As a young man he became a trainee acrobat with a troupe that spent World War II entertaining soldiers. At this time, Žilinskas developed the “strongman” aerial act that he later brought to Australia.
Jonas was part of the first transport of DP's arriving on the General Stuart Heintzelman.. His two year contract saw him cutting timber in the Yuraygir National Park, northern NSW. Jonas designed and built what is thought to be the first swingsaw in Australia. It had an immediate impact on sleeper production, increasing those made form 10 to 250 sleepers per day for a 2-3 man crew.
Before leaving the forest, Jonas built a statue of himself in the Newfoundland State Forest. Made from concrete the life size version of himself stands on a large column. The figure is covered in a keys. He lived in the forest in a self made wooden slab hut. He even erected a tightrope between the trees so he could practice his circus skills.
He never forgot his first love of circus work. By 1950's he began working again for Australian circuses, first joining Wirth's, Sole's, Bullen and then Ashton where he remained until his retirement in 1999. His signature act was holding a ring in his mouth while on a trapeze. From the ring would dangle another performer. He claimed he could hold the weight of three female aerialists. On one occasion he suffered a broken jaw while performing.
A lovely obituary was written for him by Pixi Robertson.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/jonas-zilinskas-circus-legend-a-hard-act-to-follow-20130826-2sm4a.html
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