Summary

Breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner menu from the ship MS Skaubryn on the German Skaugen Line. The Menu was used on Monday 28th October 1957. It is part of a collection of ship menus collected by Margaret Wood an officer in the Department of Immigration from 1951-1960. As part of her role Margaret often met migrant ships arriving at Station Pier in Melbourne if the ships arrived at mealtimes, she would be invited on board to join people for a meal.

Margaret first worked in the Department of Alien Assimilation which focused on migrants post arrival, before moving to the Assisted Division which handled the reception of assisted European migrants arriving in Melbourne. Her final position was working for the General Assisted Passage Scheme, assisting migrants from the US, Scandinavia and Switzerland who came individually on general ships as opposed to migrant ships. She recalls her time with the Department with great pleasure. She was a young single woman and had just finished an Arts degree at Melbourne University. When she applied to the Public Service, she was placed with the Department of Immigration, as she spoke German. She left when she married in 1961 as per the policy at that time.

Physical Description

Cardboard menu for breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner, dated Monday 28th October 1957. There is a green and white stripped cover with a map of the ship's route from Bremerhaven to Australia, and compass in black and grey ink. Breakfast menu includes, semolina, gruel, cereals, eggs, toast, meats, several types of bread and tea, coffee, juice and milk. The lunch menu includes salad, meat and cheese, pea soup, beef, beans, potatoes, oranges, several types of bread and tea. Afternoon tea is coffee and tea and cake or cocoa for children. The dinner menu includes eggs jardiniere, potage paysanne, roast pork with cabbage, potatoes and mixed salad, ice cream, bread and tea. The menu states that dinner for children is at 5pm and that there are sandwiches in the lounges at 10pm.

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