Our Stories: From Sweden to Australia, Part 3

Anna’s family journey to meet relatives in Australia continues. In this post, she discusses Oskar’s life, and looks at his decision to suddenly move to Australia.

The other day, David and I spoke about Oskar and his initial trip to Australia, the decisions that caused him to leave Sweden and what he may have encountered on the journey. There were still unanswered pieces that we can only speculate about. We have no information on his voyage, who he met or about his first journey.

What we do know, however, is that a significant event influenced Oskar’s decision to leave Sweden. An event that changed everything and added an entire branch to the family tree that would not otherwise have existed today.

Oskar's childhood home

Oskar’s younger brother Axel was 10 when Oskar left Sweden. Axel remembered that day and told his son, Einar (my great-uncle, who told the rest of the family many years later). Apparently, Oskar had already attempted once before to leave Sweden, but his departure ended as the boat he had planned to sail on had sunk. He had nearly drowned, but a fisherman rescued him and helped him recover until he could return home to his parents.

It’s unknown how long Oskar waited until he attempted to flee again, but the day came and it was the last his family saw of him.

This ship - The Everett G. Griggs - brought Oskar to Australia

While we may never know what happened to him on the journey between Sweden and Australia, we do know that once he arrived he was safe. If Oskar had not survived that first attempt, David would not have become a connection.

Thankfully, Oskar’s family were able to see him one more time before he left home and decades later, the families were able to reunite.