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Empire Day
A heart-warming novel in the tradition of CLOUDSTREET and THE HARP IN THE SOUTH
Empire Day, 1948. A back street in Bondi is transformed as the fireworks of Cracker Night cast a magical glow over its humble cottages. But Australia as a whole is being transformed in this postwar era and the people of Wattle Street know that life will never be the same again. The ′reffos′ have moved in, and their strange ways are threatening the comfortable world of salt-of-the-earth locals like Pop Wilson, deserted mum Kath and sharp-tongued Maude McNulty.
With suspicious and disapproving eyes, the Australians observe their new neighbours -- mysterious Mr Emil, fragile young Lilija and all the other Europeans starting their lives afresh. Mistrust and misunderstandings abound on both sides. To Hania, an angry teenager struggling to cope with her hysterical mother, and to Sala, an unhappily married woman trying to blot out her traumatic wartime past, the Australians appear enviably carefree.
But behind closed doors, Old as well as New Australians suffer secret heartaches. As the smoke of fires past and present gradually disperses and the lives of the two groups entwine, unexpected relationships form that bring passion and tragedy for some, and forgiveness and resolution for others.
EMPIRE DAY is a dramatic and heart-warming novel in the tradition of CLOUDSTREET and THE HARP IN THE SOUTH. It confirms Diane Armstrong as one of our most gifted and compelling storytellers.
Empire Day, 1948. A back street in Bondi is transformed as the fireworks of Cracker Night cast a magical glow over its humble cottages. But Australia as a whole is being transformed in this postwar era and the people of Wattle Street know that life will never be the same again. The ′reffos′ have moved in, and their strange ways are threatening the comfortable world of salt-of-the-earth locals like Pop Wilson, deserted mum Kath and sharp-tongued Maude McNulty.
With suspicious and disapproving eyes, the Australians observe their new neighbours -- mysterious Mr Emil, fragile young Lilija and all the other Europeans starting their lives afresh. Mistrust and misunderstandings abound on both sides. To Hania, an angry teenager struggling to cope with her hysterical mother, and to Sala, an unhappily married woman trying to blot out her traumatic wartime past, the Australians appear enviably carefree.
But behind closed doors, Old as well as New Australians suffer secret heartaches. As the smoke of fires past and present gradually disperses and the lives of the two groups entwine, unexpected relationships form that bring passion and tragedy for some, and forgiveness and resolution for others.
EMPIRE DAY is a dramatic and heart-warming novel in the tradition of CLOUDSTREET and THE HARP IN THE SOUTH. It confirms Diane Armstrong as one of our most gifted and compelling storytellers.
512 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2011
13 people are currently reading
152 people want to read
About the author
Diane Armstrong
17 books207 followersDiane was born in Poland and arrived in Australia in 1948.
At the age of seven she decided to become a writer. Her first article, about teaching at a Blackboard Jungle school in London, was published in The Australian Women's Weekly in 1965. Diane subsequently became a freelance journalist, and over three thousand of her investigative articles, personal experience stories, profiles and travel stories have been published in newspapers and magazines such as Readers Digest, Vogue, The Bulletin, Harper's Bazaar, The Australian, The Sydney Morning Herald, Good Weekend, and The Age. Her articles have also appeared in major publications in the UK, Canada, Poland, Hong Kong, Hungary, Holland and South Africa.
Over the years she has received numerous awards for journalism, including the Pluma de Plata awarded by the Government of Mexico for the best article written about that country, and the Gold Award given by the Pacific Asia Tourist Association. In 1993 she received an award for an investigative article about Creutzfeld-Jakob Disease. In 1998, she received the George Munster Award for Independent Journalism.
At the age of seven she decided to become a writer. Her first article, about teaching at a Blackboard Jungle school in London, was published in The Australian Women's Weekly in 1965. Diane subsequently became a freelance journalist, and over three thousand of her investigative articles, personal experience stories, profiles and travel stories have been published in newspapers and magazines such as Readers Digest, Vogue, The Bulletin, Harper's Bazaar, The Australian, The Sydney Morning Herald, Good Weekend, and The Age. Her articles have also appeared in major publications in the UK, Canada, Poland, Hong Kong, Hungary, Holland and South Africa.
Over the years she has received numerous awards for journalism, including the Pluma de Plata awarded by the Government of Mexico for the best article written about that country, and the Gold Award given by the Pacific Asia Tourist Association. In 1993 she received an award for an investigative article about Creutzfeld-Jakob Disease. In 1998, she received the George Munster Award for Independent Journalism.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
August 17, 2015
I’ll confess I’ve become a bit of a literary snob these days. I like to read prose that is elegant and polished. When I started Empire Day I was somewhat put off by the rather leaden literary style. ‘Oh God,’ I thought, ‘am I reading the earnest scribblings of a student of Creative Writing 101?’ Thank goodness I persisted, as the the prose style improved vastly, and I found myself reading a most rewarding novel. In the end, any minor defects in the wordsmithing were well and truly compensated by the skill with which the author assembled and wove the many threads that make up this fascinating story.
