’ paradise, the home of social progress; others point to miserable working conditions. It also deals with the experiences of immigrants from Germany to this new land: rural life in Bong Bong; a meeting with Ned Kelly; Adelaide in the 1850s; the wild gold town of Ballarat.
Seminar paper from the year 2008 in the subject Speech Science / Linguistics, grade: 2,0, University of Constance, 8 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: ...] The aim of this work will be, on the one hand, to describe the history of German settlement on both continents, and more importantly of the influence of German on American English as well as on Australian English. On the other hand, a direct comparison between the German influences will be made, and hopefully it will prove that even though half the globe separates both continents from each other, there are similarities to be found. It is to be expected though, that if there are analogies, they will be regionally restricted, since both in the United States and in Australia, contact situations seem to be restricted to those areas where Germans settled from the earliest days on. Beside the clarification of some general definitions, which will prove necessary for an understandable analysis, the difficulties in researching this topic will be made evident. One thing that will not be considered in this examination is the influence of Yiddish- German on American English since, one the one hand, it proves hard to differentiate exactly between the German and the Yiddish aspects and on the other hand because the Jewish impact on Australian English is marginal. Therefore Yiddish-German is rather unimportant in the comparison of both varieties. ...]