A family’s journey from persecution to peace
In 1939, the Nazi regime upended the life of my grandfather, a tax accountant in Vienna, Austria. He owned a large apartment in the city, but being born in Czechoslovakia made him a target, despite my grandmother Caroline Kleiner’s Catholic faith and blonde appearance. One night in September, the Gestapo came knocking. The family was told to leave or face deportation to a concentration camp. They were forced to leave behind their home and possessions, confined to a single room before escaping with just £100 and a suitcase.
On August 9, 1939, they left Vienna for Australia, beginning a new chapter. My mother, Jenny (Eugenie Maria Schulhof), was only 12 years old at the time. Her simple diary, preserved today in a Vienna museum, captures their struggles and resilience. It includes photos of their ship, skiing trips in Schladming, and snippets of her life before and after their escape. The National Fund of the Republic of Austria, led by Mag. Hannah Lessing—whose father went to school with my mother—has maintained this precious record so the horrors of the past are never forgotten.
In Australia, my grandfather rebuilt his life, continuing his work as a tax accountant before eventually purchasing a suburban block of land. My mother, Jenny, grew into a remarkable woman, becoming a lecturer at RMIT University in Melbourne. Meanwhile, my father, who worked for fifty years at Skill Power Tools, held on to his heritage and even returned once to visit his mother, Molly de Nijs.
The story of our family is also captured in the six volumes of Lives Remembered (Erinnerungen), which recount the experiences of those who fled Nazi persecution. These books ensure that no one forgets the injustices and atrocities suffered during that dark chapter of history.
Personally, I’ve cherished our family’s legacy, learning German and completing Das Kleine Deutsche Sprachdiplom in Munich. As I prepare for a new phase in life and pack away treasured items like my father’s Order of Peace medal, I am reminded of the importance of preserving peace and the resilience of the human spirit.
Romaine de Nijs
On 26 November 2024, in Brisbane, the Dutch Defence Attaché to Australia, Colonel Peter Burgerhout, presented Mrs. Romaine de Nijs with a replacement of the Decoration for Order and Peace awarded to her father, Max-Pierre de Nijs.