‘Diane Armstrong’ - such an Anglo-Aussie kind of name. How did she manage to write with such insight about the post-WW2 migrant experience? This question bugged me enough that, after finishing the book, I googled the author to see if I could learn some biographical details. It took some persistence, but eventually I found an informative Sydney Morning Herald article about her personal history. Born in Krakow in 1939, she and her Jewish family survived the Holocaust by moving to a place where nobody knew them, and masquerading as Christians. They migrated to Australia in 1948. Some of her experiences are embedded in the character of Hania in the book.
The novel has been informed throughout by Armstrong’s long career as a journalist and author. She has produced critically-acclaimed accounts of her Jewish family history and of the experience of migrating from Europe by ship to an Australia still recovering from the hardships of WW2. Her extensive and meticulous research gives both her characters and her setting in Empire Day a feeling of deep authenticity.
The setting is Wattle Street, a somewhat dowdy working class area of Bondi, in the days before that part of Sydney was gentrified. ‘Struggle Street’ would be an apt name for the road which provides homes for a variety of individuals and families who are doing it tough in all sorts of ways. This no-frills, low-rent neighbourhood has traditionally been the preserve of working class Aussies, but is witnessing an influx of refugees from the Displaced Persons camps of Europe. There are petty tensions between the Aussies and the ‘bloody reffos’, while they all share the same concerns about shortages of jobs, money and food to feed their families.
Armstrong’s writing talents are evident as she skilfully combines the various strands of the narrative. There are eight households in Wattle Street for which the author has created inhabitants and life styles which reflect the different origins of the residents. Four Australian households sit cheek by jowl with four migrant households, and resentments among the locals simmer as they observe and experience the effects of newcomers from non-English speaking origins, with different cultural and religious backgrounds. Three of the migrant homes are occupied by Polish Jews, who live with the after-effects of their personal Holocaust histories. The fourth migrant family is from a very different background, being Latvian and Catholic. But this family, too, has its tragic ‘baggage’ carried in from war time experiences.
Navigating this interesting mix is the principal male character, Ted Browning, a young journalist with a nose for a good story. He is a junior reporter with a daily Sydney rag, not unlike the Daily Telegraph, and he is desperate to build a reputation as a fearless newsman. Through the agency of Ted, Armstrong is able to explore a range of issues relating to the friction between rival European groups which travels across the globe to suburban Australia. It is 1948 and the Cold War is in full force. The Australian political climate is twitchy, with conservatives being suspicious of Communist infiltration, while left-wing groups are anxious about former Nazis and their sympathisers who are gaining entry to Australia by devious means. This particular strand of the narrative of Empire Day was a revelation for me. I had no idea that such enmity existed between the various migrant groups arriving in Australia after WW2, based on their past circumstances and loyalties. Armstrong writes with great authority on this issue, as she witnessed it first-hand as a child migrant in 1948. Her book The Voyage of Their Life: The Story of the SS Derna and Its Passengers explores this topic in detail.
Although some of the Wattle Street residents do not thrive, the overall feeling of the book is one of hope and healing. A couple of the relationships founder, while some new ones emerge and flourish. People’s dark secrets are gradually and gently exposed to the light, with the prospect of forgiveness and redemption. I finished the book with a sense of well-being. I think that Armstrong has drawn an effective picture of how multi-cultural Australia emerged in the wake of WW2, and thrived, despite minor problems.
‘Diane Armstrong’ - such an Anglo-Aussie kind of name. How did she manage to write with such insight about the post-WW2 migrant experience? This question bugged me enough that, after finishing the book, I googled the author to see if I could learn some biographical details. It took some persistence, but eventually I found an informative Sydney Morning Herald article about her personal history. Born in Krakow in 1939, she and her Jewish family survived the Holocaust by moving to a place where nobody knew them, and masquerading as Christians. They migrated to Australia in 1948. Some of her experiences are embedded in the character of Hania in the book.
The novel has been informed throughout by Armstrong’s long career as a journalist and author. She has produced critically-acclaimed accounts of her Jewish family history and of the experience of migrating from Europe by ship to an Australia still recovering from the hardships of WW2. Her extensive and meticulous research gives both her characters and her setting in Empire Day a feeling of deep authenticity.
The setting is Wattle Street, a somewhat dowdy working class area of Bondi, in the days before that part of Sydney was gentrified. ‘Struggle Street’ would be an apt name for the road which provides homes for a variety of individuals and families who are doing it tough in all sorts of ways. This no-frills, low-rent neighbourhood has traditionally been the preserve of working class Aussies, but is witnessing an influx of refugees from the Displaced Persons camps of Europe. There are petty tensions between the Aussies and the ‘bloody reffos’, while they all share the same concerns about shortages of jobs, money and food to feed their families.
