Acknowledgements

This book has been a far more challenging process than I naively predicted when I started working on the idea. There were a range of reasons for this. One was the passage of time, rendering some sources’ memories incomplete. Another was several potential sources being protective of their memories, due to some enduring anxiety. This underlined to me how confronting the era really had been. Thankfully, there were still many people who were happy to reflect on the events of that year and how they intersected with their lives. I’m deeply appreciative of their insights and help; in some cases, they even trusted me with their family records. My thanks go in particular to Marlene Mathews, Michael and Daniel Mészáros, Bruce Howard and Jennifer Howard, Ray and Thelma Kahl, Robert and Jean Macaulay, Les Coleman, and Anne Marsden. A particular thank you to Marta Marot for sharing her story and introducing me to many wonderful Hungarian refugees.

The research involved a range of institutions and people. I’m grateful to Greg Hunter at the National Sports Museum, and Marko Pavlyshyn and Ryna Ordynat at Monash University. Librarians and archivists at the National Library of Australia, the National Archives of Australia, the State Library of Victoria, the Herald & Weekly Times library, the Public Records Office in Victoria, the University of Melbourne Archives, the Noel Butlin Archives, and the Athenaeum Library in Melbourne have all played a significant, if perhaps unwitting, role. And the wonder of Trove remains the first destination in any researcher’s travel plan.

I’ve been fortunate to have the assistance of several people who have provided me with some significant input and brokered important contacts along the way, including Engel Schmidl, Simon Plant, Paul Strangio, Fay Anderson, Nigel Dick, Julie Mack, Bill Cummings of the 56ers Olympic Torchbearers Club, and Sybil Nolan. The works of Harry Gordon and Graeme Davison, despite their differences in style and focus, were not only the foundation texts but, in Graeme’s case, also provided some inspiration for the book’s subtitle. Special thanks to Wendy Blacklock and Leonie Ginkel for giving me so much texture of the time. In Sweden I was given good assistance by Gunilla Lyden and Marja Von Stedingk.

I was fortunate to have some frank advice from those who read parts of the manuscript — thanks, Helen Elliott, Andrew Rule, and June Senyard (again!). Thanks also to my agent, Jacinta di Mase: an author couldn’t ask for a stronger advocate. To the team at Scribe — from Henry Rosenbloom, who provided a calm presence on some occasionally fraught moments, to Kevin O’Brien, an expert managing editor, and Julian Welch, who edited the text with empathy and insight — I’m very grateful. They made this a better book.

I have spent a great deal of time in my bungalow, trooping off to the bottom of the garden, where I remained oblivious to all but the basic requirements of civilised society. Thankfully, my companion for a lot of it was a little black dog called Maggie. She never once quibbled over a turn of phrase, arched an eyebrow at my inconsistent grammar, or questioned my research techniques. Bless her.

My wife, Sue, has carried the weight of this book too, perhaps more than the others I’ve written. She remained steadfast, encouraged me at the low points, and took care of that most pernickety of jobs: doing the end notes. Thanks. Again.