A typical Sunday at Lithuanian House. Cars drive slowly looking for a park. Adelaidians after Sunday mass at St Casimir
travel to Lithuanian House for lunch.
Today Vilniaus scout troop
have prepared lunch. Some arrive for
lunch with the whole family, while others may bring Australian friends to try
cepeliniai. By the kitchen door a table stands
with various cakes, all homemade. Bagels,
žagarelių and
honey cake are brought to try and to take home. Another table is piled with bottles, prizes
for the lottery. Adelaidians have generous
hearts and happily open their wallets to buy lottery tickets, which is drawn at
the end of lunch. “One needs to support
the scouts for their national camp” said one to a neighbour.
The scouts are happy with their takings, rubbing their hands
together saying “Lunch was good”. After
lunch some may move into the bar to drink a glass of beer, others to the
Library to see any new additions or to purchase a record, others may go and
play billiards. The youth have moved
outside to play basketball. Another may
venture to Talka for some finance
transactions, or view the Archives and museum.
Those at Lithuanian house are in little Lithuania. What would one do if we didn’t have Lithuanian
House? Our lives would be uninteresting and awkward. Can you remember the time when Adelaide did
not have a Lithuanian House, or Catholic centre, nor our own church. We prayed at St Joseph church while Father
Jatulis kept an eye on the clock so as to not run overtime, because the Poles
were behind the door waiting for their time slot. We gathered for national
dancing in numerous premises. It is
incredible that only five years after arriving in Australia, Adelaide already
had a house committee established. For
several years they studied what would be the best way to buy a premises. It was decided that a non profit organisation
‘Lietuviu Sajunga’ (Lithuanian Union) aimed as a legal entity would acquire and
dispose of immovable and other assets. The first committee consisted of President V
Raginis, Vice President J Kalvaitis, Secretary J Pyragius and treasurer A Šliuzas.
Lithuanian House is where our children learn Lithuanian,
dance national dances, play basketball.
How many weddings were held here, concerts, various meetings?
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