Mykolas Zakaras - Eleventh President

Mykolas was born on October 21, 1909, in the Urniežiai farmstead, Dotnuva parish, Kėdainiai county, into the family of a wealthy farmer.  He grew up with five brothers and three sisters. Mykolas was the eldest in the family.  He attended primary school in Dotnuva, continued his secondary education in Kėdainiai and Kaunas, at the Pavasaris Higher Commercial School (Gymnasium). He completed his higher education in Klaipėda, where he studied at the Institute of Trade.  He also attended the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics of Vytautas Magnus University, but was unable to complete his studies, as the University was closed during the German occupation.  He performed his military service in the Sixth Squadron of the Military Aviation, in Šiauliai. He graduated with the rank of private.  He worked as a bookeeper  for the Electrical station in Telšiai from 1938 – 1944.  In addition to Lithuanian, he was fluent in three languages, German, Russian and Polish.

On 21 January 1942, Mykolas Zakaras and nurse in the Resurrection
Church in Kaunas.  A daughter was born in Kaunas. The family moved to Germany in 1944, due to the Soviet reoccupation of Lithuania. Mykolas worked in a factory at Schwopnitz, Saxonia Germany and later from 1945 as a checker in a warehouse for the IRO in Hanau Germany.   A son, was born in 1945, Germany 

After the war, they emigrated from Germany to Australia, where they lived in the Sydney suburb of Kingsgrove.

Mykolas worked hard in a glass factory, settled down nicely and took care of his children's education, and when they grew up, he joined the activities of the community. 1961-1962 Mykolas took up the position of Chairman of the Bankstown District Board, later in 1963 he was elected to the Regional Board of the Lithuanian Community of Australia.  In 1969, after the death of the then Chairman of the Regional Board of the ALB, Stasys Narušis, he briefly took over the position of the former Chairman.

In 1967, Mykolas Zakaras joined the Sydney branch of the Lithuanian Veterans Union "Ramovė". He was active in this union and a dutiful member, often elected to the branch board, he held various positions. For his exceptional kindness and merits to the Lithuanian soldiers, united in the Lithuanian Soldiers Veterans Union "Ramovė", on May 20, 1989, he was elected an honorary member of the union.

On 16 August 1985 Mykolas passed away.  On the 21st friends and acquaintances accompanied Mykolas on his last journey to the Rookwood cemetery. Mindaugas Šumskas gave a farewell speech at the grave, remembering his contribution to the creation of the Bankstown Lithuanian House and his work in the activities of the district. Juozas Dambrauskas also mentioned Mykolas' merits in sports activities, for which he was elected an honorary member of "Kovas".