Recently, we Shanghailanders in Melbourne and Sydney, were lucky enough to have been paid a visit by my “old” school friend from Shanghai – Sonja Muehlberger (nee Krips). Her family returned to Berlin on leaving Shanghai.
She stayed with another of our classmates, her friend of 60+ years ago, Doris Burstin (nee Kasswan- Nussbaum).
During this visit we got together a group of Shanghailanders with their husbands, wives, partners and some 2nd generation as well. We celebrated this dinner at Barbarino’s and Wong, a classy restaurant with as Asian influence, owned by Jeanette Abrahams (nee Maerischel). It was a wonderful evening, full of reminiscences, catching up and making new connections.
There were indeed several apologies of folk who would have loved to be there but were unable to attend.
Present at the dinner were our guest of honour Sonja (and in no special order) Horst Eisfelder, Sam Moshinsky, Peter and Lesley Witting, Marion Segal (nee Witting), Peter Weiniger, Bette and Peter Pulver, Paul Berg, Dina Webb and her son Michael, Marion (nee Jacobson) and Dory Pekelman, Lothar and Sandra Prager, Doris and David Burstin, Eva Light and friend Tony, Tom and Lyla Weisler, our hostess Jeanette Abrahams and her partner Morrie Wail and George and Noemi (nee Strauss) Dalidakis. We ate, drank and were merry from 7:00 till 11:00.
As well as the dinner, Sonja enjoyed a swim in Port Philip Bay, a drive down the Bellarine Peninsula followed by a ferry trip across the bay and back to Melbourne on the Mornington Peninsula, a memorable trip along the Great Ocean road and a drive into the hills. We must not forget all the other coffees and dinners.
Sonja also made a wonderful power point presentation of life in Shanghai to a sizeable audience at the Melbourne Holocaust Museum where there were more Shanghailanders.
It is still amazing to me that after all these years, that experience- different for each of us - of those years in far flung Shanghai, Shanghai is the glue that binds us disparate souls together. Interestingly there were four of us, Marion P, Doris, Sonja and myself, from the same class at the Kadoorie School.
In Sydney Sonja caught up with Peter and Rieke Nash. She was a guest of the Sydney Jewish Museum and then shown some of Sydney’s scenic attractions. She also enjoyed a swim at one of the Sydney Harbour beaches, as well as renewing acquaintances with Mara Moustafine, Andrew Jakubowicz and Sunny and Michael Gold.
View the photographs:
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