At the age of 25, Ida Niemi left her Finnish hometown and journeyed to Canada in search of opportunity. A decade later, in 1930, she immigrated to Australia with her cousin John Sointu and his family, eventually settling in Newcastle. There, the Sointus and Ida established “Superior Auto Metal Works”—a small but thriving car body business where Ida worked as the upholsterer, applying her exquisite handiwork and quilting skills to line and finish the vehicles they produced.1
Ida’s talents and independent spirit soon drew wider attention. In 1938, she was interviewed by the Newcastle Morning Herald and photographed in a traditional Finnish costume she had brought with her. In the article, Ida spoke openly about the role of women in society. She challenged the norm of marriage as a “career” and was dismayed that Australian women had to leave their jobs upon marrying. Back in Finland, she said, it was not unusual for married women to be doctors, lawyers, or dentists.2
Later, when the Sointu family moved to Wallis Island on Wallis Lake, Ida continued to defy convention. Hearing that old droghers (wooden cargo boats) were being sunk, she rowed to Forster and struck a deal with the sawmill owner to have one sunk beside their jetty to protect it from storms—for just two shillings. Its weathered remains were still visible decades later.3
Ida remained on Wallis Island until her death in 1982.4 Her life was one of quiet determination and unwavering independence.
Author: Janine Roberts
Read more about John Sointu and Wallis Island.
References:
1 Dun’s Gazette for New South Wales, Vol. 45 No. 1 (January 5, 1931), 15.
2 Newcastle Morning Herald, 27 May 1938, 14.
3 GLMRSNSW https://www.flickr.com/photos/glmrsnsw/29259821330.
4 NSW BDM, Death Index Ida Niemi 20791/1982.