Armstrong’s writing talents are evident as she skilfully combines the various strands of the narrative. There are eight households in Wattle Street for which the author has created inhabitants and life styles which reflect the different origins of the residents. Four Australian households sit cheek by jowl with four migrant households, and resentments among the locals simmer as they observe and experience the effects of newcomers from non-English speaking origins, with different cultural and religious backgrounds. Three of the migrant homes are occupied by Polish Jews, who live with the after-effects of their personal Holocaust histories. The fourth migrant family is from a very different background, being Latvian and Catholic. But this family, too, has its tragic ‘baggage’ carried in from war time experiences.
Navigating this interesting mix is the principal male character, Ted Browning, a young journalist with a nose for a good story. He is a junior reporter with a daily Sydney rag, not unlike the Daily Telegraph, and he is desperate to build a reputation as a fearless newsman. Through the agency of Ted, Armstrong is able to explore a range of issues relating to the friction between rival European groups which travels across the globe to suburban Australia. It is 1948 and the Cold War is in full force. The Australian political climate is twitchy, with conservatives being suspicious of Communist infiltration, while left-wing groups are anxious about former Nazis and their sympathisers who are gaining entry to Australia by devious means. This particular strand of the narrative of Empire Day was a revelation for me. I had no idea that such enmity existed between the various migrant groups arriving in Australia after WW2, based on their past circumstances and loyalties. Armstrong writes with great authority on this issue, as she witnessed it first-hand as a child migrant in 1948. Her book The Voyage of Their Life: The Story of the SS Derna and Its Passengers explores this topic in detail.
Although some of the Wattle Street residents do not thrive, the overall feeling of the book is one of hope and healing. A couple of the relationships founder, while some new ones emerge and flourish. People’s dark secrets are gradually and gently exposed to the light, with the prospect of forgiveness and redemption. I finished the book with a sense of well-being. I think that Armstrong has drawn an effective picture of how multi-cultural Australia emerged in the wake of WW2, and thrived, despite minor problems.
December 17, 2015
Empire Day by Diane Armstrong
It is late 1940's and early '50's in Sydney and ships are arriving in port laden with new immigrants to Australia.
The war in Europe is over and, many displaced persons, from a wide range of ethnic groups including.....Polish, Latvian, Hungarian and Ukrainian, are being relocated to Australia.
The residents of Wattle street in Bondi are curious but wary of the new immigrant neighbors arriving in their street, not entirely trusting these people from foreign lands who cannot speak english and are apparently not interested in mixing in.
It seems that the feelings are mutual as the newcomers are not entirely trusting of the Australians with their different religions, funny talk and too relaxed attitude to life...and their strange rituals like the Bonfires of Cracker Night to celebrate Empire Day...each culture not understanding the other.
The immigrants come bearing deep scars from atrocities experienced during the war and are even wary of each other as their hopes of starting a new life are quashed by crippling fears that some war criminals have slipped through the nets and are now also living amongst them.
The Australians, though not having experienced that side of the war, are struggling to keep their heads above water as the effects of the war have also taken a heavy toll.
Mother's are struggling to make ends meet to feed children who's fathers' have not returned from the war.
Deserted wives try to get part time work to raise their children. Jobs are few and pay very little.
The story focuses on the residents of Wattle street, in Bondi, a beach suburb of Sydney, and is told mostly from the pov of the Polish immigrants and also the Australian residents and how they interacted, or tried to interact.
Like wary animals circling one another on first encounter, they regard each other with guarded curiosity, all the while feigning indifference, never really sure of what might be expected of themselves.
Some really important observations are made regarding the overall disposition of the people and their attitudes towards each other's difficulties and differences...not just their political and religious differences, but also their cultural disparities.
How they gradually learn to assimilate and value what each has to offer the other.
The people are shown in all of their emotional challenges through love, loss, heartache, illness, fear, loneliness, pain and joy, its all here.
The state of the health system of the time and how it was managed was shown for its lack of empathy for long term patients such as polio sufferers and other such debilitating conditions of the day. Just one more potential horror that families were faced with...thanks to modern medicine Polio is no longer the threat it was then.
The author has done a great job in showing us just how far our society has come in such a short time, and raises some very enlightening points of view about cultural differences and how our inherent fears can cause tensions.
I did enjoy this book, though at times it felt a bit fragmented into many mini stories, or side stories within stories and although still fascinating to read about, it kind of loses its sense of focus...rather like someone relating individual stories from memory. Although they do start to come together towards the end.
I tossed between 3.5 and 4*s for this as, although I did enjoy it, the writing seemed to lack emotion. So that I didn't really feel anything for the characters, even though their stories were deserving of compassion. I should have felt more.
It certainly is enlightening though, and showed life through many eyes, and how the effects of the war had impacted on all kinds of people with different religious and cultural ideals, including the Australians and how they were affected by the sudden influx of immigrants at a time when they were struggling with the effects on the local economy, particularly in Sydney.
4★s
It is late 1940's and early '50's in Sydney and ships are arriving in port laden with new immigrants to Australia.
The war in Europe is over and, many displaced persons, from a wide range of ethnic groups including.....Polish, Latvian, Hungarian and Ukrainian, are being relocated to Australia.
