A new book isdocumenting important local history.
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Rechelle Zammit
After a decade of collecting stories, Devorah Zmood is publishing a book documenting Shepparton’s Jewish migrant history.
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As a physiotherapist, Mrs Zmood didn’t imagine she would become an author until the Lamm Jewish Library of Australia encouraged her to document this important local history.
“This book was absolutely unplanned,” Mrs Zmood said.
“They sat me down and said, ‘You've got too much material for an exhibition, put it in a book.’”
Her book, Shepparton Jewish Agricultural Settlement Migrant Stories, explores the 60 years during which the Jewish agricultural settlement at Orrvale was active.
Having grown up in Shepparton, Mrs Zmood said she aimed to preserve the stories of what was once a close-knit community.
“This was the only Jewish agricultural settlement that existed in Australia,” Mrs Zmood said.
“I just felt this need to somehow memorialise the existence of that community.
“For us personally, it’s important to tell our stories … to say we did exist.
“And probably, what boosted me along the way was that I’d just lost my younger brother who had been an orchardist,” she said.
The book highlights the role early Jewish migrants played in developing Shepparton’s fruit-growing industry.
“Irrigation had just been brought in, and the government wanted to develop industry and make it a food bowl,” she said.
Although the project took years of research, Mrs Zmood said she had significant support.
Her husband, Ronald Zmood, edited and formatted the book, while research assistance came from the Shepparton Heritage Centre.
Six first-hand accounts written by people who lived at the settlement make up about a third of the book.
“It was a combination of a lot of work,” Mrs Zmood said.
Devorah Zmood has published her first book.
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For Mrs Zmood, her foray into authorship isn’t about money, but simply getting these stories out there.
“It’s a personal story to celebrate the people who started their journeys here as migrants,” she said.
“Some of their stories are remembering that there was no electricity and the toilet was down the back … I was in disbelief to think of the conditions.
“It was very primitive.”
With many migrants arriving from cities, Mrs Zmood said adapting to life in Orrvale would have been difficult.
“It would have been a shock to the system to start again in outback Australia.”
Despite facing many challenges, Mrs Zmood said Shepparton “was where our families got the opportunity to feel safe and earn a living”.
The Shepparton Heritage Centre is hosting a free book launch for Shepparton Jewish Agricultural Settlement Migrant Stories on Sunday, May 17 at 1.30pm.
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