Australian Lithuanian History

After co mpleting their compulsory two years’ work, five South Australian Lithua nians, three of them brothers began their own brick company.   The Užubalis brothers, Petra s, Jonas and Vladas together with Tadas Žurauskas and Hans Blaze rented land 20 miles from Adelaide on the Onkaparinga river at Port Noarlunga.   The Manager Hans Glaze was a mechanical engineer, Jonas and one other were brick makers.    They built a kiln that would fire 20,000 bricks a week, enough for one house.   They had an unlimited supply of clay from the river. Clay Products (Port Noarlunga) Ltd., brick manufacturers, has been incorporated in Adelaide with a nominal capital of £10,000.   The company has been formed to take over the business of Clay Products, Noarlunga.   At that time there were seven directors, six of whom are Lithuanians.   The business was sold three years later, and the men moved back to Adelaide to take up different employment.   Jonas Uzu...

In Apri l 1950, a group of Lithuanian men decided to register a team in the Perth Amateur Basketball League.   It was a windy, stormy day when a Lithuanian man, tired  and running later rushed to register the team.  Exchanging small talk with the Registrar it inevitably turned to the topic of weather.  After a short while the Registrar asked for the team name and without a thought, he uttered Storm.  Lithuanians referred to the team as the similar sounding word, Šturmas, which translates to ‘attack or assault’.  The all Lithuanian team made an impressive impression from the first game.   The Captain and Coach of the team,  Stasys Gincauskas began playing basketball in 1937.   Now aged 28, he had played extensively all over Europe. He was a member of a Lithuanian team formed in Germany after the war which toured France.   As a schoolboy he was coached by Leonas Baltrunas, who invited him to Victoria to play basketball there. ...