100 Aciu - Victor Baltutis

Aciu Viktoras Baltutis
We recommend Victoras Baltutis for recognition for his service and commitment to the Adelaide Lithuanian Community and also the wider Australian Lithuanian Community.

We believe Victor deserves the recognition for everything he has done without asking for anything in return.

Reason for recommendation:

Victor Baltutis has volunteered diligently and selflessly for the Adelaide and Australian Lithuanian Community since arriving in Australia in 1948 on the seventh boat of displaced people to arrive from Europe. A displaced person was the term previously used for what is currently referred to as a refugee. His achievements include creating the Australian Lithuanian Archives (a fifteen year undertaking) which is currently housed at St. Casimir's Lithuanian Parish at 6 Third Avenue Saint Peters. These archives are the history of the Lithuanian Community in Australia from arrival in the late 1940's as displaced people to current times. These archives are now of significant historical value and protected from export by the Australian government.

Although Victor Baltutis is over 90 years of age, he continues to be active in the community, helping organise and coordinate Saint Casimir's Parish to have a priest presiding over Holy Mass for the parishioners every Sunday. Victor continues to assist younger Lithuanians who contact him for guidance and advice around various Lithuanian matters. He wrote and edited the Adelaide Lithuanian Bulletin on his own computer for many years. He just recently reduced his workload due to health reasons. The Adelaide Lithuanian Bulletin comes out every fortnight and is the highlight for the elderly Australian Lithuanians who may no longer have easy access to their community or written language. Victor still contributes to writing in this and other national and international Lithuanian publications.

Due to Victor’s work in the Adelaide Lithuanian and Australian Lithuanian Communities, he is well known and highly respected in the Adelaide and Australian Lithuanian Community. In 2017 he won the Norwood, Saint Peters and Payneham City Councils Citizen of the Year Award for his work. Victor very reluctantly accepted this award, as he views his contribution to the Adelaide and Australian Lithuanian Communities as a “natural thing to do”. Victor has always been humble and working tirelessly to promote and maintain the Lithuanian heritage in Adelaide and Australia. He previously declined an Order of Australia award due to his humility and considers his thousands of volunteer hours he has contributed to Australian Lithuanian Community as a normal way of life.

Significant achievements/contributions include:

 ● Lithuanian refugee from World War II – Migrated to Australia as part of the second group of Lithuanian refugees in Australia in the late 1940’s

● Coordinated the Lithuanian Parish and Community events

● Until late 2016, was part of the Adelaide Lithuanian Catholic Church Committee and has been for many years

● Was a Leader of the Adelaide Lithuanian Catholic Church Committee for many years

● Was the Secretary of the Adelaide Lithuanian Community and President of the Australian Lithuanian Community

● Volunteered as a Justice of the Peace for the Adelaide Community for 35 years

● Established the Adelaide Lithuanian Radio Programme in 1978 which continues to this day on 5EBI 103.1 FM every Saturday from 9 am to 10 am
● Established the Adelaide Branch of the Lithuanian Co-Op Credit Society ‘TALKA’ Ltd.

● Wrote and funded the publication of a book ‘Issinesem Tik Ilgesi” about the Lithuanian Community in Australia (in Lithuanian) and a book about Partizans in Occupied Lithuania “Akivaras”

● Wrote and directed a drama of Simas Kudirka 

NPSP Citizen of the Year 2017

● Created the Australian/Lithuanian archives
These books and the Australian/Lithuanian archives are an important resource for historical academic research of Lithuanians in Australian and their immigration to Australia.

● Taught Matriculation students the Lithuanian language

● Regularly contributes to the National Lithuania Newspaper ‘Musu Pastoge’ (Our Homeland)

● Organised and presided over a number of the Biennial National Lithuanian Cultural Festivals

● An inspirational leader and confidant for the Adelaide and Australian Lithuanian Communities
 Nominated by his daughters, Dana & Anita and son-in-law Craig Clarke.

1990 Song festival in Vilnius

 

The climate in Lithuania had changed by 1990 that it seemed possible that group visits could occur.  It was at this time that the Adelaide Lithuanian National Dancing group Žilvinas were gearing up to participate in the 13^th Lithuanian National song festival to be held in Vilnius.  It would have been the first time that most of us would have travelled overseas and to Lithuania. 

Lithuania had just regained its Independence on 11 March 1990.  Russia was not overjoyed at this and so an ultimatum was issued on April 13: drop all talk about independence or face economic sanctions in the form of a blockade.  Lithuania did not retreat, and the Soviet government introduced sanctions against Lithuania as of April 18.

The blockade conditions meant that visas were not granted to everyone in Adelaide Dancing group.  Practising weekly with our teacher, Vytas Straukas, there were about 15 in the group.  A fortunate six got visas and were able to travel to Lithuania to partake in the Song festival.

Birute Stalbaite
Dana Baltutyte
Julija Bakutyte
Bronius Sabeckis
Andrius Dunda
Paul Rupinskas

V-16 school in Germany

Vasario 16, (February 16) Lithuania’s Independence day is the name given to the only Lithuanian High School high school outside Lithuania.

