Eva Ruth de Jong-Duldig (née Duldig; born 11 February 1938) is an Austrian-born Australian and Dutch former tennis player, and current author. From the ages of two to four, she was detained by Australia in an isolated internment camp, as an

enemy alien In customary international law, an enemy alien is any alien native, citizen, denizen or subject of any foreign nation or government with which a domestic nation or government is in conflict and who is liable to be apprehended, restrained, secur ...

. She later competed in tennis, representing Australia at the

Wimbledon Championships The Wimbledon Championships, commonly called Wimbledon, is a tennis tournament organised by the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in collaboration with the Lawn Tennis Association annually in Wimbledon, London. It is chronologically the ...

in 1961. She also played at Wimbledon in 1962 and 1963 for the Netherlands, and competed in the

Australian Open The Australian Open (stylized ΛO) is a tennis tournament organised by Tennis Australia annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. It is chronologically the first of the four Grand Slam (tennis), Grand Sl ...

French Championships The French Open (), also known as Roland-Garros (), is a tennis tournament organized by the French Tennis Federation annually at Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France. It is chronologically the second of the four Grand Slam tennis events eve ...

Fed Cup The Billie Jean King Cup (or the BJK Cup) is the premier international team competition in women's tennis, launched as the Federation Cup in 1963 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the International Tennis Federation (ITF). The name was cha ...

, and in the Israel-based

Maccabiah Games The Maccabiah Games (, or משחקי המכביה העולמית; sometimes referred to as the "Jewish Olympics") is an international multi-sport event with summer and winter sports competitions featuring Jews and Israelis regardless of religion ...

, sometimes called the Jewish Olympics, where she won two

gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have b ...

Early life

Austria

Duldig was born in Vienna, Austria, and is Jewish. Her father was

modernist Modernism was an early 20th-century movement in literature, visual arts, and music that emphasized experimentation, abstraction, and Subjectivity and objectivity (philosophy), subjective experience. Philosophy, politics, architecture, and soc ...

sculptor

Karl Duldig Karl (Karol) Duldig (29 December 1902 – 11 August 1986) was a Jewish sculptor. Born in Poland, he and his family fled Vienna in 1938 following the annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany, eventually settling in Australia. As a sculptor, he was i ...

(1902–1986). He played international soccer as a goalkeeper for Hakoah Wien, was the Austrian table tennis champion in 1923, and was one of the country's top tennis players. Her mother was artist and inventor Slawa Horowitz Duldig (c. 1902–1975), who invented and patented an improved folding umbrella in 1929.

Switzerland

In 1938 when she was eight months old, in the wake of deportations of Jews from Vienna to

Dachau concentration camp Dachau (, ; , ; ) was one of the first concentration camps built by Nazi Germany and the longest-running one, opening on 22 March 1933. The camp was initially intended to intern Hitler's political opponents, which consisted of communists, s ...

, fleeing the

Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

s the family left Austria for Switzerland. The family managed to escape after

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

's ''

Anschluss The (, or , ), also known as the (, ), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into Nazi Germany on 12 March 1938. The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a "German Question, Greater Germany") arose after t ...

'' of Austria in March 1938, as her father traveled to Switzerland on a temporary visa to play in a tennis tournament. Later that year he convinced an official to allow his family to come and "visit" him in Zurich, thereby staying a step ahead of

the Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

.Miriam Cosic (29 April 2022)
"Melbourne's newest musical a multi-generational European family saga"
Plus61J. Duldig later said: "We were lucky to get out with our lives. Most of our family was obliterated."

Singapore; deported

The family was only allowed to stay in Switzerland for a short time. They therefore then moved to Singapore by boat in April 1939. There, initially her parents ran an art school and her mother restored paintings. In Singapore, six months after their arrival the British arrested them, because they had German

identity document An identity document (abbreviated as ID) is a documentation, document proving a person's Identity (social science), identity. If the identity document is a plastic card it is called an ''identity card'' (abbreviated as ''IC'' or ''ID card''). ...

s. Austria had been annexed by Germany in March 1938 in the ''Anschluss'', and therefore the family and all other Austrians by law had become citizens of the

German Reich German ''Reich'' (, from ) was the constitutional name for the German nation state that existed from 1871 to 1945. The ''Reich'' became understood as deriving its authority and sovereignty entirely from a continuing unitary German ''Volk'' ("na ...