The residents of Wattle street in Bondi are curious but wary of the new immigrant neighbors arriving in their street, not entirely trusting these people from foreign lands who cannot speak english and are apparently not interested in mixing in.
It seems that the feelings are mutual as the newcomers are not entirely trusting of the Australians with their different religions, funny talk and too relaxed attitude to life...and their strange rituals like the Bonfires of Cracker Night to celebrate Empire Day...each culture not understanding the other.
The immigrants come bearing deep scars from atrocities experienced during the war and are even wary of each other as their hopes of starting a new life are quashed by crippling fears that some war criminals have slipped through the nets and are now also living amongst them.
The Australians, though not having experienced that side of the war, are struggling to keep their heads above water as the effects of the war have also taken a heavy toll.
Mother's are struggling to make ends meet to feed children who's fathers' have not returned from the war.
Deserted wives try to get part time work to raise their children. Jobs are few and pay very little.
The story focuses on the residents of Wattle street, in Bondi, a beach suburb of Sydney, and is told mostly from the pov of the Polish immigrants and also the Australian residents and how they interacted, or tried to interact.
Like wary animals circling one another on first encounter, they regard each other with guarded curiosity, all the while feigning indifference, never really sure of what might be expected of themselves.
Some really important observations are made regarding the overall disposition of the people and their attitudes towards each other's difficulties and differences...not just their political and religious differences, but also their cultural disparities.
How they gradually learn to assimilate and value what each has to offer the other.
The people are shown in all of their emotional challenges through love, loss, heartache, illness, fear, loneliness, pain and joy, its all here.
The state of the health system of the time and how it was managed was shown for its lack of empathy for long term patients such as polio sufferers and other such debilitating conditions of the day. Just one more potential horror that families were faced with...thanks to modern medicine Polio is no longer the threat it was then.
The author has done a great job in showing us just how far our society has come in such a short time, and raises some very enlightening points of view about cultural differences and how our inherent fears can cause tensions.
I did enjoy this book, though at times it felt a bit fragmented into many mini stories, or side stories within stories and although still fascinating to read about, it kind of loses its sense of focus...rather like someone relating individual stories from memory. Although they do start to come together towards the end.
I tossed between 3.5 and 4*s for this as, although I did enjoy it, the writing seemed to lack emotion. So that I didn't really feel anything for the characters, even though their stories were deserving of compassion. I should have felt more.
It certainly is enlightening though, and showed life through many eyes, and how the effects of the war had impacted on all kinds of people with different religious and cultural ideals, including the Australians and how they were affected by the sudden influx of immigrants at a time when they were struggling with the effects on the local economy, particularly in Sydney.
4★s
October 26, 2022
Diane Armstrong gets the oldies in with this walk down memory lane! Bonfire nights, trams, all the old-fashioned flowers, like snapdragons, from our youth (not a succulent in sight thank you very much) and kids playing out in the street. I really enjoyed Empire Day and the character development was splendid although it did take me a little while to work out who was who. How sad it was for those early immigrants to be looked upon as second-class citizens. Imagine being called all the names they were called as they grew up. But the book is not doom and gloom but an uplifting look at what it was like growing up after the war. If you are reading this Diane I must say I was shocked at a couple of spots where you offend some readers with your use of Jesus and unnecessary disgraceful swearing. You are such a lovely writer you don't need to stoop to this level. A wonderful read otherwise.
January 30, 2022
Wonderful book, very much reminds me of Ruth Park books but more cheerful.
May 27, 2021
Empire Day is a tender, wise and nostalgic novel which I really enjoyed.
The historical aspects about war criminals finding safe harbour in Australia courtesy of a flawed immigration system were especially fascinating and news to me! The descriptions of suburban life in the late 1940s were reminiscent of my own life in 1950s Sydney with endearing memories of my own family's 'Cracker Night' adventures brought to mind via the narrative.
Empire Day was a joy to read with beautifully realised characters of both 'salt of the earth' and evil varieties. The immigrant experience of displaced, traumatised Jewish and other European people was delivered in an authoritative and empathetic manner.
Amongst many other highlights was the background provided about the polio epidemic of the times and the controversy surrounding its treatment. How one of the novel's young characters is delivered from the clutches of poliomyelitis ties in beautifully with this history and his relationships with his family, his nurse and the neighbour who gives him the motivation to overcome the disease are portrayed tenderly and realistically - good stuff!
Recommended.
The historical aspects about war criminals finding safe harbour in Australia courtesy of a flawed immigration system were especially fascinating and news to me! The descriptions of suburban life in the late 1940s were reminiscent of my own life in 1950s Sydney with endearing memories of my own family's 'Cracker Night' adventures brought to mind via the narrative.
Empire Day was a joy to read with beautifully realised characters of both 'salt of the earth' and evil varieties. The immigrant experience of displaced, traumatised Jewish and other European people was delivered in an authoritative and empathetic manner.
