Embroidered matting notebook cover : Mrs C M Levison (nee Touw), civil internee

Dustjacket-style notebook cover made from the remains of a 'tikar' (pronounced teeker) or woven sleeping mat. The matting is aligned obliquely and is possibly made from strips of pandanus leaves. The front cover is embroidered, across the top edge and down the left side, in wool with flowers and foliage. Foliage is in green and the flowers are in yellow, blue, red, purple and white.

Mrs Corina Levison (nee Touw) was born on 2 July 1922 in Batavia (Jakarta) where her father worked for the Dutch East Indies Government. Her family moved with her father's work and lived in various towns in Java and Sumatra. She married an Englishman, who worked for a British firm in Medan (Sumatra), in December 1941. When the Japanese captured Sumatra, she, her husband, mother, and 11 year old sister, were interned in the native jail in Medan. Her husband was placed in a seperate cell. They remained in the jail from 13 March 1942 until mid September 1942. From the jail they were moved to other internment camps at Pulau Brayan, Glugur, and Ack Paminke, until they were liberated in August 1945. This notebook cover was a 21st birthday present made by a friend of Mrs Levinson, who was interned with her, and given to her on 2 July 1943.