Summary

Typed character reference for Giuseppe Gonzales From R.L. Berriman, Director and Secretary, McFarlane & Burns, Flexible Packaging Specialists, 459 Church Street, Richmond, 10 September 1959. The reference attests to Giuseppe's good character and recommends him for any employment position.

Giuseppe had been interned as an Italian enemy alien on arrival in Australia in 1940. Giuseppe met future wife Bobbie on a ship sailing from Italy to Australia in 1940. Giuseppe was arrested upon arrival and interned as an enemy alien until 1946 when he could finally marry Bobbie in Kew in 1946 - who lost her Australian citizenship as a result.

Refer to Narrative record 16616 Giuseppe Gonzales - Italian Internee World War II 1940 - Collections Online: Article for full story.

Physical Description

Typed text with letterhead

Significance

Statement of Historical Significance:
Enemy alien internment during World War II is a significant, often hidden, history, especially in the context of Australian homefront wartime experiences. This collection provides a starting point for exploring this history further, as well as the impact on families of those interned, including Australian citizens without any birth connections to Axis nations.

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