Amongst many other highlights was the background provided about the polio epidemic of the times and the controversy surrounding its treatment. How one of the novel's young characters is delivered from the clutches of poliomyelitis ties in beautifully with this history and his relationships with his family, his nurse and the neighbour who gives him the motivation to overcome the disease are portrayed tenderly and realistically - good stuff!
Recommended.
October 11, 2015
This was an extremely pleasant read set in the late 1940s. It provided a description of the post world war 2 Sydney in which not many books are set. The history seemed good as also a sense of place. I enjoyed the large number of characters and the insight into each of their very different lives and backgrounds. There were many themes in this book with multiple layers, and the story was not just told from one perspective.
January 10, 2012
It's a sad indictment on education of Australians of their own history that I had never heard of Empire Day (read more about it here until reading this book. Once celebrated on the 24th May usually with bonfires, crackers, parades and street parties It had fizzled out in the 1960's, long before I was born.
Armstrong begins her novel with the occupants of Wattle Street, in a northern beach suburb of Sydney, on the night of the festivities. While the Australian born families gossip together, watching the children delight in the exploding crackers, the newest residents of Wattle Street are reluctant to join them. Hania's mother at first thought the explosions were gunfire and pulled her daughter away from the window terrified, Emil Bronstein can barely breathe, the smell of cordite triggering horrific memories while others remain behind closed curtains, silent and watchful.
Empire Day is a novel that explores the changes in Australian society after WW2 when the Australian government invited large numbers of refuges to settle in the country. Known as 'reffo's', with the characteristic habit of Australian's assigning everyone and everything a nickname, the majority of migrants were survivors of the Nazi regime in Eastern Europe. Many hoped Australia would provide a haven and having lost everything, migrating was an opportunity to start fresh and escape the horrific memories of death and destruction. Yet adjusting was rarely easy, everything was unfamiliar from the landscape to the expectations to the language and Armstrong's characters are representative of the struggle the New Australian's faced to establish a new life. While many Australians welcomed the reffo's there were those who were suspicious of them simply because they were foreign. Armstrong gives a balanced account of their experiences, as well as giving each an individual story.
The size of the cast is quite ambitious but they are a pleasure to get to know. Sala married Szymon in haste and is regretting the impulse to migrate, Emil mourns the loss of his children and his quiet manner makes him a target of suspicion, Eda hides a painful secret while her daughter, Hania, barely tolerates her and Lilijana's father refuses to let her date.
The New Australian's are not the only characters having trouble in Empire Day, Kath is a single mother of four whose oldest son contracts Polio, Ted is looking for his big break as a rookie reporter and all the while, elderly Ms McNulty stirs up trouble.
My only complaint stems from the plot conveniences that link several events and characters just a little too neatly but it is a minor quibble given the richness of the story.
Empire Day is a enjoyable and insightful glimpse into Australian society in the early 1950's. Based in part I am sure of the experiences of Armstrong's immigrant family who she wrote about in
Mosaic: A Chronicle of Five Generations this is a must read for all Australians.
Armstrong begins her novel with the occupants of Wattle Street, in a northern beach suburb of Sydney, on the night of the festivities. While the Australian born families gossip together, watching the children delight in the exploding crackers, the newest residents of Wattle Street are reluctant to join them. Hania's mother at first thought the explosions were gunfire and pulled her daughter away from the window terrified, Emil Bronstein can barely breathe, the smell of cordite triggering horrific memories while others remain behind closed curtains, silent and watchful.
Empire Day is a novel that explores the changes in Australian society after WW2 when the Australian government invited large numbers of refuges to settle in the country. Known as 'reffo's', with the characteristic habit of Australian's assigning everyone and everything a nickname, the majority of migrants were survivors of the Nazi regime in Eastern Europe. Many hoped Australia would provide a haven and having lost everything, migrating was an opportunity to start fresh and escape the horrific memories of death and destruction. Yet adjusting was rarely easy, everything was unfamiliar from the landscape to the expectations to the language and Armstrong's characters are representative of the struggle the New Australian's faced to establish a new life. While many Australians welcomed the reffo's there were those who were suspicious of them simply because they were foreign. Armstrong gives a balanced account of their experiences, as well as giving each an individual story.
The size of the cast is quite ambitious but they are a pleasure to get to know. Sala married Szymon in haste and is regretting the impulse to migrate, Emil mourns the loss of his children and his quiet manner makes him a target of suspicion, Eda hides a painful secret while her daughter, Hania, barely tolerates her and Lilijana's father refuses to let her date.
The New Australian's are not the only characters having trouble in Empire Day, Kath is a single mother of four whose oldest son contracts Polio, Ted is looking for his big break as a rookie reporter and all the while, elderly Ms McNulty stirs up trouble.
My only complaint stems from the plot conveniences that link several events and characters just a little too neatly but it is a minor quibble given the richness of the story.
Empire Day is a enjoyable and insightful glimpse into Australian society in the early 1950's. Based in part I am sure of the experiences of Armstrong's immigrant family who she wrote about in
Mosaic: A Chronicle of Five Generations this is a must read for all Australians.
