Vardan tos Lietuvos - Canberra's memorial

 

The Australian Lithuanian War Veterans Association (Ramovė) comprises of former members of the previously independent Republic of Lithuania (1918-1940) armed forces.  The purpose of the organisation is to encourage the camaraderie traditional among ex-soldiers and to maintain and foster Lithuanian heritage, customs and culture.

Canberra veterans chose to construct a monument dedicated to honour the victims of terror of communism for wanting to rebuild independent Lithuania.  It was built in the garden of the Canberra Australian Lithuanian Club, when it was located at 64 Wattle Street, Lyneham, an inner northside suburb of Canberra.

The initiator and designer of the monument is Feliksas Borumas, who personally executed the construction work with major assistance by LKVS Ramovė Canberra branch secretary, Liudas Budzinauskas and other LKVS members of Canberra Ramovė organisation.  The intention was that it would stand indefinitely as a witness and proof for future generations of Lithuanians flight from communism who, by destiny, settled in the Australian capital city, Canberra.  It would reflect their efforts to assist in the struggle for Lithuania’s freedom and warn the Australian people and government of the menacing goal of communism, which was to conquer the world.

Built of locally sourced granite rocks, taking them six months to construct.  The monument was constructed totally of blue granite stone blocks and cement jointing, with steel reinforcing.  The monument stood six foot high, but the Gedimino stulpai increased its height to just under eight feet.  The monument contained a document placed in a metal tube and concreted in the upper section.  The national emblem was presented by Viktoras Budzinauskas in 1989 from Lithuania.

This monument was consecrated by Father Povilas Martužas who also celebrated Mass, during the commemoration ceremony of the Lithuanian Armed Forces on 25 November 1990.  A ceremony by the monument was held annually to commemorate Lithuanian Armed Forces Day, 23 November 1918.

The monument was demolished along with the club building.  The maquette, brass Vytis plate, the nameplate and large marble plaque with 'Vardan tos Lietuvos', that were attached to the monument was given to Felisksas’s stepson, Ron Cameron, after Feliksas died in 2009. He donated the items to the Australian Lithuanian Archive in 2024. 

Written with assistance from Ron Cameron

For you - Lithuania!

Simas Narušis

Born 13 March 1899 – 23 December 1969

Born in Karališkiai, not far from Jurbarkas. In 1927 he finished Kaunas school and in 1930-31 studied at Vytautas Didysis University, law faculty.  He married Vanda. They had no children.

Simas volunteered for the newly formed Lithuanian Army.  In 1933, Simas rose to the rank of Major.  During the second world war he organised and led separate military units in the east and fought with Lithuanian enemies.

From his first arrival in Australia, Simas joined in with Lithuanian activities and was a member of the Sydney Lithuanian Society Committee, where he tirelessly organised community events.

From 1965 until his death five years later, he served as the President of the Australian Lithuanian community.  He visited every Lithuanian community around Australia, even the small branches.  He maintained strong links with scouts, youth and sports clubs.  He encouraged Lithuanians to work not for themselves but for the Lithuanian nation and the community.  In 1968, the Latvian community in Australia a silver medal for his efforts and merits in the fight for the freedom of the Baltic nations.  In 1969, Simas was a delegate at the World Lithuanian Community parliament where he was presented with another medal.  Ill with cancer, Simas travelled to New Zealand to meet with the Lithuanian community there.  

His motto was Visi mano atsiekimai ir darbai - Tau Lietuva! All my achievements and work – For you Lithuania!"  

His enthusiasm and work for Lithuania was felt by all and his death was a tragic blow to all Lithuanians in Australia.  A guard of honour made up of Lithuanian scouts, Federal Council members, Ramovė and members of the Sydney Lithuanian Committee stood by his casket which had been draped in a Lithuanian flag.

Several years later on 14 March 1971, the community gathered at the gravesite of Simas to remember him and bless the headstone placed there. Engineer A. Jakštas designed the headstone of black granite with a white cross and the Gedimino stulpai carved into lower corner.  It stands in the Lithuanian section of Rookwood Cemetery, Sydney.

Kudirka gifts Australian Doctor his artwork

 Our 28 February post about artist Algirdas Kudirka, 1915–1980, caught the eye of Beth Robertson in Adelaide, who has shared this photograph and information.

This poker work ‘Australia’ by Algirdas Kudirka has had pride of place in our family home for 60 years. It is dedicated to my father ‘Dr. S. Robertson’,  Thorburn Stirling Brailsford Robertson, 1925–1966.
 
My father was a doctor who achieved sobriety after being admitted to Northfield Mental Hospital (later Hillcrest Hospital) in 1960 as a certified patient for alcohol and drug addiction. He came under the treatment of Dr Bill Salter, whose therapeutic approach included an Alcoholics Anonymous group at the hospital. Dr Salter supported my father’s appointment as a medical officer and he worked with addicts and AA groups at both Hillcrest and Yatala for the six years until his death aged 40. He was known as ‘Doc Robbie’ to most people.
 
