Australian Lithuanian History

I have just reached over 10,000 page views for this blog.  I am really enjoying researching the community I grew up and in and have learnt so much doing so.  I grew up with world recognised architects, singers, athlete's and never new it. I am discovering such a rich history of which I am proud and am glad that I can share this with other interested people.  I hope to continue researching the community until we reach the present. Thank you to all to read this blog, your interest motivates mine. 

This article was written by  Max Fatchen for the Mail on  30 Oct 1954.  In the George Murray Hall of Adelaide University last Saturday night, a unique meeting was held. It was the first gathering in Australia of men and women from Lithuania who had belonged to the Scout movement which was associated with the social activities of Lithuanian Universities.     It was also the first meeting ever of Lithuanians graduates in this country.    This is the story of some of the people who went along.        They were happy days in 1938 when pretty Stasė Korsakaitė was doing her dental course at Vytautas, the Great University in Kaunas, Lithuania.  There she met engineer Antanas Pacevičius, an assist ant to one of the professors, and they fell in love.  For keen-looking Jonas Kalvaitis there had been good days, too, with plenty of work when he did his law course there. There had been an occasional duel, but no one ever got hurt....

I have posted earlier on Lithuanian's in WWI as identified by Govnor.  I am sure there were also Lithuanian in WWII and a few I have identified in Vietnam.  I am sure there are more than this list, but these were obvious.  The ones in red are those with a South Australian connection.  I believe they all returned. The Nominal Roll of Vietnam Veterans lists approximately 61 000 men and women who served in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Australian Army and Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in Vietnam, or in the waters adjacent to Vietnam, during the conflict between 23 May 1962 and 29 April 1975. http://www.vietnamroll.gov.au/ ANDRIEJUNAS Algirdas Peter Captain in Royal Australian Army Pay Corp AUKŠTINAITIS Peter Sapper in Royal Australian Survey Corps BAGDONAS Algirdas Antanas Corporal in Royal Australian Infantry Corps BLAZEVIČIUS Algis Anthony Corporal Royal Australian Infantry Corps BRAŽIONIS Peter Vytas Gunner in Royal reg...

Employed On High Priority Work More than 1,000 Balts were employed in South Australia on work of the highest priority, the Deputy Director of the Commonwealth Employment Service (Mr. P. K. Dwyer) said on Saturday. It was probable, he said, that several hundred more Balts would be allocated to SA before the end of the year and that fairly large numbers of women would be made available to alleviate shortages of staff in country hospitals. The men would be employed in brick manufacturing, water works and sewerage, forestry, timber mills, road and wharf construction, gypsum mining, salt harvesting and State and Commonwealth railways. Mr. Dwyer said that 15 Balts were engaged on the Leigh Creek coalfields and others were on labouring work at the Woomera rocket range. There were 100 Balt women in hospitals and institutions. The Advertiser Monday 6 September 1948

Balts at Leigh Creek coalfields are producing their own newspaper in Lithuanian.  It is surely the only one of its kind in Australia. Run by George Glusauskas, the ‘Australijos Lietuvis’ (which means “Lithuania in Australia” comes out once a week. Its 10 typewritten pages are run off a duplicating machine, and so I’m told are read very thoroughly by all Balt migrants at Leigh Creek and many elsewhere. My knowledge of Lithuanian is small, but I gather that the paper covers a wide field.  There seems to be plenty of stories about world affairs; “Komunistu antidemonstracija”, one story is headed, and there’s a story about a “Berlyno blokados” and “US sekretorius Mr Marshall”. And on page 2 there is a poem. Passing by Mr Pim The News Wednesday November 3rd, 1948

The final camp day, January 2 nd was visitors day, the day where group results were presented.  Strong hot winds meant the planned activities couldn’t go ahead. The majority of campers went back into Lobethal for mass, while a few stayed to guard the camp from the stormy winds.  Dust, smoke and wind coming from one of the biggest bush fires South Australia had ever seen ripped through the camp. The camp leaders quickly decided that the camp was at an end and transferred camp materials to a Mr Dičiunas’ truck.  That day became known as 'Black Sunday'.  The bushfires swept through the Adelaide Hills, blackening 600 square miles of country from One Tree Hill in the north to Strathalbyn in the south. The camp met its objectives, which were to foster the Lithuanian language and culture among its youth.   The scouts learnt many new Lithuanian songs and got to experience living in the bush. The camp participants were still owed a last camp fire after th...

From 27 December 1954 through to the new year, Lithuanian scouts and guides gathered for their first camp in the State. On the morning of December 27th about 25 scouts and 23 guides boarded a specially hired bus from St Joseph’s church in the city to make their journey to the camp site at Lobethal in the Adelaide hills.  Thirteen tents were erected, with a wooden cross in between.  A kitchen, a dug in table that was decorated with a tower and cross with “rupintojelis’ in the middle.  Across the small creek the scouts build some steps to a site where the fire was built.  Early the next morning the scouts arose for exercise which was followed by a quick tidy of their uniforms and tents before inspection.  Following this all marched to the cross for the flag raising where the scout prayer was said and the Lithuanian and Australian anthem sung.   After a hearty breakfast the days activities began. Sport, scout games, and camp improvements ....