. Across the

British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...

the same laws were applied to what were deemed "aliens," and the British colonial government classified the family as "citizens of an enemy country" – "enemy aliens". They were deported by boat from Singapore to Australia in September 1940.

Australia; enemy alien

In Australia, in the wake of the outbreak of World War II, two-year-old Eva and her parents were classified as

enemy aliens In customary international law, an enemy alien is any alien native, citizen, denizen or subject of any foreign nation or government with which a domestic nation or government is in conflict and who is liable to be apprehended, restrained, secur ...

upon their arrival due to their having arrived with German identity papers. At Google Books/ref> Beginning the year prior to their arrival in Australia, a new Australian law had designated people "enemy aliens" if they were Germans, or were Australians who had been born in Germany. The Australian government therefore interned the three of them for two years in isolated Tatura Internment Camp 3 D, 180 kilometres north of Melbourne. They were held with nearly 300 other internees. The internment camp was located near

Shepparton Shepparton () (Yorta Yorta language, Yortayorta: ''Kanny-goopna'') is a city located on the floodplain of the Goulburn River (Victoria), Goulburn River in northern Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, approximately north-northeast of Mel ...

, in the northern part of the

state of Victoria Victoria, commonly abbreviated as Vic, is a state in southeastern Australia. It is the second-smallest state (after Tasmania), with a land area of ; the second-most-populated state (after New South Wales), with a population of over 7 million; ...

. There, armed soldiers manned watchtowers and scanned the camp that was bordered by a barbed wire fence with searchlights, and other armed soldiers patrolled the camp. Petitions to Australian politicians, stressing that they were Jewish refugees and therefore being unjustly imprisoned, had no effect. They remained in the internment camp until 1942, when her father enlisted in the

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia. It is a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF), along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army ...

. The family later lived in St Kilda, in

Glen Iris Glen Iris may refer to: *Glen Iris, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne **Glen Iris railway station *Glen Iris, Western Australia Glen Iris is a suburb of the City of Bunbury in the South West region of Western Australia. Glen Iris is located on ...

, and then in

Malvern East Malvern East is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 13 km south-east of the Melbourne central business district, located within the City of Stonnington local government area. Malvern East recorded a population of 22,296 at the 2021 ...

, in

Melbourne, Australia Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung/ or ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second most-populous city in Australia, after Sydney. The city's name generally refers to a metropolitan area also known ...

, and became Australian citizens. Duldig graduated from

Melbourne University The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state of Victoria. Its ...

in Australia ( GDip Physical Education 1957, BA 1971). She took a role as physical education teacher in 1957 at Mount Scopus College, a

Jewish day school A Jewish day school is a modern Jewish educational institution that is designed to provide children of Jews, Jewish parents with both a Jewish and a secular education in one school on a full-time basis. The term "day school" is used to differentiat ...

in Melbourne.

Tennis career

Early years, Maccabiah champion

Duldig became a tennis player in Australia. In 1956 she won the Victorian Schoolgirls Championship. In the

1957 Maccabiah Games Twenty-one countries sent 980 athletes to compete in the 1957 5th Maccabiah Games, an international Jewish athletics competition similar to the Olympics. The opening ceremony on September 15, 1957, was held in Ramat Gan Stadium, with athletes para ...

, Duldig won

s in singles and doubles. In the

1961 Maccabiah Games The 6th Maccabiah Games were held in Tel Aviv, Israel in 1961, with 1,100 athletes from 27 countries competing in 18 sports. The Games were officially opened in an Opening Ceremony on August 29, 1961, in Ramat Gan Stadium by Israeli president Yi ...

, she again won a gold medal in singles, this time defeating South African

Marlene Gerson Marlene Gerson (born June 1940) is a female former tennis player from South Africa who was active in the late 1950s and the first half of the 1960s. Her best singles result at the Wimbledon Championships was reaching the third round in 1959. P ...

in the final, and won a

silver medal A silver medal, in sports and other similar areas involving competition, is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, ...

in women's doubles.

Australian Open

Playing in the

, Duldig made it to the Round of 16 in singles in 1957, 1959, and 1968, and to the Round of 32 in 1958 and the Round of 64 in 1961. In doubles at the Australian Open, she made it to the quarterfinals in 1958 and 1959, to the Round of 16 in 1961, and to the Round of 32 in 1968.

