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In 1919 John made an application to the Australian Government for naturalisation which was declined without explanation. This file documents the journey undertaken by John to acquire naturalisation which he did in September 1922. It’s a good read and an interesting insight into the prejudices and laws that followed the first world war as well as the determination of John Heinrich.

The reason for this of course was without Australian citizenship, and particularly with a German name albeit a naturalized US citizen, John was unable to acquire property in his own name. It seems he surrendered his US citizenship upon entry in 2008, and this would come back to bite him decades later.

If you have ever butted heads with bureaucracy, then you need to read this.