My late mother told us that the artist was one of our father’s patients. I understand that Algirdas Kudirka is remembered as suffering from alcoholism. With the poker work dated 1963, he was probably a patient at Hillcrest Hospital at that time.
 
The poker work’s dimensions are 63cm x 50.5cm x 1cm. It is very striking with the adoption of Aboriginal motifs, the curious shaping of the continent of Australia (with the artist’s name worked into Tasmania) and the inversion of fishes over the landmass.
 

I would love to know whether anyone in the Lithuanian community has knowledge of Algirdas Kudirka’s time/s at Hillcrest (or Yatala). This could be by commenting on this post or sending me information privately via Daina. It could add to the story of the artwork as well as my father’s legacy.

The songs my father sang

Paulius Rutenis (Rutkauskas)

19 March 1919 – 28 August 1983

Singer, soloist, actor, director, journalist.

A man who was seen on and off stage in Adelaide, Melbourne and later Sydney.

He was born in Liepaja, Latvia, to Lithuanian parents who travelled there to work.  When he was around three years old, the family returned to Lithuania.  His father loved to sing and would encourage the whole family to sing together.  They would open the windows and hear the applause from their neighbours.  His father was tenor, his brother was a strong bass, his mother an alto and sister soprano, in a word, a full choir.  Friends, all singers would gather and sing, Lithuanian folk songs in their home.

 Paulius finished Kaunas Aušros boys school and then studied at Vytautas Didžiojo University.  He became a soloist with the Kaunas National theatre.  In 1943 he moved to Vienna where he studied at the Theatre Wissenshaft, then the following year moved to Austria where he joined the Innsbruck Opera. He then moved to Stuttgart where he sang on radio and would perform for Lithuanians in Displaced Persons Camps.  He was able to sing in five languages.

 Migrating to Australia, he arrived in Adelaide having traveled on the General Black on 3 June 1948.  He was sent to work on the railways at Peterborough, South Australia.  While in Peterborough he gave a concert at the Peterborough Town Hall with two other Baltic artists, a classical ballet dancer from the Berlin Wintergarten, Borys Schinkow, and Stasys Liaksas, piano  accordionist formerly of the American Army Officers' Club band.

 He actively involved himself in the Adelaide Lithuanian community and local music scene.  He could often be heard singing on the radio.  He organised the Lithuanian theatre group, where he acted and directed numerous plays.  He studied at the University of Adelaide for two years, leaving to move to Melbourne.  From 1966 he joined the Australian Opera where he had minor roles and sang in the Opera Choir. He retired in 1981.

In 1977 he moved to Sydney and joined the Sydney theatre group, Atžala where he acted and directed plays.  Shortly before his death, he formed the Sydney Lithuanian women’s ensemble Sutartinė. He commenced teaching them the songs he had learnt as a child from his father, long forgotten folk songs.

References

Australijos Lietuvis December 6^th 1948 Nr.7

The Argus Thu 17 Jun 1948, page 3,  Three Baltic artists to give concert

Agnė Lukšytė-Meilūnas

 Agnė Lukšytė-Meilūnas 

1920 - 2007

The writer Agnė Lukšytė-Meilūnienė, born in 1920 in the village of Subačius wjere she grew up with two older brothers. When Agnė graduated from Subačius elementary school, she moved to Panevėžys girls' high school. After graduating in 1939, she entered Kaunas Vytautas the Great University to study Lithuanian language and literature. After the Faculty of Humanities was moved to Vilnius, Agnė also moved there - she studied Lithuanian and German languages.  

In 1944, she moved to Germany and settled in Dresden.  In 1949, she sailed to Australia with her young son Haroldas, settling in Sydney.  

Her first book is a collection of short stories Kalnų velnias published in 1970 in Australia. The second book, Café Po kadagiais, depicts the bombing of Dresden on February 13-20, 1944.  Following this a collection of short stories White chrysanthemum which was published in 1993 in Lithuania.  In 1981, the writer won the America Dirva prize for the short story Zefirantės, in 1994 - the prize of the Society of Expatriate Lithuanian Writers for the collection of short stories "White chrysanthemum".

The novel, Prošvaistė šešėlyje (A Gap in the Shadow) depicts the people of a small Australian town, their life, and their environment.  

• Kalnų velnias, novelės. Belmore, Meiliūnas, 1970 m.

• Kavinė "Po kadagiais", Cafe "Po Kadagiais 4 veiksmų drama. Vilnius, Centrinio pašto dėžė 150, 1993 m.

• Baltoji chrizantema, novelės White chrysanthemum. Vilnius, Mokslo ir enciklopedijų leidykla, 1993 m., Standartų spaustuvė, 2006 m. 

• Prošvaistė šešėlyje, romanas. Vilnius, J. Nainys: Visuomenės informavimo priemonių valdyba, 1996-1997 m.

Agnė passed away on 23 November 2007 and is buried in the Woronora Memorial Park with her son. 