Wimbledon

She played tennis at the

in 1961, 1962, and 1963. She took unpaid leave from her job as a teacher to compete at Wimbledon. In 1961 Duldig played women' singles at Wimbledon, representing Australia, and defeated West German

Renate Ostermann Renate Ostermann (14 June 1937 – 26 December 2015) was a German tennis player. Ostermann, who came from Krefeld, twice made the round of 16 in singles at Wimbledon. In 1963 she featured in West Germany's first ever Federation Cup tie, partner ...

in Round 1, and

Robin Blakelock Robina Blakelock (born 21 February 1944) is a British former tennis player. Starting in 1963, she competed under her married name, Robin Lloyd, and was remarried in 1970 to Australian player Graham Primrose. Active in the 1960s, Blakelock grew ...

of Great Britain in Round 2, while losing to #8 seed American Karen Hantze in Round 3. In addition, she played

mixed doubles Mixed doubles or mixed pairs is a form of mixed-sex sports that consists of teams of one man and one woman. This variation of competition is prominent in curling and racket sports, such as tennis, table tennis, and badminton (where it is known ...

with partner Roger Dowdeswell from Zimbabwe, and they lost in Round 2 to

Geoffrey Paish Geoffrey Lane Paish MBE (2 January 1922 – 3 February 2008) was a noted tennis player and administrator. Paish was born in Croydon, Surrey and educated at Mid-Whitgift School (now Trinity School) in Croydon. Career After World War II Paish ...

of Great Britain and Susan Chatrier of France. Duldig also represented Australia at the 1961 Wimbledon Championships in ladies' doubles, reaching the

quarterfinals A single-elimination knockout, or sudden-death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of a match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final match-up, w ...

with partner Marlene Gerson, where they were defeated by American Sally Moore and Australian Lesley Turner. In 1962 at Wimbledon, representing the Netherlands, in women's singles she beat

Lea Pericoli Lea Pericoli (22 March 1935 – 4 October 2024) was an Italian tennis player and later television presenter and journalist from Milan. She reached the last sixteen of the French Open twice and the Wimbledon Championships three times, and is als ...

of Italy in Round 2, but was defeated by #2 seeded American

Darlene Hard Darlene Ruth Hard (January 6, 1936 – December 2, 2021) was an American professional tennis player, known for her aggressive volleying ability and strong serves. She captured singles titles at the French Championships in 1960 and the U.S. Cha ...

in Round 3. Playing in women's doubles with partner Jenny Ridderhof-Seven of the Netherlands, in Round 2 they defeated West Germans Renate Ostermann and

Helga Schultze Helga Schultze (2 February 1940 – 12 September 2015), also known by her married name Helga Hösl, was a German female tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (si ...

, while in Round 3 they were defeated by South Africans Valerie Forbes and Heather Segal. Playing in

with partner

Willem Maris Willem Maris (18 February 1844 – 10 October 1910) was a Dutch landscape painter of the Hague School. Biography He was born in The Hague. Willem was the third in a family of five children. His two brothers Jacob Maris, Jacob and Matthijs Maris ...

of the Netherlands, in Round 1 they defeated Australian

Jim Shepherd James Shepherd (born 1940) is a former Australian professional tennis player. Career In 1962, he was defeated by Premjit Lall in the second round at the Australian Championships in men's singles. He also defeated Peter McPherson in the first ...

and South African Heather Segal, and in Round 2 they were beaten by

Billy Knight William R. Knight (born June 9, 1952) is an American former professional basketball player and executive. Playing with the Indiana Pacers in both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and later the National Basketball Association (NBA), he ...

and

Jean Knight Jean Audrey Knight (née Caliste; January 26, 1943 – November 22, 2023) was an American R&B and soul singer from New Orleans, Louisiana. Launching her professional career in the mid-1960s, Knight was best known for her 1971 hit single " Mr. ...

of the United Kingdom. In 1963 at Wimbledon, again representing the Netherlands, in women's singles she beat Hungary Zsófia Broszmann of Hungary in the round of 64, but was defeated by Elizabeth Starkie of Great Britain in the round of 32. Playing in women's doubles with partner Jenny Ridderhof-Seven, in Round 1 they beat Canadian Hanna Sladek and Jenny Wagstaff of the United Kingdom, in round 2 they defeated American