September 4, 2011
I love Australian historical fiction, but the late 1940s and 50s is somewhat devoid of books. It was a time of great change, but perhaps it’s too recent in the minds of our grandparents and parents to reflect yet with must nostalgia. There was still rationing but Australia was changing. The entry of many ‘New Australians’, displaced people from World War II was changing the Australian landscape from one of 6pm pub closing and tea drinking to coffee lounges and exotic food. Many of these immigrants simply had no home to go to – Italians, Russians, Latvians, Ukrainians, the Polish and the Jewish people – and ended up here, sometimes not by choice as there was nothing for them – no home, no family, no friends. This is their story and those of those already settled in Australia. Empire Day has particular relevance to me as my paternal grandparents arrived on such a ship to Australia from devastated Eastern Europe via a refugee camp in Germany – they didn’t (and still don’t) know what became of their family. My maternal grandparents were already ‘Aussie’ so it was really interesting to hear the stories of those in Wattle Street and compare them to that of my own family.
As you’d expect, there are many characters in this book as it’s the residents of the street and it can be difficult to keep up initially with who’s who, particularly the Polish and Latvian residents (my genes lack that ability!). But the established Australian residents soon typically give them nicknames and for the majority, embrace the differences and warmly welcome the refugees. There are several topics covered that are still relevant in Australia today – do the refugees accept the ways of the new country or maintain the ways of the old? Should they forget their horrific past or share it with others? Do they mingle outside their ethnic group? Different characters have different reactions to these – for Ted, it’s falling in love with a Latvian girl; but for her father, dating an Australian boy is something he can’t forgive.
Other topics of the time covered well in Empire Day are the polio epidemic (Meggsie, a red-headed larrikin is told he’ll never walk again), rationing post war (I didn’t know Australia still rationed butter then), the lack of decent coffee (we were still a nation of tea drinkers) and the leftovers of ‘Razorhurst’ (as seen on Underbelly: Razor). I didn’t even know about Empire Day until I read this book!
The Australian spirit of ‘having a go’ and generosity really come through in this book. Whether it’s Miss McNulty helping out Kath or Mr Emil befriending Meggsie, it demonstrates the lack of a class system and the way the ‘New Australians’ were increasingly accepted by the current residents.
This book in general makes me proud to be Australian – Armstrong has perfectly captured the spirit of Australia (better than Qantas anyway!) and it’s a heartwarming read with great characters and very well researched. Bonzer job, mate!
As you’d expect, there are many characters in this book as it’s the residents of the street and it can be difficult to keep up initially with who’s who, particularly the Polish and Latvian residents (my genes lack that ability!). But the established Australian residents soon typically give them nicknames and for the majority, embrace the differences and warmly welcome the refugees. There are several topics covered that are still relevant in Australia today – do the refugees accept the ways of the new country or maintain the ways of the old? Should they forget their horrific past or share it with others? Do they mingle outside their ethnic group? Different characters have different reactions to these – for Ted, it’s falling in love with a Latvian girl; but for her father, dating an Australian boy is something he can’t forgive.
Other topics of the time covered well in Empire Day are the polio epidemic (Meggsie, a red-headed larrikin is told he’ll never walk again), rationing post war (I didn’t know Australia still rationed butter then), the lack of decent coffee (we were still a nation of tea drinkers) and the leftovers of ‘Razorhurst’ (as seen on Underbelly: Razor). I didn’t even know about Empire Day until I read this book!
The Australian spirit of ‘having a go’ and generosity really come through in this book. Whether it’s Miss McNulty helping out Kath or Mr Emil befriending Meggsie, it demonstrates the lack of a class system and the way the ‘New Australians’ were increasingly accepted by the current residents.
This book in general makes me proud to be Australian – Armstrong has perfectly captured the spirit of Australia (better than Qantas anyway!) and it’s a heartwarming read with great characters and very well researched. Bonzer job, mate!
October 26, 2011
EMPIRE DAY opens one evening in 1948, with the air full of the sound of exploding fireworks as the residents of Wattle Street (located in the back streets of Bondi in Sydney) celebrate Empire day. The post war years are a time of change. New Australians arrive by the boatload to escape the horrors that the war in Europe had wreaked on them, they all want to rebuild their lives. Wattle Street is now a mixture of long time Australians and the new immigrants. There is no telling the new arrivals to go home, nearly all of them had no home to go back to, no family left alive, they had no choice but to put down roots and start a new life.
So as the fireworks go off at the start of the story, the long time residents eye off the new arrivals. There is the mysterious and solitary Mr Emil who arouses his neighbours suspicions; the lovely Lilija a Ukrainian who falls in love with an Australian boy; Hania, an angry Polish girl struggling to cope with her hated mother and not wanting to be Jewish; and Sala, a newly, and unhappily, married woman. However, the Australians have their problems too. There is single mum Kath who works as a barmaid to raise her boys, a job made even harder when her eldest son Meggsie comes down with polio. Ted is a reporter and is looking for a big story so he can be taken seriously, but what if the story is about a crime so big it can only hurt the one person he loves. Miss McNulty is cranky and unfriendly for a good reason; and even the affable Pop Wilson has a secret.
