Adelaide's Community Photographer

Four days at youth camp

In October 1963, 45 young men and women aged between 14 and 22 gathered at O’Sullivan’s Beach for a camp.  The camp was organised by the Catholic Association.

The camp was an opportunity for Adelaide youth to develop and strengthen their character.  The camp program was organised to include something new and interesting all the time.  There were discussions and debates to broaden ones thoughts.  Sport, games, excursions, singing, the evenings around a camp fire and being so close to the beach, swimming.

The main benefit of the four days was for the youth to feel like real Lithuanians, not just in language but in thought.  One questions raised for thought and discussion was ‘is it worth being a Lithuanian in Australia?’  Discussion was lively and of course got of tract.  There was much discussion over ‘young’ and ‘old’ and how each views the other. 

The write up about the camp for the newspaper was written by a parent at the camp, who was impressed with the maturity of the participants.

 

Adelaide Lithuanian Amateur Photo Club

Adelaidės Lietuvių foto mėgėjų klubo

Adelaide Lithuanian Amateur Photo Club

Several Adelaide Lithuanians with an interest in photography got together and established an amateur photo club.  The aim was to help each other perfect their work.  At the first meeting on 18 October 1959, which was held at Vytautas Vosylius flat in Mile End the group produced its guidelines.

A Krausas viewing the exhibition in 1968

The first president was Vytautas Vosylius and the secretary Petras Snarskis.   The document was also signed by Kazys Požera,  Alfonsas Budrys,  Pranas Šatkus and Juozas Vebrys.

The Photo club organised several exhibitions in Adelaide and also during the Australian Lithuanian Festival Days as part of the Art exhibition.  They usually received over 50 works and in the 1968 exhibition had 95 on display.  The categories included Black and white, colour, portraits and landscapes.

Not surprisingly members Alfonsas Budrys and Vytautas Vosylius did exceedingly well in the competitions.  Both were active in Australian amateur photographic clubs as well.

The group was active until 1970.

Nemuno Dukros (Daughters of Nemunas)

Uršulė Juciene, Anelė Urnevičienė,
Birutė Budrienė, Teresa Gasiunienė

Kur bėga Šešupė, kur Nemunas teka

Tai mūsų tėvynė, graži Lietuva

(Where the Šešupė runs, where the Neman flows That's our homeland, beautiful Lithuania)

Almost every Lithuanian can recite these words by heart. It is so well known that it is treated as an unofficial national anthem.

The Adelaide Lithuanian Catholic Women from 1961 organised an annual “Šupini” (mixed concert).  The women wanted to strength these concerts with Lithuanian songs and so a women’s vocal quartet was formed.  It was led by Anelė Urnevičienė.

The quartet first performed on May 15^th 1965.  The group comprised of Birutė Budrienė, Uršulė Juciene, Teresa Gasiunienė (soprano), and Anelė Urnevičienė (Alto).  They were accompanied on the piano by Nemira Masiulytė Stapleton.

The group was a great success and so began to perform at festivals, literature evenings, gatherings, national festivals, at Baltic gatherings and at the Baltic homes.

On occasion they became a quintet with soprano Agota Kaminskienė. On other occasions N. Urmerienė and N. Vitkunienė joined them.

In 1971 they released an album of 16 songs, the record was called “Rankšluostiniausiu Lietuva Tėvyne”. They chose the name of Nemuno Dukros (Daughters of the Nemunas).  Performing on the album were members Birutė Budrienė, Agota Kaminskiene, Uršulė Jucienė, Anelė Urnevičienė The first side was accompanied Rasa Kubilius and the second  by Nemira Masiulytė. J Česna produced it, the covering photo was taken by A. Budrys, cover design by Pranas Pušdešrys and Administrator was P. Gasiunas, advisor was soloist A. Gučiuvienė.  The record was launched at the Lithuanian Catholic centre on February 22, 1972.

