A Shared Hope

From the speech of the book launch on 15th November 2020, by Daina Pocius.

South Australia is the state of Lithuanian firsts; the first newspaper, the first theatre group, the first and only museum and archives, and the first soccer team, just to name a few.  We have a lot to be proud of and celebrate.

As someone who grew up with four Lithuanian grandparents and in the community, I was surprised that, there was a lot of history, I didn’t know.  

I knew Lithuanians love basketball and we have had basketball teams since 1949, but I didn’t know how good they were. 

The Vytis Club began playing in in C grade and they outclassed all their opponents so effortlessly to win the premiership that next year the team applied and was admitted to the A grade.

The very first rounds in 1950, showed that the Vytis boys even outclass some of the A grade team.

I didn’t know that in 1958, Juozas Baciunas, President of the World Lithuanians Community visited Adelaide with his wife.  They spent the New Year here, which was celebrated at Centennial Hall, Wayville.  The Women’s Association had spent all day preparing food for the 500 expected guests.  

I didn’t know, After the community purchased an old church in Eastry Street, Norwood, renovations were organised to extend the complex.  In 1961, to construct the front of Lithuanian House, required approximately 300 bricks, each one costing 2 shillings.  A scheme was created that if you purchased a brick you received a numbered badge.  

In the year 1961, men and women offered their time to build Lithuanian House.  They worked 2706 hours, equivalent to 339 workdays.  The men were fed with meals prepared by the 18 women in the Women's Committee.  

I didn’t know that we had a community member who was on a crusade to ensure that Lithuania was properly represented in printed material.  Juozas Riauba would write to publishers pointing out mistakes or misguided information.  In 1969, he began to correspond with the State Library of South Australia, suggesting books that the Library could purchase about Lithuania.  He had compiled a list of books that the Library held, relating to Lithuania, 40 books in all.  Juozas appealed to the Lithuanian community in Adelaide to donate books that might better represent Lithuania in the State Library.  He went one step further; writing to publishers seeking to purchase books which he would then donate to the Library.  Within a short time, the State Library increased its collection of books on Lithuania to 67.

I did know that Vitas Gerulatis, American born to Lithuanian parents was a tennis star.  I didn’t know that he followed his father’s talent on the tennis court.  Vitas senior had won the Lithuanian tennis championship in his youth. 

In 1980 while in Australia he came to Adelaide with his father.  Here they visited another former Lithuanian tennis champion, Alfonsas Remeikis.  Alfonsas had been Lithuanian tennis champion in 1929 and 1930 and won many doubles titles.  In 1938 his doubles partner was Vitas Gerulaitis senior.

I didn’t know that the tiny town of Eucla on the Western Australia/South Australia border in the middle of the Nullarbor Plain could be seen as a micro nation of Lithuania.  The small township has six streets, a Police Station, a Motel Hotel complex with restaurant and Caravan Park.  With a population of just 50, it is literally in the middle of nowhere.  

One of the streets is Patupis street, named after Gediminas. Gediminas ended up as proprietor of Eucla's Amber Motel.

There is a 20-foot-high white metal cross with stylized tulips.  Constructed on 13th October 1969, the cross is dedicated to all Christians and to those who made the highway.  Two memorials are there are dedicated to Steve.  They both feature the Gedimino stulpai (Columns of Gediminas) an iconic Lithuanian symbol.  

After discovering these stories, I got upset that I didn’t know, that the older generation didn’t tell anyone, they didn’t pass this history on.  I soon realised that they did.  They recorded these stories in publication in the newspapers, I didn’t see it because they were written in Lithuanian.  Not being my first language, I translated the stories in English, so I could tell the stories to those who were connected to the community but no longer spoke the language. 

One of the hardest parts in writing this book was to come up with a title.  I discussed this with friends and family and we couldn’t come up with something that I thought was suitable.  So, I went back to the stories, looking for a common thread.  I found one. 

This was written on the first ship carrying Displaced Persons from Europe to Australia, the General Heintzleman which docked in Fremantle on the 27 November 1947.

The fate and sufferings of the Baltic peoples are known to the greater part of the world, to the rest we shall untiringly tell them until the day our native countries regain their freedom and independence.

At the first scout camp in Adelaide in 1955, Camp fire leader Vytenis Stasiškis gave these final words at the camp.

 Do all you can for the Motherland and never give up hope for Lithuania’s future and our return there.

In the book Adelaide published book,  Blezdingėlės prie Torrenso   The Swallows by the Torrens published in 1962, a forward was written by Juozas Bačiūnas.  In it he wrote, 

Lithuanians established themselves economically and spiritually and partook in Australian life.  It is my desire to create ties and connections between Lithuanians around the world that we all share the same hope to help Lithuania and to return when Lithuania is free.

It was every Lithuanians shared hope, that they could return home to a free Lithuania.

Again and again I was astounded by the dedication, sacrifice, and perseverance that members contributed to the community.  The time, money and effort that so many people willingly gave to see their beloved homeland free, is extraordinary.

Lithuania is free once again.  This shared hope of returning to a free Lithuania bound the community in its early years and instigated many of the clubs and events that transpired over the past 70 years.  

Now it is time to honour their hard work and celebrate their successes.

The money for the printing of this book, has been provided by the Australian Lithuanian Fund.  All proceeds from this book and going back into the Archives so we can print more about our history.  

I want the community’s history to be remembered, each of us have a story to tell, one that is unique and will be lost if it is not recorded.  I look forward to working with you in preserving our community’s history.

