This is part two of a three part article on Elimar the juggler. This mainly concerns his imprisonment in an Australian internment camp. There is very little information particularly about Elimar in the camp, but the transcript of his appeal is available through the Australian National Archives. Most of the information here comes from that document. Some files about Elimar are still sealed.
Tatura is a beautiful town in country Victoria, it was a
perfect site for an internment camp because of its isolation. It was a bare
bones camp, there were corrugated iron huts with bunk beds but no insulation, sitting close together on a large flat plain, barbed wire surrounded the
housing and armed soldiers guarded the perimeter. The internees were treated as
prisoners of war, there were set food times and menus, daily parades and roll
calls. For a travelling performer in particular, the lack of freedom of
movement would have been excruciating.
Camp 1 was the male camp. In October 1940 it was populated
by a group of German men who were mostly members of the Australian Nazi party
and had been rounded up almost immediately after the outbreak of war. In the
camp they had their own regulations and enforcement, Nazi ideology was celebrated,
and they openly supported Germany during the war.
This was the atmosphere that awaited 23-year-old Elimar
Clemens Buschmann as he entered the camp that was to be his home for the next 6
years.
When arrested Elimar possessed his juggling and slack wire
walking outfits and a leather bag full of personal property. The personal
property was undoubtedly his juggling props. He also had 30 shillings in cash,
but as he later sadly admitted, he had not saved any of his handsome salary, so
the 30 shillings was not enough to sustain him during his long imprisonment.
Fortunately, there were some things to do in Tatura. The
prisoners had arranged lectures and performances, and one prisoner had a
personal projector for films. Elimar spent time practising juggling, although
it was difficult. The terrain was windy, and the roofs of the huts and communal
areas were low. When speaking about being unable to juggle, Elimar said ‘Unfortunately
I feel like an encaged bird, so that I am unable to sing’
He could and did receive letters from his family in Germany,
and he was surrounded by his countrymen. However, it is unlikely that he agreed
with the dominant fascist ideology of the camp.
In 1941 the Australian government allowed internees to lodge
an appeal against their internment and Elimar travelled to Melbourne to plead
his case. He did not have any legal representation and had to rely on his own
wits to try and persuade the Tribunal that he could be released into the
community.
When deciding to free an internee, the government considered
several different issues. Amongst these were the age of the internee, (being
military age was a disadvantage), the subject’s commitment to their home
country, the possibility of disruption in the community, and whether they could
be blackmailed by their home government. The questions the Tribunal put to
Elimar during the appeal reflected their concern with these matters.
Elimar was young, and of military age, in addition, both his
brothers were doing war work for Germany. One was on active duty. When asked if
he would work for Germany if he was a resident there, he replied
‘Of course, I would have to obey the laws of the country’
When it was suggested that the German government could
threaten his parents if he did not do their bidding in Australia, Elimar
insisted ‘I would not believe that they would make my parents suffer for
anything I would do wrong here.’ He also said that he would honour the
commitment he made not to do anything to injure the British empire
Elimar insisted that ‘I am really international in a way, as
I am just a performer to the audiences of the world.’ Although he did admit
that he had sympathies with his parents who were in Germany, when asked if he
wanted Germany to win the war.
Oddly Elimar seemed to have no inkling that a fellow
performer had informed on him. He insisted that he was on good terms with
everybody in the profession, that he had no arguments about the war, and that
he was confident that he could obtain work with either his former employer
George Sorlie or the Tivoli or even Wirth’s Circus if released.
Throughout the hearing he showed an eagerness to return to
work and most of his answers concerned his desire to return to performance. He
was obviously frustrated with his position, and anxious to pursue his career as
a juggler. Overall, his answers suggested a young man who cared more about professional
juggling than politics.
The Tribunal regarded Elimar favourably. They described him
as an’ honest and decent chap’, an attractive youth who impressed them with his
character and demeanour. However, there were several points against him. He was
of military age, he had undoubted sympathies and connections with Germany, and
he could be blackmailed because his parents still lived there. However, the
factor that most weighed against him was the risk that he could cause
disruption in the performing arts community.
It was suggested that this could be ameliorated if he had a
contract upon release, but this was countered with the fact that his fellow
actors had denounced him. It seemed there was fear that, given his high-profile
profession, his release would cause unfavourable publicity, and dissension
within the community. There was also the
possibility, not mentioned but implied, that Elimar could be in some personal
danger if he left the protection of the camp.
Elimar was returned to Tatura.
Tatura was developing its own community. By July 1941 camp 1
had a hairdresser, a tailor, a garden, a carpentry shop, a school, a newspaper,
illicit liquor, and the inmates were performing concerts and shows. There were
several skilled musicians, a few actors and some writers at Tatura and
entertainment was a feature of the camp’s life. According to Elmar’s family, he
played a major role on the entertainment committee.
Regular shows which lampooned the internee’s situation were
part of life at Tatura and Elimar participated in at least two of these. In
1943 Die Klage Sal, with a ‘new variety program organised by the corrugated
iron company under the direction of E Buschmann’, was prominently advertised in
a handmade program. The reference to corrugated iron was an obvious nod to the
omnipresent huts surrounding the audience. Similarly,
at Easter 1944, E Buschmann was a featured player in the performance of Die
Strape nach Dover, another show at the camp theatre.
Part of a programme from Tatura Internment Camp- E Buschmann on left hand side
There were also conflicts in the camp. Internees were
organised according to nationality so fascists and anti-fascists, Jewish
refugees and anti Semites could be in proximity. This caused dissension and
occasional violence amongst the inmates.
Some of the inhabitants who had
no income relied on handouts from the German government, which was contingent
on expressions of loyalty, whilst day to day living depended on the whims of
men who were devoted followers of Hitler.
When several internees, amongst them Elimar declared their
intention to remain in Australia, the Nazis in the camp were ferocious in their
condemnation. Elimar had told the Tribunal that he intended to make Australia
his permanent home and this determination did not change despite his perilous
circumstances.
The atmosphere of
claustrophobia caused by constant monitoring of mail, movements and activities
for six years must have taken a psychological toll on everybody who experienced
it. For Elimar, who came to the camp as an aspiring 23-year-old juggler of elite
ability with a promising future, the lack of practice, experience, networking, activity,
and stimulation must have been an ordeal.
The war ended in 1945 with the defeat of Germany and the
victory of the Allied forces, amongst them Australia. The inmates at Tatura
were released slowly. They were shown movies of the liberation of Belsen to illustrate
the reality of the Nazi regime and thoroughly vetted and cross examined before
being released to the community. Many who were irredeemable fascists were deported.
Elimar was released in May 1946, he was 29 years old and eager to continue his career, but he was to face more obstacles.
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