Farewell picnic for Father Jatulis

Picnic at Christies Beach

On a Sunday afternoon on the 25 August 1957,over 400 Lithuanians gathered at the Caritas property at Christies Beach for its first picnic and blessing of the house. Mass was said by Father Jatulis whose sermon emphasised a common house, common work. The choir, Lituania even came and sung. 

Not sure if this photo is of the actual event described but it was taken at Christies Beach

After mass, tables were set up, placed in rows and the Women’s committee brought out the home made, lovingly prepared food.  The occasion also served as a farewell to priest Paulius Jatulis who had been summoned by the church to go to Italy. 

Speeches were spoken every head present, from by ALB President, Stasys Čibiras, Theatre group head, Juozas Gusčius, Youth group leader Juozas Lapšys, Lithuanian Society President, J. Raginis, Scout Leader Vytas Neverauskas, Sports President J. Jaunutis and Ateininkai head, A. Kubilius. Instead of a farewell gift, the community gathered over £100 for Jatulis for his new path in life.  All present sand Ilgiausiu metų (Longest Years, sung on any special occasion) followed by more singing and joking before those present made the long journey back to Adelaide.

Literature Afternoons

First Adelaide Literature evening was held on the 30^th May 1954 in the Catholic Cathedral hall in Wakefield Street.

The session were conducted by Pulgis Andriušis, Pranas Pušdešris, Leonas Pakalnis from work that had not been published before.

The first half featured serious reading from B. Brazdžionis poetry.  The second half was a selection of humourist readings.  A  pianist, M. Martinkienė provided some musical interlude.  It was organised by the Lietuvių Mokyklos Tevių Komitetas (Lithuanian School Parents Committee).

After this, weekly literature afternoons were held, organised by the ALB on Sundays after lunch.  It featured readings, discussions and a musical hour.   These were held in St Joseph’s church hall.

Topics included a talk by Antanas Rukštelė on Lithuanian press and the path to independence.  Jonas Lapšys gave a talk on Lithuanian shipping, Stasys Čibiras spoke on leased property acquisition in Australia, Dr Šešokas spoke on consumption and its treatment.  Father Jatulis spoke about the Australian Aborigines.

Australian Lithuanian Students

Australijos Lietuvių Studentų Sąjunga (ALSS)

The Australijos Lietuvių Studentų Sąjunga (ALSS) was formed in 1952.  Members were university students or those studying at a higher professional level who have completed a diploma.  Branches were formed in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney, Canberra had a eldership.  An informal group met in Brisbane, Newcastle and Perth.

Tertiary students in Adelaide began to appear soon after post WWII arrival, in the early 1950’s.   Stasys Čibiras instigated the establishment of a group in Adelaide. Officially began in 25 August 1951.  The group rose in number to 13 members by the time the first formal gathering was called on 19 April 1952.  On this day a committee was elected which consisted of Stasys Čibiras as president, Algis Navakas and Nemira Šiunaitė.

The group aimed to actively participate in the Adelaide Lithuanian community and to keep ties with other Australian Lithuanian students.  A two shilling membership fee by each member was invested so dance evenings could be held.  Ten years later the number had risen to 50 students and 24 graduates.

Adelaide instigated the first Australian student gathering which was held in Sydney in 1956.  Others were held in 1958 and 1962.

ALSS Adelaide Branch Committee

1957

Romas Urmonas                        President
Dalia Levickaitė
Sigitas Martinkus

1958

T Žurauskas      President

J .Arminas, V. Giruckas, D. Varoneckaitė, Antanas Lapšys.

This committee formed the central committee and organised the ALSS gathering.  12 new students enrolled in university that year.

1962

Antnas Stepanas                        President

J. Martinkutė, Rimas Daugalis, and Ramunas Dunda.

1964
Juratė Naujalienė                      President
Laima Radzevičiutė, Violeta Vasilauskaitė, Rimas Daugalis ir Gytis Šimkus

1965
Vytautas Straukas                      President
Emilija Matiukaitč, Laima Radzevičiutė

1966

Gytis SImkus    President
Rasa Pacevičiutė, A. Radzevičiutė

1967

Vytas Straukas                            President

A. Tugaudyte, A. Radzevičiutė, K. Baškutė, V. Vanagas

This committee became the national  committee and organised the Adelaide national gathering.