You can purchase the book online  for $25.00, plus $6.50 postage from the Australian Lithuanian Archive Facebook page.  https://www.facebook.com/australianlithuanianarchives/ 

Riauba takes on the Red Army

 

Juozas Riauba, born in 1910.  After withdrawing from Lithuania to Germany towards the end of WWII, he entered studies at the Munich Technical school.  At that time he also worked for United Nations Relief & Rehabilitaiton (UNRRA) in the garage as senior mechanic. 

In 1949, he made the long journey on the transport ship, Wooster Victory to Australia, docking in Adelaide where he stayed.  He arrived here with his wife.   

Juozas again entered university, this time in Adelaide in 1959.  He entered the public service and worked with the SA Electricity Trust on mechanical projects. 

Outside of work he was heavily involved with the Lithuanian community in Adelaide.  He was a founding members of the sports Club Vytis, a member of the Adelaide Lithuanian students association from 1959 – 1961, parents committee of Vilniaus scouts and teacher at Lithuanian school.

In 1962 he acted as Vice-President of the ‘Voice of Witness of Communist expansion” and later the Australian European Freedom Alliance.  In 1966 he was Vice-President of Captive Nations.

Juozas was concerned with how Lithuania was represented in printed material, newspapers and books.  He would write to publishers pointing out mistakes or misguided information. In 1969 he began to correspond with the State Library of South Australia, suggesting books that the Library could purchase about Lithuania.  He had compiled a list of books that the Library held, relating to Lithuania,  40 books in all on various aspects of Lithuania.  Juozas also appealed to the Lithuanian community in Adelaide to donate books that might better represent Lithuania in the State Library.  He went one step further; writing to Publishers seeking to purchase books which he would then donate to the Library.  Within a short time the State Library increased its collection of book on Lithuanian to 67.

In 1969, it was publicised that the Red Army choir would be coming to Adelaide to perform.  Juozas strongly opposed this and wrote numerous letters to politicians and newspapers expressing his disapproval.  To him it was “an insult to all of us, originally from the countries behind the iron curtain.  Our relatives and loved ones have suffered persecution.  We, the Australian citizen from behind the Iron Curtain now living in Adelaide have been forced to leave our homeland by the advancing Red Army and have lost everything, except our lives”.

He signed these letters as Ju-Ra, as he feared reprisals for his relatives still in Lithuania.
The Baltic Council of Australia and the Captive nations Committee of SA also sought to stop the participation of the Red Army choir from performing in the Adelaide Festival of Arts in 1970. The Baltic Council published an advert in the Advertiser (20 February 1969) which states;  The choir was symbolic of totalitarian regimes and that it was a propaganda unit which existed to glorify the Soviet in song and dance. 

The chairman of the Adelaide Festival of Arts J C Irwin defended the decision to allow the group to perform.  The Red Army Choir did not perform in the Festival of Arts.

10th anniversary of ‘Vilniaus’ troop

On the 21 June 1959, the scout troop was the first Adelaide Lithuanian organisation to celebrate their 10^th anniversary.  A ball was held, with 70 scouts attending and 80 guests.  The scout leader Vytas Neverauskas addressed the attendees, Although 10 years is not a huge milestone, the scouts over that time had held camps, meetings and balls.  Over the past 10 years, no less than 200 youth have participated.  Scouting leaves footprints that will shape future work.  Scouting is school of life for young boys and girls who will become young men and women and will guide them through challenges and work.

Greetings were read from the Australian Lithuanian Scout master,  Antanas Krausas and Guides head Irma Laisvenaitė.  Good wishes were given by the Adelaide Community President, J. Janavičius, who thanked the scouts for their hard work, and for the communities’ contribution.  The President of the Women’s committee, Jasiunienė also complimented the scouts.  Juozas Riauba, President of the Scout parents committee praised scouting for its strengthening of a child’s character and hoped that the troop could celebrate its 20^th anniversary in the capital of Lithuania, Vilnius, after which the troop is named. 

After the speeches, seven guides and two scouts gave the scout oath to serve God, Homeland and neighbours.  Neverauskas tied their scout ties and urged the scouts to keep their promise.  Vytas then presented Vytautas Opulskis with an Už Nuopelnus (Achievement) medal.  Opulskis had been a member of the ‘Vilniaus’ troop since its instigation and has managed several scout levels.  Vytautas Vosylius was honoured for his unflagging devotion to the troop and scouting in general. 

A glowing camp fire light was lit inside the hall, around which the scouts sang, performed skits, and for an hour or the guests recalled memories of their homeland and forgot that they were inside a hall.  Antanas Gavelis was the camp fire leader.

After the camp fire, Vaclovas Ilgunas showed two films from ‘Vilniaus’ troop camps, the first taken in 1957-8. 

The evening ended with the traditional singing of ‘Ateina naktis’ (Night is coming).

University graduates

Juozas Riauba compiled a list of Lithuanian's who had graduated from University (Adelaide, Flinders and SA Institute of Technology).  Apparently he was a man who read the death notices every day to see if any Lithuanian's had passed away.

The list is from 1954 to 1974.  In that period he recorded 81 Lithuanian names.  The most obtained degree was a Bachelor of Arts (17 people) followed by Medicine (14 people), the next Science (12), then Engineers (10). One completed a Music degree at Adelaide University.

A few of the students undertook their degrees to to be able to practice their profession in Australia, mainly those with a medical background.  Australia would not recognise degrees obtained oversees, or studies were interrupted because of the war.

Twenty five of the graduates were women and 26 moved away from Adelaide once graduated.  Some probably returned.  Riauba included a notes column where he recorded where they moved to.