ABSTRACT
For the Germans war was over on 8 May 1945; for the Australians, it continued until 14 August of that year. The war in Europe had come to an end with the unconditional surrender of the Third Reich’s hastily appointed last government under Admiral Doenitz to the Western and Soviet Commands at Reims in France. Large-scale immigration of non-British migrants commenced in 1948. Initial preference was given to Eastern European refugees and to Italian migrants. For those German migrants who made Australia their home, cheap air travel enabled them to maintain welcome links with the old country. Hans Luser and his wife decided to migrate to Australia in the early 1950s. During the late 1960s and early 1970s the history of Australia and the Federal Republic of Germany again followed similar lines.