During World War II, thousands of Lithuanians left their homeland fleeing Soviet occupation. By the close of the war, most of them had ended up in Germany. As war refugees they were housed in “displaced persons camps.” Conditions were harsh and their future uncertain. Yet they did not allow that to discourage them and went to work establishing Lithuanian educational institutions for themselves and their children.  By 1947 there were 26 Lithuanian high schools, five Lithuanian technical colleges, and 112 Lithuanian primary schools in Germany.

As Lithuanians emigrated many of these schools were closed, but 8,000 Lithuanians chose to remain in Germany.

In 1950, Germany’s Lithuanian Community established a single high school for Lithuanian students. The high school was founded in Diepholz—the site of a displaced persons camp where many Lithuanians had lived since the end of the war. In 1954, the Lithuanian Community acquired Rennhof Manor House with its twelve-acre park in the town of Lampertheim-Hüttenfeld. The school was relocated there.
Following the reestablishment of independence, the school continued to serve as a cultural centre for Lithuanians in Western Europe and a bridge between Lithuania and the West, providing an opportunity for the children of Lithuanian expatriates to integrate without losing their Lithuanian identity.

The Australian Lithuanians did not forget this school and many gave donations in support.  For Lithuanian Australians the school was physically and economically out of reach for many years.  It wasn’t until 1980 that someone from Australia enrolled in the school.  In 1980 Raimondas Andrekus donated $1000 for an Australian Lithuanian to attend the school for one year.  The gift was awarded to Andrius Binkevičius from Adelaide.  Andrius was to receive another $500 from N Butkus.

Other Adelaidians to attend the school have been;
Dana Baltutytė
Anita Baltutytė
Birute Stalba
Linas Pocius
Daniele Pocius
Vanessa Milen
Matthew Page-Hanify

Adelaide Lithuanian Radio Program

In 1975 the Adelaide University radio station 5UV invited ethnic groups to present programs. You were able to listen to Dutch, German and Latvian.  Vytautas Neverauskas, President of the community at that time thought it would be wonderful to hear the Lithuanian language on radio.  He approached  Viktoras Baltutis, Secretary of the community to contact the radio station where he was promised a weekly half hour slot.  A committee was formed consisting of Algis Grigonis (technician), Jurgis Jonavicius, Jonas Neverauskas, Genovaitė Vasiliauskienė and Viktoras Baltutis. Algis Grigonis worked at the ABC as a radio technician, whose assistance was vital to the success of the program. 

On March 13, 1977 the first progam was produced.  The community still had no equipment and at first used the studio at the Ukrainian house.  Algis contacted the Australian Lithuanian Federal Council for finance to purchase equipment.  $2000 was required, more than the committee had, so finances from Lithuanian Freedom society was borrowed.  The Adelaide Community converted the small room behind the stage at Lithuanian house into a studio.  It wasn’t hard to fill in half an hour as many of the community groups were keen to be participate.  It didn’t take long to repay the loan.

In 1979, the Adelaide Ethnic Broadcasters Incorporated (EBI) was formed out of the Adelaide University 5UV station and  given their own frequency.   It started to broadcast ethnic programs firstly in Dutch and Italian.  All previous foreign language broadcasts had been on commercial stations.  The Adelaide Lithuanian Radio committee approached EBI to extend their broadcasting time to one hour slot each fortnight, which they were granted.  

Viktoras Baltutis managed the radio program for six years.  He would plan the program, write small plays and invite others to participate.  Jurgis Jonavicius, Genovaitė Vasiliauskienė, Jonas Neverauskas, Elena Varnienė, and the Adelaide Youth organised by Jonas Mockūnas and Paulius Dunda. 

News and other announcements were read by Genovaitė Vasiliauskiienė, Odeta Stimburienė, Marytė Neverauskienė, Elena Lomsargienė, Viktoras Ratkevicius, Bronius Rainys and Augis Zamoiskis.  Algis Grigonis assisted with the radio until he passed away.  Stepas Guščia , Augis Zamoiskis, Jonas Rupinskas and Danutė Grigonytė assisted over the years.

The main aim was to broadcast news about the world and Australian Lithuanian life. Occasional speakers included Father Spurgis and Juozas Petraitis.  Special guests have included Simas Kudirka, Vytautas Kamantas (World Lithunain President) Dr Kazys Bobelis (surgeon, Honorary Chairman of the American Lithuanian Council and President of the Supreme Committee for the Liberation of Lithuania), soloists G Čapkauskienė and R Daunoras.

In 1983, the radio program was organised by Leonas Gerulaitis, assisted by Janina Vabolienė. Robert Sabeckis, Vita Bardauskaitė, Saulius Varnas, Pranas Pusdešris, Bronius Straukas, Antanina Guciuvience have been involved over the years.

The community still broadcast the one hour program, weekly on Saturdays at 9:00am on 5EBI 103.1FM.