The committees organised Initium and Finis Semestri, Žirnius ir aluti, outings to the countryside and readings and discussion evenings.

The committee pushed the Kūlturos Fondo (Cultural Fund) to instigate a Lithuanian course in Adelaide.  The students donated copies of the groups newsletter Lituanus to the Barr Smith Library.

Freed Lithuanians' idea of the Future

Freed Lithuanians' ideas of the future

Security and the unimpeded pursuit of happiness are the fervent wishes of four new Australians in Adelaide, who recently completed their two-year contract with the Commonwealth Government and are now 'free to go where they please, and when'.
The four men, all Lithuanians and single, came to Australia with the first batch of DPs from Germany in November, 1947.  Their contract was shortened by two months.  To capture those elusive entities, security and happiness, they intend now to — 

• Master the English language.
• Get the best job possible.
• Save a lot of money and buy a home.
• Marry an Australian girl and have a family.

All are eager to become naturalised Australian citizens and clip the 'new' from 'new Australian.' They like Australia, say they have been 'as happy as possible in the circumstances.'

Wants to study law
These are the men and their stories: —
Stasys Cibiras, 26, has been a laborer since coming to Australia. He is now an orderly at Daws Road Repatriation Hospital.   Standing 6 ft. in his socks, broad-shouldered, blue eyed, Stasys intends remaining an orderly 'for a little while longer.' Later he would like to enter the University to study law.  He was a student in Lithuania when the Germans sent him to work as a laborer in Germany. Back in Lithuania are his parents, six brothers and a sister.  He has not heard of them since 1944.  He is afraid to write because, for his people, 'a letter from abroad is a ticket to Siberia.' 

Prefers bookkeeping
Pranas Duoba, 39, a book keeper in Lithuania before the war, worked for the SA Railways for over a year.  Now he is employed by an automobile factory and does not intend leaving it 'for a while.' Pranas is tall and well built, has one great difficulty — the English language.  He realises that until he has mastered it he can do little toward improving his present position, and he intends doing something about it.  One day he wants to return to bookkeeping and then, when his house is in order, marry.  He thinks Australia is the me rood country in the world for raising children. Pranas' family is still in Lithuania.  There has been a silence for five years.

Vincentas Derencius, 24, small and pleasant, wants to be a mechanic or an electrician.  For 15 months he was a laborer with the Forestry Department.  Now he works at an Adelaide automobile factory.  He hopes later to go to Melbourne where he has friends.  He was a student when taken by the Germans.  His father, a Lithuanian farmer, his mother, two brothers and a sister, are in a DP camp in Germany.  For a year he has been trying hard to get them to Australia.  Vincentas likes Australia and Australians, though he admits the whisper 'Balt' has hurt him many times.  He is the owner of a motor cycle and other property for which he has saved conscientiously.  

Has marriage in view
Kleopas Daulenskis, 34, former blacksmith and farmer, weighs 15 stone.  He says he is glad his contract has finished, but does not intend to make any radical changes in his surroundings.  He has blue eyes, a wide, open face, and fists like hams.  For the past 20 months he has been employed as a laborer on the SA Railways.  A keen organiser, Kleopas has already bought a block of land in Adelaide.  Next he wants to build a house; then he hopes to get married.  He has not decided what his future work will be, but he has ideas.  He thinks Australians are 'very nice people with very big hearts,' and is proud of the friends he has among them.  He, too, left his family be hind in Lithuania. He has not heard of them since, wonders if they are still alive.

The Mail

Saturday 15 October 1949

Their celebration was just like home

This article was written by Max Fatchen for the Mail on 30 Oct 1954. 


In the George Murray Hall of Adelaide University last Saturday night, a unique meeting was held. It was the first gathering in Australia of men and women from Lithuania who had belonged to the Scout movement which was associated with the social activities of Lithuanian Universities.     It was also the first meeting ever of Lithuanians graduates in this country.    This is the story of some of the people who went along.
      
