Oral History Recording with Newman and Esther Dubinsky Part 1

Digital sound recording in two parts

Subject: Ship's Chandler; Second World War

OHY/6//86/1 - 1.1 GB; 00:49:34
Quality: 4/5

00.30 – began supplying ships in 1938 after befriending British merchant seamen; during the war, Sydney became the slow convoy port supporting Halifax, with ships assembling before sailing to Britain; formed lasting friendships with returning crews.
04.30 – helped run Sydney Ship Supply from 1939 (purchasing, bookkeeping, customers); family lived above the business throughout the war to serve overnight arrivals; sailors regularly welcomed into their home
06.25 – sailors valued the comfort of a family home over restaurants; Dubinsky's made Sydney a "second home" for many merchant seamen and stayed in touch after the war.
07.50 – reflects on friends lost when merchant ships were sunk; familiar ship names on casualty lists remained painful decades later
09.00 – Sydney families welcomed seafarers into their homes; Navy League organised sports and dances; many merchant seamen married local women.
10.10 – seamen ferried ashore from anchored ships; stresses Merchant Navy's vital but overlooked role in sustaining Britain
13.24 – Merchant Marine received little recognition compared with the armed services
14.15 – home hosted multinational crews; Tamo Daleko ("Far Away") symbolized homesickness shared by merchant seamen of all nationalities 16.43 – seafarers helped care for the Dubinsky children; family often invited aboard ships for meals, songs, and celebrations
19.16 – Sydney Harbour often held 60–80 convoy ships; ships replenished supplies; wartime shortages required rationing by crew size
21.35 – ended corrupt pre-war provisioning practices; refusing inflated bills and kickbacks
22.50 – pro-Nazi Norwegian captain removed and interned while awaiting convoy
23.33 – convoy orders secret, though departures often obvious from naval activity; delays mainly due to storms
24.40 – suspected informers monitored; dangerous individuals interned
25.38 – ships carried fresh food and livestock because refrigeration was limited; recalls humorous incidents with runaway sheep, loose bulls, and a replacement pig delivered to a departing ship
30.43 – convoys departing Sydney remembered as an impressive sight, with long lines of merchant ships sailing across the Atlantic

Administrative / biographical background
Oral history with Newman and Esther Dubinsky conducted by Campbell McMurray