Basketball Champions come to Australia

There is only one sport in Lithuania and that is basketball.   It didn’t become popular in Lithuania until 1935, when a team of American Lithuanians were invited to Kaunas.  Only two years later in 1937, Lithuania won the second FIBA European Championship.  Eight national teams took part, the defending champions Latvia hosted the tournament, in Riga.
Two years later in 1939, the third EuroBasket was held, the defending champions Lithuania hosted the tournament, held in the Kaunas Sports Hall. The winning team was Lithuania, winning by a point. 

The 1937 team comprised of : 
Feliksas Kriaučiūnas, Pranas Talzūnas, Stasys Šačkus, Juozas Žukas, Leonas Baltrūnas, Zenonas Puzinauskas, Artūras Andrulis, Leopoldas Kepalas, Pranas Mažeika, Česlovas Daukša, Leonas Petrauskas, Eugenijus Nikolskis (Coach: Feliksas Kriaučiūnas)

The 1939 team comprised of:
Pranas Lubinas, Mykolas Ruzgys, Feliksas Kriaučiūnas, Leonas Baltrūnas, Zenonas Puzinauskas, Artūras Andrulis, Pranas Mažeika, Leonas Petrauskas, Eugenijus Nikolskis, Vytautas Norkus, Jurgis Jurgėla, Mindaugas Šliūpas, Vytautas Budriūnas, Vytautas Lesčinskas (Coach: Pranas Lubinas).

WWII came and everything changed.  Many of the players fled Lithuania and ended up in America; three came to Australia; Leonas Baltrūnas, Leonas Petrauskas, Leopoldas Kepalas.  I will write of each Leo in future posts. 

Leonas Baltrunas first on left, Leonas Kepalas is at the end. Leonas Petrauskas, one of the team's twelve members, is missing in this picture.

Melbourne choir participates in the Toronto Song Festival, 1978

On June 23, 1978 the Melbourne choir, Samburys, left Tullamarine airport in Melbourne flying to Los Angeles.  There they were met by LA President, Vladas Simoliunas and billeted with local families.

The following evening in St Casimir’s church hall a meet and greet was held between the local community and sports delegates and choir singers. 

Disneyland was visited by many of the choir the next day.  

On June 25^th the choir sang some songs at mass.  The first concert was held in the church hall amidst some trepidation and hope that their first concert on American soil would go well.  300 people came to the concert and the choir was met with a standing ovation, flowers and gifts.

A few words were said by Lithuanian Consulate Vytautas Cekanauskas, ‘ We are very thankful that you came and continue to uphold the Lithuania spirit’.  LA Community President spoke, “June is a painful month for us, why did you partake on such a long journey?  The answer we are seeking peace, strength and energy to a free Lithuania. There are many obstacles, lies deception and political sabotage.  We all need to fight.  Like birds who return from faraway places to home, we need to wait for spring to fly home”.

On 26 June they left Los Angeles for Toronto where they were met by Danutė Barauskaitė on behalf of the Toronto Lithuanian community.  The choir was again billeted, their first concert in Hamilton was performed to an audience of 400 people.  Every choir member received a pin and flag, and two books on Hamilton Lithuanians.

On the 29^th Samburys sang to audience of 200.

30^th June, they performed in a concert for Toronto Lithuanians for 400 people.

On the 2 July Samburys participated in a Song Festival, with 54 choirs and over 1400 singers and a 300 member children’s choir.

A motto was chosen for the festival from a poem of Pr. Lemberto

Is visų kraštų pasaulio vėjai neša mūs skundus
Duokite laisvės, duokite saules,

Leiskti grižti į namus.

From all corners of the world the wind carries our grievances

Give us freedom, give us sun

Let us return home.

The festival was held in the Maple Leaf Gardens stadium which could seat 16,000 people.