Picking pears for Australia

The first transport of Lithuanians to Australia, made their way to Bonegilla Migrant Camp.  The new migrants were required to work two years wherever the Australian government required workers.  One hundred Baltic migrants from the first transport were employed as fruit pickers in the Shepparton district between January and March 1948.  The District Employment arranged for the migrants to assist in the fruit harvesting subject to certain conditions, including that they be employed in batches of at least five and that satisfactory board and accommodation must be provided by the growers.  The Goulburn Valley had only a small available quantity of labour which would have been totally inadequate to harvest the crop, which could lose thousands of pounds worth of fruit.  Most of the migrants whose average age is 24 years, were employed in the Ardmona district for the harvesting of fresh fruit, canning fruit, and dried fruits.

On Wednesday, 10 December 1947, 193 Baltic migrants arrived by special buses from the Bonegilla Migrant Camp.  The Australian farmers agreed that migrants an excellent type of migrant and are well satisfied with the selection. The migrants have been distributed among 30 orchards in the Shepparton and Ardmona district.  At the end of the season, they will be free to accept employment as permanent orchard hands if they so desire. There were some instances of difficulties involving the new migrants, such as intoxication but on the whole they worked well.

Sixteen recently arrived Baltic migrants, including five married couples, have taken up permanent residence in the Goulburn Valley.  Six women have commenced employment at Mooroopna hospital as wards maids and pantry maids while the 12 men are being employed on orchards, chiefly at Ardmona.  Another 12 men are shortly expected to take up orchard work in the district.

Not all orchard owners were being fair to the new migrants.  Some workers in the Shepparton district are kept in isolated groups and are working a 48-hour week for the same pay as Australians receive for a 40-hour week.  Some of the Balts threw in their jobs and returned to Bonegilla. One proposal by CSR monopoly was to alter buildings at its Yarraville works to house workers employed on a two years' contract.  Discussion at the Building Trades Federation agreed it would not build hostels for their segregation. Housing material would be better used housing Australians already suffering an acute shortage of homes.

Building a home

Linas and Elena arrived in Australia in 1948.  They had two young children. Linas worked in the Bathurst camp for 18 months assisting new arrivals.  Accommodation at that time was scarce and he had heard there was accommodation available in Adelaide.  The accommodation being a caravan at Semaphore.  He requested permission to transfer to Adelaide.  It was granted so Elena and the children went first. 

Even renting a caravan was expensive, about £4-5, a quarter of your wage.  Linas and Elena began saving for their own place. The banks wouldn’t lend you money for land, but once you had this then you could apply for a loan to build a house. Released from his two-year compulsory employment, Linas found a job was working at the General Motors Holden’s factory at Woodville.  

 They found a block of land at Fifth Ave, Woodville Gardens for £150.   Woodville Gardens and the surrounding area was a new land development, the land was affordable and close to work. They had saved £50 and another £100 was loaned by Lithuanian friends.  At first, they lived on the block in a caravan. The caravan was just an empty shell.  They had brought with them from Germany a wooden box that someone had discarded.  This became their table where the primus stove was placed for cooking.  Elena would walk to Cheltenham racecourse about 1.5 km away and ask for straw, to be used for bedding.  With her broken English, she had trouble conveying that she needed straw to sleep on. They told her she needed a mattress to sleep on but delivered the straw to her anyway.  They had to be extremely careful that the straw did not catch fire.  Water was put on the block when they purchased it.  Council permission was needed to live in a caravan which was reviewed in six months.

 In June 1951, Linas received approval to erect a dwelling on their land.   A wooden house was built halfway down the large ¼ acre block.  They were able to construct it quickly giving them more time to save for a brick home.   A Lithuanian friend was able to make the frames for the house.  More friends would come to work on Saturdays and in the evenings after work.  In turn they would help each other build their houses.

 A small two roomed wooden house was built, with a kitchen and bathroom.  The floor of the house was made from wooden packaging boxes from Holden’s.    They lived there for a year before they could afford to start building something more permanent.  Once in their new house they rented out the wooden one to migrants.  It was common for people to rent out rooms for extra money.  They would receive £2 per week for the wooden house, and Linas would earn £6 a week working at Holden’s.

 The house was built of bessa blocks, with wooden sash windows and a red tiled roof.  It has three bedrooms, lounge and dining room and kitchen.  The bessa block was rendered and painted a pale green.  The main bedroom was to be larger, but with post war restriction, building material was restricted and the Council wouldn’t allow a larger room.   

Other Lithuanians also settled in the Woodville area.  There was little time for socialising as much of their efforts went into trying to establish themselves and their new homes.

T
heir back yard became a vegetable and fruit garden.  They planted a mandarin, pear, Granny apple, apricot, olive, grapefruit, lemon, walnut, almond and mulberry tree.  A large vegetable garden grew all year round.  Capsicums, cucumbers, beetroot, potatoes, sorrel, tomatoes and carrots.  Fruit and vegetables were preserved to be enjoyed all year round.  Elena would preserve fruit in glass jars, pickle cucumbers make jams with excess produce.  Linas built a chicken coup which stood along the back fence, providing fresh eggs daily.