Break in the Chain: The Early Kozminskys

In 1856, Simon Kozminsky travelled from Prussia to begin a new life in the fledgling colony of Victoria. In the heady days of the gold rush, he established a jewellery house that would gain world renown. But behind the glittering facade of wealth, glamour and influence lay a darker, sadder story: a mysterious rift between Simon and his eldest son.

In an extraordinary coincidence, the answer to this life-long estrangement was painted by Australia’s pre-eminent artist of the time, Frederick McCubbin. The portrait depicted the beautiful young Irish woman, Eileen Watkins, who unwittingly drove a wedge between father and son.

A Break in the Chain is a brilliant imagining of three generations of real-life Kozminskys. With authenticity and dramatic verve, Tangea Tansley brings alive Melbourne of the past in a tantalising tale of fortune and faith, love and betrayal.