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Compass in wooden box from Vietnamese refugee boat TỰ DO
Compass in wooden box from Vietnamese refugee boat TỰ DO

Compass in wooden box from Vietnamese refugee boat TỰ DO

Datec 1977
Object number00056391
NameCompass
MediumMetal
ClassificationsVessels and fittings
Credit LineAustralian National Maritime Museum Collection
DescriptionA compass is an essential tool to reach your maritime goal, and for refugees, it can mean the difference between life and death. This compass was used on the refugee vessel Tự Do to reach Australia, together with a simple world map removed from a school atlas. The feats of navigation the voyagers achieved with these limited tools are impressive, but for the refugees who were pushed out of their old lives, they were a necessity that they did not have the luxury to dwell on - a question of life and death. SignificanceThe museum also owns the compass from the other refugee vessel in Australian museums, the Hong Hai. Together with that object, the NMC contains the navigational tools of two out of three surviving "boat people" vessel. This object is both unique and irreplaceable.