This is the first book by Diane Armstrong that I have read, and what an outstanding writer she is. The only weakness for me (and the ailing memory is my problem not the authors) is that there are an awful lot of characters for me to keep track of and remember. All very interesting characters don’t get me wrong, and each had a tale to tell, but was very confusing trying to remember where they all fit in, and who they were connected to, until I finally settled into the story. I did have to keep my notebook nearby and jot the names down, but it is an example of how good a writer she is that let me rise above my confusion and find the story beneath.
So as the fireworks go off at the start of the story, the long time residents eye off the new arrivals. There is the mysterious and solitary Mr Emil who arouses his neighbours suspicions; the lovely Lilija a Ukrainian who falls in love with an Australian boy; Hania, an angry Polish girl struggling to cope with her hated mother and not wanting to be Jewish; and Sala, a newly, and unhappily, married woman. However, the Australians have their problems too. There is single mum Kath who works as a barmaid to raise her boys, a job made even harder when her eldest son Meggsie comes down with polio. Ted is a reporter and is looking for a big story so he can be taken seriously, but what if the story is about a crime so big it can only hurt the one person he loves. Miss McNulty is cranky and unfriendly for a good reason; and even the affable Pop Wilson has a secret.
This is the first book by Diane Armstrong that I have read, and what an outstanding writer she is. The only weakness for me (and the ailing memory is my problem not the authors) is that there are an awful lot of characters for me to keep track of and remember. All very interesting characters don’t get me wrong, and each had a tale to tell, but was very confusing trying to remember where they all fit in, and who they were connected to, until I finally settled into the story. I did have to keep my notebook nearby and jot the names down, but it is an example of how good a writer she is that let me rise above my confusion and find the story beneath.
April 16, 2014
Actually changed my mind and went from three and a half stars to four as I've been thinking about it more. For those who were around in the late 1940s or early 50s this will bring back memories of days when Empire Day was a half day holiday from school and people had their own individual fireworks with Catherine wheels, sparklers, thumb thumbs, roman candles etc for Cracker Night as it was known, instead of the elaborate controlled displays put on today for any excuse. That is where this novel starts with a bonfire in Wattle Street Bondi.
It also portrays accurately the feelings and attitudes of the times towards immigrants and regarding communism and other things. There is also the spectre of polio which was a very real threat back then. As you read this, it’s not hard to see how immigrants to our country would struggle with the language and look in confusion at some of the Aussie colloquialisms. It was a time of change for Australia and, as often happens, not all changes were welcomed. There is quite a large cast of characters in the novel and that makes it rich but also at times a little confusing trying to keep track of who’s who. But it is worth persevering with.
For those who were not born at the time of events in this novel, I suggest it would give great insights to the attitudes and social customs of the day and the ways in which society has changed over the years. Sometimes though you may be tempted to think in some areas we have not changed all that much. I really enjoyed reading Empire Day. It’s a good way of bring history and what was in many ways a simpler lifestyle to life.
It also portrays accurately the feelings and attitudes of the times towards immigrants and regarding communism and other things. There is also the spectre of polio which was a very real threat back then. As you read this, it’s not hard to see how immigrants to our country would struggle with the language and look in confusion at some of the Aussie colloquialisms. It was a time of change for Australia and, as often happens, not all changes were welcomed. There is quite a large cast of characters in the novel and that makes it rich but also at times a little confusing trying to keep track of who’s who. But it is worth persevering with.
For those who were not born at the time of events in this novel, I suggest it would give great insights to the attitudes and social customs of the day and the ways in which society has changed over the years. Sometimes though you may be tempted to think in some areas we have not changed all that much. I really enjoyed reading Empire Day. It’s a good way of bring history and what was in many ways a simpler lifestyle to life.
October 15, 2018
True Aussie representation of the times! The plight of the refugees, single parenting, childhood polio, this story has it all.
August 11, 2018
An easy read with lots if Australian nostalgia and post war migration info.
August 16, 2018
I’d actually rate this 4 1/2 stars. I really enjoyed it.
June 24, 2016
I loved this book for its wonderful evocative story of australia and its people after the second world war by using the people in a street in Bondi Sydney in 1948 as a microcosm of Australian attitudes in our post war culture. It is beautifully crafted, weaving the stories and struggles of displaced immigrants and "Aussie" residents of the "Wattle Street" into a poignant re-telling of a period of great adjustment for people in Australia and the world, in the aftermath of that horrific war.
I couldn't help reflecting the similarity to our present day humanitarian world crisis for refugees displaced through war and their plight to find a new safe home amid much prejudice, lack of empathy and ignorance. This is a great read! I recommend this book...much food for thought for our present attitudes toward people fleeing from horrific circumstances.