At various times the group was accompanied by Nemira Masiulyte-Stapleton, Rasa Kubiliutė-Mauragienė, Maria Dumčiuviene, R. Ziukelytė, Svietynas Kubilius, R. Pranckunaitė, S. Vasilauskienė, Dalia Kaminskienė, Father A Savickas, R. Kubaitienė, Algis Laurintaitis, and organ player J. Ramanauskas.

In 1975 Uršulė Jucienė left the group and Saulenė Pusdešrienė joined.  It was again a quartet which remained until 1981.  During that year Anelė Urnevičienė left and Saulenė Pusdešrienė became leader. In 1984 two young singers joined, Judita Nekrošius and Zinaida Vencius. Now a quintet they sang where they were asked and required.

On 30 November 1985 at the Lithuanian Catholic Centre a concert was held to celebrate the 20^th year of the group.  Birutė Budrienė, Agota Kaminskienė, Judita Nekrosienė, Zinaida Vencienė sang with Saulenė Pusdešrienė as Manager.  Also performed was Sietynas Kubilius who gave a recital.  While the singers rested their husbands poet Kazimieras Kaminskas recited a poem and Pranas Pusdešris spoke.  Pranas also made the stage decorations. The concert was choreographed by Elena Varnienė.

In 1986 the choir was invited to perform at Melbourne’s Lithuanian catholic Women’s 35^th anniversary.  They were accompanied by Zita Prašmutaitė.

Another Nemuno Dukros concert was given on December 9^th 1989 with the same quintet as previously, the same manager and accompanist.  Twenty eight songs were sung, the first half was called Nemuno kloniais (Nemunas hollows) and Tėvynės laukais (fields of homeland).  The second half ‘Ilgesio dainos’ (songs of longing) and Lietuva širdyje nešu (Lithuania, I carry you in my heart).

Pranas Pušdesris wrote of them

Gyvuokite, dainuokite ‘Nemuno Dukros’, išeiviškos nostalgijos pagimdytos, ją sugebančios perduoti savo dainose, kad mes vis giliau pasinėrę svetimybių jūroje, nepamirštume Nemuno ir Tėvynės, aušros nušviečiamais keliais. 

Following her husband’s death in 1991 Saulenė Pusdešrienė hesitated to continue. Birutė Budrienė is the only singer who has sung since the group was conceived. 

Nemuno dukros sing songs of longing, they celebrated Lithuania’s independence but in their heart the pain of living over 50 years without being able to return to their homeland still exists.

The daughters of Nemunas sang well in to the 2000’s.

Uršulė Juciene, Anelė Urnevičienė,
Birutė Budrienė, Teresa Gasiunienė
Accompanied by Rasa Kubiliute

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1.  Nemunas is the largest river in Lithuania.  It flows through Lithuania before draining into the Curonian Lagoon and then into the Baltic Sea at Klaipėda.  It is the northern border between Lithuania and Russia's Kaliningrad Oblast in its lower reaches.  

Alfonsas Budrys

Alfonsas was born in 19^th March 1915 in Karoliskis, Kupiskis. From a young age he enjoyed photography. He exhibited in numerous exhibitions in Lithuania and when he arrived in Australia. He liked to compose photographs from two negatives using the superimposed principal. At a later stage he began using video. His work features in many publications in America, Canada and Australia.

At 16 years of age, he joined the local railway brass band and begun to keep a photographic record of its musical tours. In the late thirties he met photographer Jonas Zitkus who gave him helpful advice with his photography. In 1942 he married Birute Navickaite and in 1944 they fled to the West.

In 1949 they migrated to Australia and settled in Adelaide. Budrys completed his two year work contract at an iron foundry and then worked at General Motors Holden factory as a die caster until his retirement in 1980.

Since its establishment in 1954, he has been a member of the Lithuanian Photographic Group and from 1963 to 1969 was a member of the Adelaide Camera Club.

He has kept a fantastic photographic record of the Lithuanian community in Adelaide, always seen with a camera in hand at any functions. The great collection of photographs in the Adelaide Lithuanian Museum is credited to him.