Judy Alvarez Judy Alvarez (born April 2, 1943) is an American former professional tennis player. Alvarez grew up in the Tampa neighborhood of Ybor City and is of mixed Cuban and Italian descent. Her Cuban American father was a bus driver and her Sicilian bor ...

and Australian Carole Newman, and in Round 3 they were defeated by South Africans Margaret Hunt and

Annette Van Zyl Annette Van Zyl (born 25 September), also known by her married name as Annette du Plooy, is a South African former tennis player. She was ranked in the top ten female players during the mid-1960s, and in 1966 she won the French Open Mixed Doubl ...

. Playing in

with partner Willem Maris of the Netherlands, in Round 2 they defeated South Africans Tony Hagan and CM Callanan, and in Round 3 they were beaten by West Germany

Wilhelm Bungert Wilhelm Paul Bungert (born 1 April 1939) is a former German tennis player best known for reaching the 1967 Wimbledon final. He participated in the 1970 Davis Cup final as a player and in the 1985 Davis Cup final as team captain. Tennis career ...

and South African

Renée Schuurman Renée Schuurman Haygarth (née Schuurman; 26 October 1939 – 30 May 2001) was a South African tennis player who won five Grand Slam women's doubles titles and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title. Biography Schuurman teamed with fellow South ...

French Championships

Duldig played singles in the 1961 French Championships, losing to 14th seed Deidre Keller of Great Britain in the Round of 128. She then played women's singles in the

1963 French Championships The 1963 French Championships (now known as the French Open) was a tennis tournament that took place on the outdoor clay courts at the Stade Roland-Garros in Paris, France. The tournament ran from 13 May until 26 May. It was the 62nd staging of th ...

, losing to

Helga Hosl Helga Schultze (2 February 1940 – 12 September 2015), also known by her married name Helga Hösl, was a German female tennis player who reached a singles ranking of No. 5 in 1964. Schultze was born in Berlin on 2 February 1940, and after World ...

of Germany in Round 1.

Dutch champion

In 1962 she won the National Championships of the Netherlands in both women's singles and doubles.

Fed Cup

After she married her Dutch husband Henri in 1962, she moved to the Netherlands and represented the country in tennis. She was the highest-ranked female player for the Netherlands in the first Federation Cup, held in 1957 at

Queens Club The Queen's Club is a private sporting club in Barons Court, West Kensington, London, England. The club hosts the annual Queen's Club Championships grass court lawn tennis tournament (currently known as the "HSBC Championships" for sponso ...

. In June 1963 she played in the 1963 Federation Cup against Switzerland, defeating Alice Wavre in singles, and winning in doubles against Janine Bourgnon and Anne-Marie Studer with her partner Jenny Ridderhof. That same month she played in the Fed Cup against the United States, and was defeated by

in singles, and by Billie Jean Moffitt (King) and Carole Caldwell, while partnering Jenny Ridderhof, in the quarter-final.

Australian Championships

In January 1968 she played in the 1968 Australian Championships in women's singles, and defeated Kay Williams in Round 1, and Kerry Ballard in Round 2, before losing to Lesley Bowrey in Round 3. In women's doubles, she partnered Robin Lesh, and they lost in the first round to American Mary-Ann Beattie and Australian Lynne Nette.

Honors

In 2000, she was inducted into the Maccabi Victoria Hall of Fame.

Family and later life

Duldig met Dutch

Maccabiah The Maccabiah Games (, or משחקי המכביה העולמית; sometimes referred to as the "Jewish Olympics") is an international multi-sport event with summer and winter sports competitions featuring Jews and Israelis regardless of religion ...

tennis player Henri de Jong on a Tel Aviv tennis court at the

in Israel. They became engaged five days after they met, and married in February 1962 in Australia at the St Kilda Hebrew Congregation synagogue. They initially lived for three years in

Arnhem Arnhem ( ; ; Central Dutch dialects, Ernems: ''Èrnem'') is a Cities of the Netherlands, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands, near the German border. It is the capita ...

in Holland before settling in Melbourne. They were married for 57 years until his death in 2019. Her daughter, Tania de Jong, is an Australian

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...

