Nazis in Australia: Book Launch

Nazis in Australia: The Special Investigations Unit, 1987–1994 edited by Mark Aarons and Graham Blewitt

Please join us for the launch of Nazis in Australia at the Avenue Bookstore in Elsternwick on Thursday 11 September 2025.

Mark Aarons and Graham Blewitt will be in conversation with Dr Helen Durham.

Doors open at 6pm and light refreshments will be served.

About the Book

The story of the special investigations unit that tracked down the Nazis who called Australia home after World War II.

The Special Investigations Unit investigated over 800 suspected war criminals living in Australia. This book gathers the recollections of historians, archaeologists, police investigators, SIU leaders, translators and lawyers to create a detailed insiders' account of the unit's efforts to prosecute Australian residents and citizens believed to have participated in horrific war crimes.

The SIU left an important legacy. As well as pursuing justice for victims of the Holocaust, it demonstrated that historical investigation of war crimes was possible, even decades later.

Dr Helen Durham

Dr. Helen Durham has been involved in international humanitarian law for three decades. She was actively involved in the development of jurisprudence focusing on rape as a war crime, played a role in the establishment of the International Criminal Court as well as the treaty on the Prohibition of nuclear weapons. Helen was the Director of International Law and Policy for the International Committee of the Red Cross, 2014- 22 in Geneva. She is currently the CEO of RedR Australia which specialises in sending highly skilled technicians to conflict zones that require rebuilding of basic infrastructure.