Boy from Altona on Great Journey

Publisher Altona News

Date29 April 1935

Object numberANMS0542[027]

NameNewspaper clipping

MediumInk on paper

ClassificationsEphemera

Credit LineANMM Collection Nancy Jean Steele Bequest

Terms

DescriptionArticle in German begins: '“Great journey” really says much too little. The now 28-year-old Oskar Speck from Altona-Ottensen set himself a giant of a task. An undertaking, the realisation of which no-one could and would believe possible, if we had not just received news in the last few days that half of the journey has been completed Just recently we reported the arrival of a German canoeist in Mangalore in the Near-Indian region of Madras. The man has been travelling for three years and was going to paddle on until reaching Australia – in another three years. This man is a boy from Altona, ex-student of the Middle school in Ottensen, electrician by trade. Back in May 1932, when he didn’t seem to be making any real progress in his trade, Oskar Speck sat in his collapsible boat and set out into the world. His goal was to be Colombo on the island of Ceylon. Perhaps he was not too sure himself exactly what he was going to do at that place, but he wanted to go out and complete a sporting achievement. Apart from himself, nobody probably would have believed that he would ever get to India in his Plünn-Cruiser. But in time these doubts evaporated, and he should reach the island of Ceylon any day now! His decision to continue the journey to Australia would have quite surprised his friends and relatives, but it demonstrates the collapsible boat captain’s unbroken courage...'