A Shared Hope

From the speech of the book launch on 15th November 2020, by Daina Pocius.

South Australia is the state of Lithuanian firsts; the first newspaper, the first theatre group, the first and only museum and archives, and the first soccer team, just to name a few.  We have a lot to be proud of and celebrate.

As someone who grew up with four Lithuanian grandparents and in the community, I was surprised that, there was a lot of history, I didn’t know.  

I knew Lithuanians love basketball and we have had basketball teams since 1949, but I didn’t know how good they were. 

The Vytis Club began playing in in C grade and they outclassed all their opponents so effortlessly to win the premiership that next year the team applied and was admitted to the A grade.

The very first rounds in 1950, showed that the Vytis boys even outclass some of the A grade team.

I didn’t know that in 1958, Juozas Baciunas, President of the World Lithuanians Community visited Adelaide with his wife.  They spent the New Year here, which was celebrated at Centennial Hall, Wayville.  The Women’s Association had spent all day preparing food for the 500 expected guests.  

I didn’t know, After the community purchased an old church in Eastry Street, Norwood, renovations were organised to extend the complex.  In 1961, to construct the front of Lithuanian House, required approximately 300 bricks, each one costing 2 shillings.  A scheme was created that if you purchased a brick you received a numbered badge.  

In the year 1961, men and women offered their time to build Lithuanian House.  They worked 2706 hours, equivalent to 339 workdays.  The men were fed with meals prepared by the 18 women in the Women's Committee.  

I didn’t know that we had a community member who was on a crusade to ensure that Lithuania was properly represented in printed material.  Juozas Riauba would write to publishers pointing out mistakes or misguided information.  In 1969, he began to correspond with the State Library of South Australia, suggesting books that the Library could purchase about Lithuania.  He had compiled a list of books that the Library held, relating to Lithuania, 40 books in all.  Juozas appealed to the Lithuanian community in Adelaide to donate books that might better represent Lithuania in the State Library.  He went one step further; writing to publishers seeking to purchase books which he would then donate to the Library.  Within a short time, the State Library increased its collection of books on Lithuania to 67.

I did know that Vitas Gerulatis, American born to Lithuanian parents was a tennis star.  I didn’t know that he followed his father’s talent on the tennis court.  Vitas senior had won the Lithuanian tennis championship in his youth. 

In 1980 while in Australia he came to Adelaide with his father.  Here they visited another former Lithuanian tennis champion, Alfonsas Remeikis.  Alfonsas had been Lithuanian tennis champion in 1929 and 1930 and won many doubles titles.  In 1938 his doubles partner was Vitas Gerulaitis senior.

I didn’t know that the tiny town of Eucla on the Western Australia/South Australia border in the middle of the Nullarbor Plain could be seen as a micro nation of Lithuania.  The small township has six streets, a Police Station, a Motel Hotel complex with restaurant and Caravan Park.  With a population of just 50, it is literally in the middle of nowhere.  

One of the streets is Patupis street, named after Gediminas. Gediminas ended up as proprietor of Eucla's Amber Motel.

There is a 20-foot-high white metal cross with stylized tulips.  Constructed on 13th October 1969, the cross is dedicated to all Christians and to those who made the highway.  Two memorials are there are dedicated to Steve.  They both feature the Gedimino stulpai (Columns of Gediminas) an iconic Lithuanian symbol.  

After discovering these stories, I got upset that I didn’t know, that the older generation didn’t tell anyone, they didn’t pass this history on.  I soon realised that they did.  They recorded these stories in publication in the newspapers, I didn’t see it because they were written in Lithuanian.  Not being my first language, I translated the stories in English, so I could tell the stories to those who were connected to the community but no longer spoke the language. 

One of the hardest parts in writing this book was to come up with a title.  I discussed this with friends and family and we couldn’t come up with something that I thought was suitable.  So, I went back to the stories, looking for a common thread.  I found one. 

This was written on the first ship carrying Displaced Persons from Europe to Australia, the General Heintzleman which docked in Fremantle on the 27 November 1947.

The fate and sufferings of the Baltic peoples are known to the greater part of the world, to the rest we shall untiringly tell them until the day our native countries regain their freedom and independence.

At the first scout camp in Adelaide in 1955, Camp fire leader Vytenis Stasiškis gave these final words at the camp.

 Do all you can for the Motherland and never give up hope for Lithuania’s future and our return there.

In the book Adelaide published book,  Blezdingėlės prie Torrenso   The Swallows by the Torrens published in 1962, a forward was written by Juozas Bačiūnas.  In it he wrote, 

Lithuanians established themselves economically and spiritually and partook in Australian life.  It is my desire to create ties and connections between Lithuanians around the world that we all share the same hope to help Lithuania and to return when Lithuania is free.

It was every Lithuanians shared hope, that they could return home to a free Lithuania.

Again and again I was astounded by the dedication, sacrifice, and perseverance that members contributed to the community.  The time, money and effort that so many people willingly gave to see their beloved homeland free, is extraordinary.

Lithuania is free once again.  This shared hope of returning to a free Lithuania bound the community in its early years and instigated many of the clubs and events that transpired over the past 70 years.  

Now it is time to honour their hard work and celebrate their successes.

The money for the printing of this book, has been provided by the Australian Lithuanian Fund.  All proceeds from this book and going back into the Archives so we can print more about our history.  

I want the community’s history to be remembered, each of us have a story to tell, one that is unique and will be lost if it is not recorded.  I look forward to working with you in preserving our community’s history.

You can purchase the book online  for $25.00, plus $6.50 postage from the Australian Lithuanian Archive Facebook page.  https://www.facebook.com/australianlithuanianarchives/