Australian Lithuanian History

He put his hand up; The story of Jonas Valinskas Roy Criddle Jonas Valinskas a refugee from WWII came to Australia on the first Australian Government sponsored ship, the General Heintzelman in 1947.  He was 19 years old. He fulfilled his two year migration contract with the government then worked his way around Australia and worked on projects such as the Woomera Rocket Range and Rum Jungle Uranium project.   Jonas settled in 1953 in Western Australia where he eventually worked for West Australian Petroleum Pty (WAPET) for over 30 years. The book tells of Jonas life, the reasons why he fled Lithuania at the end of WWII, time in the Displaced Persons camps in Germany and arrival in Australia.  His two year contract was spend in South Australia working as a labourer for the Water Supply.  Here the new migrants were housed in tent villages often in parklands near their work. The book continues Jonas life into retirement and a return journey for Jo...

To Bonegilla from Somewhere by Wanda Skowronska Connor Court Publishing, Ballarat, 2013 This book is the story of the authors parents, Bogdan Skowronski from Poland and Valerie Klucnieka from Latvia.  Like thousands of other Displaced Persons from eastern Europe these people lived for several years in camps before immigrating to Australia.  The book recounts something of how Bonegilla came to be, of what life was like for those who passed through.  Bonegilla being the largest immigration camp in Australia later WWII.  Three quarters of the book focuses on the background of Bogdan and Valerie and the years previous to WWII.  The political environment that forced them to leave their homes.  Wanda provides great detail of what Bonegilla was like, which gives the reader a clear picture in one’s mind.  ‘In each block there was a mess hall, kitchen, pit toilets and supervisors office.  Each of the huts held about 26 people, dormitory ...

While filing documents for the Adelaide Lithuanian Archives there was a copy of a letter relating to Vincas Laurinaitis.    The letter is from the United Lithuanian Relief Fund of America, written to the Resettlement office in IRO Area 5, Munich October 1948.  The letter in English is asking for support in processing applications for Argentinian visas for persons on the enclosed list.    The following page, in Spanish, lists 40 names; among them;  Malela Vytautas, born 1888, a chemist residing at Augsburg DP Hospital, his wife Vladislava born 1894, son Romualdas born 1932, a labourer and Vladislava born 1926.  The list is of Lithuanian Catholics on the North American zone of Germany who wish to relocate to Argentina.  (Thanks Google translate).  I stopped at the name Malela, as it is in my family history.  My grandmothers aunt married a Malela.  I knew he was a chemist and had been in partnership in the firm Germapo, a la...