, social entrepreneur, and businesswoman. In 1965, the family returned to Melbourne, and after she gave birth to two more children, Antony and Pieter, Duldig found it challenging to maintain her tennis. After her tennis career, she worked as a recreation consultant, an author, and a designer of playgrounds. She founded the Duldig Studio in 2002 in East Malvern. It is run as a non-profit public museum and art gallery from their former house. It displays the works of her parents. In 2009 she received the

City of Stonnington The City of Stonnington is a local government area located within the metropolitan area of Melbourne, Australia. It comprises the inner south-eastern suburbs, between , from the Melbourne CBD. The city covers an area of . Within twenty years o ...

Citizen of the Year Award for "outstanding service to the community" in the area of arts and culture. In 2016 she received a Victorian Community History Historical Interpretation Award with filmmaker David Smith for "Duldig Studio Documentaries. Volume 1". In 2022, her granddaughters Andrea and Emma de Jong ran in the

2022 Maccabiah Games The 2022 Maccabiah Games () took place in Israel from July 14–25, 2022, and are also referred to as the 21st Maccabiah Games (). The Maccabiah Games are open to Jewish athletes from around the world, and to all Israeli citizens regardless of ...

, and Emma won the 800 metres and 1,500-metre run as a junior.

Memoir and musical

Duldig wrote the memoir ''Driftwood: Escape and Survival through Art'' about her family's experiences. In 2017, it won a Victorian Community History Award and in 2018, it was longlisted for the Dobbie Award. Her memoir was made into a musical in 2022, entitled ''Driftwood – The Musical'', directed by

Wesley Enoch Wesley James Enoch (born 1969) is an Australian playwright and artistic director. He is especially known for ''The 7 Stages of Grieving'', co-written with Deborah Mailman. He was artistic director of the Queensland Theatre Company from mid- ...

. Her daughter Tania wrote some of the lyrics.

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australia’s principal public service broadcaster. It is funded primarily by grants from the federal government and is administered by a government-appointed board of directors. The ABC is ...

wrote that the musical "is a remarkable story". ''

The Australian Jewish News ''The Australian Jewish News'' (''AJN'') is a newspaper published in Darlinghurst, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Since 2019, it has been a local partner of ''The Times of Israel''. History The ''AJN'' is descended from ''The Hebrew Stan ...

'' wrote: "there's no shortage of drama, heartache and lucky escape." ''

Limelight Limelight (also known as Drummond light or calcium light)James R. Smith (2004). ''San Francisco's Lost Landmarks'', Quill Driver Books. is a non-electric type of stage lighting that was once used in theatres and music halls. An intense illum ...

'' wrote that the musical was "sincere to a fault." ''

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...

'' wrote: "Director Gary Abrahams keeps the story's emotional core vivid and convincing and Anthony Barnhill's score suits the material well. The singing is excellent.... this show has heart."

References

External links

"Eva De Jong,"
International Tennis Federation.
"Eva Duldig De Jong,"
The SHTICK S26-09 Seg. 1 – Duldig Gallery, ''video'', 31 October 2011
"Against all Odds,"
Eva de Jong-Duldig, Duldig Studio, ''video'', 6 February 2015
"Europe Meets Asia; Karl Duldig, a Viennese sculptor in pre-war Singapore,"
Eva de Jong-Duldig, ''video'', 26 August 2015
"Eva de Jong-Duldig Zooms in on The SHTICK"
S62-07 Seg. 3, ''video'', 4 September 2020 {{DEFAULTSORT:Duldig, Eva 1938 births Australian female tennis players Austrian female tennis players Australian schoolteachers Dutch female tennis players Jewish Australian sportspeople Jewish Austrian sportspeople Jewish Dutch sportspeople Jewish emigrants from Austria after the Anschluss to Australia Jewish tennis players Living people Maccabiah Games gold medalists for Australia Maccabiah Games tennis players Sportspeople from Shepparton Sportspeople from Arnhem Tennis players from Gelderland Sportswomen from Victoria (state) Competitors at the 1957 Maccabiah Games Competitors at the 1961 Maccabiah Games Tennis players from Melbourne Tennis players from Vienna University of Melbourne alumni Writers from Melbourne Writers from Vienna 20th-century Australian sportswomen 20th-century Dutch sportswomen