I couldn't help reflecting the similarity to our present day humanitarian world crisis for refugees displaced through war and their plight to find a new safe home amid much prejudice, lack of empathy and ignorance. This is a great read! I recommend this book...much food for thought for our present attitudes toward people fleeing from horrific circumstances.
September 23, 2011
What a fantastic insight into a period of Australian life. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and can't wait for family and friends to read so that I can discuss it further. As I read the book, two amazing coincidences occurred... I had lunch at Bondi, (I do not live in the area) and I stumbled across a documentary on Polio on SBS, in the 1940's and 1950's. Amazing, great read!
December 5, 2019
What a fabulous journey to post-war Australia. References to so many things (Kinkara tea) are reminders of another time and give the book real authenticity. It was also a fascinating glimpse of the stories that must have been behind so many migrants - and their experiences in war-torn Europe - as they became New Australians. I loved this story and its believable characters and just didn’t want it to end so, unsuccessfully, tried to limit myself to a few chapters at a time. A marvellous mix of a slice of history and a great story.
July 22, 2024
Set in 1948 Sydney this is an incredibly moving story of the residents of Wattle Street in Bondi. The war is over and large numbers of European refugees from a huge range of ethnic backgrounds are arriving in Australia. The residents of Wattle Street are wary of these new immigrants who appear strange and who do not speak English. The immigrants are badly scarred by the atrocities of war and unable to understand the Australian way of life.
Empire Day is an insightful look at post-war Australian society.
Empire Day is an insightful look at post-war Australian society.
September 7, 2021
Diane Armstrong is a passion and compelliing writer. Dhe is also magical in her character deveopment. Empire Day is a truly heart wrenching novel of beginning a new life in a new country after experiencing the upmost horrors of WW2 How the families she creates deal these new beginnings after the trauma and dark secrets they brought with them was both heart breaking, courageous and enlightening. This is a must read. Plain and simply a great book.
September 29, 2020
The story set in 1948 looks at life for new migrants from WW2 to Sydney and how their neighbors accept them.
It was also interesting for me as my father had polio when he was young and my Grandmother was a follower of Sister Kenny method of treatment. He was one of the lucky ones who did learn to walk again. Thorough enjoyed it
It was also interesting for me as my father had polio when he was young and my Grandmother was a follower of Sister Kenny method of treatment. He was one of the lucky ones who did learn to walk again. Thorough enjoyed it
August 20, 2014
This is another book that I'd actually rate 3.5 stars. It reminded me of Maeve Binchy's books--the large cast of characters; the fast-moving, intertwining plotlines; the evocation of place (this time Australia rather than Ireland)--and I raced through it as I had Binchy's best books. But the characters never quite came to life the way Binchy's did in my favorite of her books (Scarlet Feather, Evening Class, Firefly Summer). The narrative was a bit distancing (perhaps it was the use of phrases such as "it seemed to her" rather than simply showing what the character thought and felt), and I spotted several plot twists from kilometers away. But I did come away with a feel for post-WWII Australia and the plight of the New Australians, and I'll definitely check out more of Armstrong's books.
June 18, 2016
I loved this book but then I'm a big fan of Diane Armstrong's books. Somehow she captures Australia in the 1950s in a way which truly resonated with me although my own life was more suburban. What she also captures is the tension, and misunderstandings, between the Australians and what we're always called "New Australians". So much of this book could provide insights into current Australian discussions around refugees: the fear, the disparagement, and yes, the risk that perhaps all is not as it seems.
Having grown up with WWII immigrants in my school and parish I have always been sympathetic to their situation. How challenging it must have been for them especially of their English language skills were poor.
Having grown up with WWII immigrants in my school and parish I have always been sympathetic to their situation. How challenging it must have been for them especially of their English language skills were poor.
April 26, 2013
Mmmmm, a difficult one - as I stated before, I love Diane Armstrong' books but this one was very disjointed at the beginning and that continued into the second half of the book. I started to enjoy it more towards the end but was not very fond of the ending of the book either. It certainly leaves a place for sequels of every kind but.... I don't know, just not a favourite I suppose!
August 5, 2017
I rated this 4 stars because of enjoyment. As far as the actual "worthiness", it may be three stars. I really enjoyed reading about the lives of the refugees in the eastern suburbs after World war 2. The ending was very sudden and there were some characters that were not as believable as they could have been. However, overall, there was still enough to interest and intrigue me.
August 25, 2011
Solid read, and loved that the last line addressed the question I had as to why the novel wasn't called Wattle Street.
January 26, 2012
An interesting read.
August 5, 2017
I enjoyed this book and it was an easy read as you could empathise with the characters, but I was left a little underwhelmed. It paints a picture of Sydney post WWII from the perspective of residents in a single Bondi street. The difficulties for Australians still facing rations, and diseases like polio, and for newly arrived immigrants struggling to adjust to a new world with memories of their past not far below the surface. I liked the novel but perhaps would have enjoyed there being more depth to some of the characters.
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