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Story: Central and South-eastern Europeans

Fred Turnovsky

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Fred Turnovsky

Fred Turnovsky fled from his native Prague as a refugee from anti-Semitism. He acknowledged his roots by naming his successful business after a mountain range in Czechoslovakia, Tatra. Arriving in Wellington in 1940, he desperately missed the rich musical culture of Central Europe, and devoted much of his time and money to fostering chamber music and opera in New Zealand.

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Alexander Turnbull Library

Reference: 1/4-089271-F

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

John Wilson, Central and South-eastern Europeans – Czechs, Slovaks and Slovenes, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/1068/fred-turnovsky (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by John Wilson, published 4 March 2009, updated 1 July 2024.