Mall Juske (née Karp) was born in Tallinn, Estonia, on 6 August 1935. Passed in Camden, Australia, on 21 January 2026.
We would like to mark the passing of a lady who was very supportive of The Oaks Historical Society in the days when we were installing the exhibition “From Estonia to Thirlmere” and share something of her life with you.
Mall Karp was born in the lovely old merchant city of Tallinn, at a time when Stalin in Russia and Hitler in Germany were fighting over the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. In 1940 the country was occupied by Russian forces and Estonian political leaders were arrested and sent to Siberia. In 1939 Mall’s parents, Linda and Mall escaped to the rural home of Linda’s mother Lisa when their own home was burnt down. Albert joined the Air Force auxiliary and moved to another part of the country. When Russia invaded again in 1944, Linda and Mall left on a convoy to Latvia and then by a German ship to Frankfurt. Once again, they were threatened by Russian troops but found safety in Bavaria where Albert eventually joined them after the war. He had suffered while he was away and needed nursing.
Responsibility for those who lost their countries and homes was divided between the Allies; Russia, USA and UK. In Germany the town of Geislingen was cleared of people for the American camp and the Karp family shared a house with several other families. They were given rations for food and clothing and schooling was soon organised for the children and cultural activities encouraged. Mall joined the dancing school and Linda, who was a skilled seamstress, managed to make alterations to her National Costume. She hired a sewing machine to do this. The original skirt was made of woven stripes and Linda found coloured wool in the correct colours and sewed it strip by strip onto old cotton on the sewing machine.
The family was accepted into Australia and arrived by boat to Fremantle where they were met by the Estonian Relief Committee and sailed to Melbourne and then boarded a train to Sydney. They were sponsored by the church, so Albert was not required to work for a two-year bond, and they settled in Dover Heights. Albert found work with Dunlop Rubber and Mall attended Double Bay Primary and then to Dover Heights school. In 1952 she attended Macquarie Fields Secretarial School and got a job with Lysaght Bros, and then in the office at Hardy’s Rubber. She resumed her interest in folk dancing and met Helmut Juske and they married in 1955. Helmut worked for Michael Nairn Linoleum and moved to Hardy’s Rubber where Mall worked.
Helmut applied for Crown Land in Thirlmere where other Estonians lived and in 1956 he was granted 12½ acres on Michel Road, Thirlmere (next to an old man from Burragorang Valley called Mr. Clive Catt). The land value was £230 and rental of £5/15/- weekly. They came out at weekends to clear the land and took courses in Poultry Breeding at Ultimo Tech. In 1957 they made the move to Thirlmere and built brooder and poultry sheds and their first day old chickens were delivered in 1959. Helmut delivered eggs in his van to local businesses twice a week. Their daughters, Helle and Valli, were born in 1961 and 1962. When the Egg Board imposed egg quotas Helmut decided to convert to intensive egg production in battery cages. He became a Director of the Egg Board and the Thirlmere Farmers Group “Kungla” and was involved with Australian United Farms, the Estonian Choir and “Koit” the Estonian Society. They built a home on Michel Road from a plan Mall saw in the newspaper. In 1982 they sold the business and then the house in 1987.
I remember Mall from the above photo when she donated the egg washing machine and showed us how to use it! Also from the National Costume which Mall loaned for the exhibition!
Acknowledgement
Originally published in The Oaks Historical Society newsletter, February 2026. Thank you to Doreen Lyon, Krista Ford and Mart Rampe for information.
