Summary

Newspaper or newsletter produced and edited by a German-speaking Estonian immigrant, Elmar Tonismae, on the MS Nelly, dated 7th July 1949. Other members of the editorial team were Lasslo Oroszvary (Hungary), Dr Eugen J. Pelenskyj (Ukraine), Janis Stahls (Latvia), and Erika Tonismae (Estonia). The newspaper was copied on a Danish 'Rex Rotary' copier using Klo-Papier "Extra" paper and was printed on Wednesday 6th July onboard MS Nelly (23° 40' latitude, 96° 30' longitude). Typists were Asta Tungal (Estonia) and Tamara Engelmans (Latvia).

The newspaper is typewritten in German on notepaper and contains the thoughts of journalists and passengers on the MS Nelly, travelling across the Indian Ocean from the Port of Naples, via the Suez Canal and Fremantle, arriving in Melbourne, Australia on July 17 1949. Articles include an introduction to the newspaper, reflections on a future new life, round the world news updates, nationalities on board, facts about the ship, an interview with the ship's Norwegian Captain, A.J. Pedersen, times for English lessons, lectures and other activities.

The MS Nelly was built in the U.S.A in 1940 and was 150 m in length and 23 m wide, with a 16 knot maximum speed and 1300 passenger capacity. During World War II she was used as an aircraft carrier. In 1948 she was purchased by a Swiss-based company, Caribbean Land & Shipping Co. and departed from Naples on June 17 1949 on her first voyage bringing migrants (displaced persons) to Australia. Passengers on board included 39 men, 41 women and 20 children, from Chechnya, Germany, Estonia, Yugoslavia, Lithuania, Austria, Poland, Romania, Russia, Ukraine and Hungary. The ship's crew were from America, Denmark, England, Finland, Italy and Norway.

Physical Description

26 sheets of light brown, stained rectangular notepaper stapled together, printed one-side only. Extensive typewritten German text in black ink. One paragraph possibly in Hungarian or Polish. There is a faded blue ink stamp on the front for Caribbean Land & Shipping Company.

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