Oskar Speck in kayak SUNNSCHIEN at Thursday Island
Photographer
Siri Mendis
Subject or historical figure
Oskar Speck
(1907 - 1993)
DateSeptember 1939
Object numberANMS1249[019]
NamePhotograph
MediumPaper
DimensionsOverall: 83 x 130 mm
ClassificationsPhotographs
Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from John Ferguson
DescriptionA black-and-white photograph depicting Oskar Speck in his kayak SUNNSCHIEN. The shore of Thursday Island can be seen in background.
An ink stamp on the back reads: "Photograph by PH Mendis Thursday Island".HistoryOskar Speck (1905 - 1995) was a German adventurer who, in the 1930s, paddled his kayak SUNNSCHIEN (SUNSHINE) from Europe to Australia. He departed from Ulm in Germany on 18 June 1932, paddling down the Danube at the start of a 50,000km voyage to Australia. His voyage of seven years and four months saw him stopping at ports in Germany, Austria, Hungary, former Yugoslavia, former Macedonia, Greece, Cyprus, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Burma, Malaysia, Indonesia, Iran Jaya, Papua New Guinea and Australia (Saibai Island). He arrived on Saibai Island near Papua New Guinea in the Northern Torres Strait on 20 September 1939. Speck arrived with a swastika on the bow of his 5.3 metre German built Folbot kayak a few days after Australia declared war with Germany.
Speck was travelling on a German passport and was promptly arrested as an enemy alien on his arrival on Thursday Island. Speck was detained at the Tatura internment camp for the duration of the war.SignificanceThis collection documents a significant feat of sportsmanship as well as a 1930s travel-adventure and what became a World War II internment and migration story.
