Vytautas Simniškis was born on 2 October 1918, in Marijampolė, into a large family of a wealthy farmers.
Like many Lithuanians, Vytautas ended up in the Seedorf camp after the end of the war in Germany. He did not rest here but took up work and was appointed warehouse manager.
Vytautas arrived in Australia on the first transport at the end of 1947. He served his government required employment in the brown coal mines of Yallourn, Victoria. At the beginning of 1950, he moved to Sydney, where Vytautas put down his roots and devoted himself wholeheartedly to Lithuanian activities. He bought a grocery store, which he modernized and expanded. It was his livelihood until he retired.
In 1955, Vytautas married a fellow Lithuanian.
Since the beginning of 1953 to 1958 Vytautas was a member of the board of the Lithuanian Community of Australia, serving for three terms, and in 1953-4 he was elected chairman of the board. During his leadership, the board established close links with exile organisations of other nations and with Australian political parties. The case of Lithuania was raised everywhere.
In his position as head of social care, he called together the more active women of Sydney in early 1956 with the aim of establishing an aid society. From this nucleus grew the registered and capable Sydney Lithuanian Women's Social Care Association of which Tanja was a member and served as President. In the third term of the board, as the treasurer, Vytautas many efforts to improve the difficult financial situation of Mūsų Pastogė, the Sydney Lithuanian newspaper. Vytautas was the initiator of establishing a united Baltic committee.
For the next two terms, Vytautas served in the National Control Commission. His acquired practice in trade and his extraordinary endurance and stubborn personality, which makes the impossible possible, gave us the community the registered Lithuanian club and one of the most beautiful Lithuanian houses in the entire diaspora. In 1960, Vytautas was elected to the board of the Lithuanian House of Sydney and was immediately appointed to be chairman. He remained in that position without any break until 1983, when he retired from the board.
The path from the old Club at Redfern to the newer licensed club with new buildings was winding and full of obstacles. It was necessary to go to courts with lawyers, handle municipal bureaucrats, construction workers, and to study mainly the laws of this land. Vytautas overcame all this. He had neither magical power nor supernatural abilities, but he was straight-thinking, and after patiently listening to mutual arguments, he said with light humour: "...let's get back to work, men, because we have to do it now."
On 8 July 1987 about two hundred Sydney Lithuanians gathered in St. Joseph's Church, in Lidcombe, to accompany Vytautas Simniškis, on his last journey on earth. Mass was offered by Fr. Povilas Martūzas and after, a long motorcade escorted the coffin to Rookwood Crematorium.
Chairman Vytautas Bukevičius spoke on behalf of the Board of the Lithuanian Club. He urged those present to continue the work of the deceased by committing to maintain the Lithuanian Club and leave it for future generations as an eternal monument.
Vytautas, you deserve our greatest thanks. Rest in peace, far from your birthplace, and at the same time rejoice in being so close to the creation of your earthly life.
References
Mūsų Pastogė 1978, 10 September, V. Siminiskis, 50 years
Mūsų Pastogė 1987 July 20, Obituary by Anskis Reisgys p,3
National Archive of Australia
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