John Birman

Chaim Jojna Birman was born in Warsaw in 1913. He gained a BA from Free University of Poland and married bacteriologist Louisa (Laja) in 1933. As a free-lance journalist he was disturbed about gathering war clouds and decided to emigrate to Australia, leaving Louisa in Warsaw until he settled. He arrived at Fremantle in December 1938, stayed briefly in Melbourne, before settling in Sydney. There he learnt his entire family including his wife had been killed during the German invasion of Warsaw in September 1939. Although regarded as an alien (he was not naturalised until 1944), Birman enlisted in the AIF in 1942 and was posted to Papua New Guinea with the 17th Light Anti-Aircraft Battery attached to an American contingent. In 1943 he transferred to the Western Command Army Education Unit commanded by Major/Professor Fred Alexander, who needed to return to the UWA History Department, leaving the command to Sergeant Birman. He later described landing at Nookanbah in a RAAF DC3 to deliver a grand piano needed for troops’ concerts. Discharged in 1945, Birman initially worked at the Tasmanian State Library. In 1948 he became Assistant Director of UWA Adult Education Board. In 1953 Alexander and Birman launched the inaugural Festival of Perth. He complemented his Polish degree with a UWA equivalent in 1956. Birman was Festival of Perth Director until 1975, and Director of UWA’s Extension Service from 1972 until 1978.

Photograph from UWA Archives 61393P
ADB; J Birman Personal Papers, Wendy Birman