They were happy days in 1938 when pretty Stasė Korsakaitė was doing her dental course at Vytautas, the Great University in Kaunas, Lithuania.  There she met engineer Antanas Pacevičius, an assist ant to one of the professors, and they fell in love.  For keen-looking Jonas Kalvaitis there had been good days, too, with plenty of work when he did his law course there. There had been an occasional duel, but no one ever got hurt.  It wasn't only the academic side that was so interesting at this Lithuanian University.  There were the colourful student’s organisations, like the Scouts. This was one of the first universities in Europe which the Soviet movement penetrated. The students in the Scout groups wore peaked caps and bright sashes, and the girls called themselves Scouts as well. Then came the war and their university careers clashed.  Jonas Kalvaitis who had become a public prosecutor and a magistrate, turned instead into a fugitive from the Russians.  The Pacevičius family had to escape from the Russians too.  But they did not forget their university nor the good times.  It stayed in their minds and in the minds of other graduates through labour camps, train bombings, and frantic escapes.  Then they came to Australia and started to build a new life.  Stasė and Antanas Pacevičius built theirs slowly but they built it, until they had their own home, a car and three happy children.  But they didn't forget their university days or the happy times with the Scouts and other student organisations. 'I wish.' said Mrs. Pacevičius, 'we could meet again and talk and sing our student songs.'  Last Saturday night they did just that in the first meeting of Lithuanian graduates ever held in Australia.  It was also the thirtieth anniversary of the Scout movement in their university.  It was symbolic chat the meeting was held in a university building in their new country — the George Murray Hall of Adelaide University, and what pleased the Lithuanians was that they were able to use it without charge, like any other university body.  The University warden Mr. Frank Borland, told them in a little speech of welcome.  'We are glad to have people from a sister university meeting here among us.' And it was symbolic, too that among the audience of 120 were not only graduates of Lithuanian universities, - but also undergraduates of Lithuanian descent now going to Adelaide University.   So students of yesterday talked to architects and doctors of tomorrow.  Mrs. Pacevičius said: 'We wanted to hand on some of our traditions to them, and tell them what we did in our university days.' Round the wall of the hall were 14 emblems of Lithuanian student organisations and Scout groups.  Representatives of various groups each made a short speech.  In the chair was Mrs. Pacevičius with the navy, red and white sash of the Girl Scouts draped over one shoulder.  Behind her was the emblem of her Lithuanian University, painstakingly copied from her diploma of dentistry.  There was Lithuanian food.  There were songs, like the student song the men had loved to sing.  Translated, it goes, in part: — 'We love girls with beautiful eyes.  If we see them our heart gets so weak.' There was tradition even in the invitation card.  It said '7 p.m. - academically' — which was a Lithuanian joke, because academic people are always late.  In other words the meeting started at 7.15 p.m. The master of ceremonies at this kind of student social in Lithuania always called 'silence' in Latin, and banged the table with a sword.  So Mr Pacevičius borrowed a fencing toil from Adelaide friends and rapped the table when he wanted quiet.  All those sitting at the committee table wore traditional white gloves. One woman even had a rakish student's cap. One of the speeches was made by Mr. A Plokštis, a former solicitor in Lithuania. He now works in an Adelaide factory.  He said, in effect: 'Everything has changed so much now, we have been through very much.

But now I have a different life.  It doesn't matter that I am working in a factory.  I am free and my family has a new chance for education and life.  Jonas Kalvaitis, too. spoke of his university days. Perhaps his unspoken thought was of the death sentence the Russians had given him in his absence in 1946.  He works in the metal department of a city firm.  But on Saturday night he was back in the past again.  And tall young Stasys Cibiras spoke.  He escaped twice from the Russians, and has a bullet scar on his arm; he is chairman of the Lithuanian Students Society of Australia. There are 53 attending Australian universities, and 25 of them are in Adelaide.  This same Cibiras is swotting for his final law examinations.  He is in the University Air Squadron, training for the administrative side as a pilot officer.

He spoke for new Australian students such as George Naujalis (Architecture) and attractive table tennis star Aldona Snarskytė  (Medicine).     Dr. J. Mikužis spoke. Once he was a lecturer in medicine at a university in Lithuania.  He has done a three year course in medicine at Adelaide University. And now he is in private practice again in an Adelaide suburb.   As Saturday night went on the antidotes came more freely, the songs sounded happier.  There was so much to remember that midnight came all too quickly. The Lithuanians departed—happy to have talked of old times, happy to know that another university should interest itself in them, happy that some of their people are getting a new chance as students.   Mrs. Pacevičius looked at the spires and outlines of Adelaide University against the night sky and said softly:  'For a while it seemed as if we were home again.''