Australia recognises Soviet Union occupation of Lithuania 1974

Australian Lithuanian demonstrator in Canberra

 

On August 3, 1974, with no forewarning, it was announced that the Government had recognized, de jure, the annexation of the Baltic States by the Soviet Union. It was soon revealed that it was Labor Prime Minister Gough Whitlam Whitlam’s own decision, taken without cabinet or caucus debate, to give legitimacy to the forced annexations by the Soviet Union of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, carried out in 1940 by a mixture of military force, terror and political fraud under the secret terms of the Nazi Soviet Pact of August, 1939.

Balts in Australia were horrified and began to campaign against the decision.  Recorded in a Lithuanian newspaper in Boston was a poem coined by an Australian Lithuanian.

I’m glad I’m a Lithuanian,
I’m happy I am free
I wish I was a big dog,
And Whitlam was a tree.

Vienybe 1974.IX.27

Baltic Games 1973

Baltic Games 1973

For a time every two years, from 1969, Baltic Games were held in Australia over the Anzac long weekend.  When held in Adelaide the Forrestville basketball stadium was a hive of activity as Latvians, Lithuanians and Estonians came to compete with each other in volleyball and basketball.  Created to help strengthen ties among young Australians of Baltic descent, 200 competitors, some top of their field would compete.

Among the Latvian basketballers, Andris Blicavs[i], SA State player Peter Vitols, NSW state player Maris Jaunalkanis for the men and Ilze Blicavs[ii] for the women.

Lithuanians had American born Frank Chickowski and superstar Karen Maar[iii] will be the Estonian top women basketballer.

The Estonians had a strong volleyball team, all members of their team had played State volleyball.  Their women’s team contains only one player who hasn’t played State and were coached by national women’s volleyball coach Juhan Olesk.

Dual Olympic basketballer Mike Dancis was the opening flag bearer for the opening of the games by Don Dunstan.

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[i] Blicavs played for the Australia men's national basketball team during the 1970s. He competed for Australia at the 1974 World Championship in Puerto Rico and the 1978 World Championship in the Philippines. Blicavs also represented Australia at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal.

[ii] Blicavs played for the Australia women's national basketball team during the 1970s and competed for Australia at the 1975 World Championship held in Colombia

[iii] Karin Maar-Fields-McRobert (born 11 June 1953)

Lunch at Lithuanian House 1976

This article was written by Brone Mockuniene in July 1976 for Mūsų Pastogė.  Times have brought changes to the community lunches and the function of Lithuanian house, but here is how it was seen by those who built it.

A typical Sunday at Lithuanian House.  Cars drive slowly looking for a park.  Adelaidians after Sunday mass at St Casimir travel to Lithuanian House for lunch.  Today Vilniaus scout troop have prepared lunch.  Some arrive for lunch with the whole family, while others may bring Australian friends to try cepeliniai.  By the kitchen door a table stands with various cakes, all homemade.   Bagels, žagarelių and honey cake are brought to try and to take home.   Another table is piled with bottles, prizes for the lottery.  Adelaidians have generous hearts and happily open their wallets to buy lottery tickets, which is drawn at the end of lunch.  “One needs to support the scouts for their national camp” said one to a neighbour.

The scouts are happy with their takings, rubbing their hands together saying “Lunch was good”.  After lunch some may move into the bar to drink a glass of beer, others to the Library to see any new additions or to purchase a record, others may go and play billiards.  The youth have moved outside to play basketball.  Another may venture to Talka for some finance transactions, or view the Archives and museum.  Those at Lithuanian house are in little Lithuania.  What would one do if we didn’t have Lithuanian House? Our lives would be uninteresting and awkward.  Can you remember the time when Adelaide did not have a Lithuanian House, or Catholic centre, nor our own church.  We prayed at St Joseph church while Father Jatulis kept an eye on the clock so as to not run overtime, because the Poles were behind the door waiting for their time slot. We gathered for national dancing in numerous premises.  It is incredible that only five years after arriving in Australia, Adelaide already had a house committee established.  For several years they studied what would be the best way to buy a premises.  It was decided that a non profit organisation ‘Lietuviu Sajunga’ (Lithuanian Union) aimed as a legal entity would acquire and dispose of immovable and other assets.  The first committee consisted of President V Raginis, Vice President J Kalvaitis, Secretary J Pyragius and treasurer A Šliuzas.

Lithuanian House is where our children learn Lithuanian, dance national dances, play basketball.  How many weddings were held here, concerts, various meetings?

 

Book review - Lithuanians roots in American soil

I think I have read every autobiography concerning Australian Lithuanians, and so thought I would give an American Lithuanian story a read. 

Lithuanian Roots in American Soil: A Memoir of the Barunas Family by Audrone Barunas Willeke      2014

 

The story reads like so many of the DP's who fled the Soviet invasion at the end of WWII.  The Barunas family, then consisting of Kazys, Jadvyga and baby Audrone left Lithuania in the summer of 1944. They expected to return home at the end of the war but instead had to move further west into war-ravaged Germany.

 

After miraculously surviving bombings and near starvation, they ended their flight in displaced persons' camps under American administration. In these camps three more children were born and a grandmother died.

 

Unable to return to communist-occupied Lithuania, they found the chance to start a new life when a helpful stranger invited them to the United States.

 

The book is compiled by Kazy's two daughters, using Kazys journal mixed with family memories written by Audrone.  The book is well written, includes lots of photographs, and family details.  It explains the historical time well giving the reader context.  It evokes the emotions of the families loss, of homeland and family left behind, but also the thankfulness of a new life in a country and the opportunities that arose from migration.  The Barunas family had close ties to the Lithuanian community, which helped them to feel a part of a community where otherwise one could easily not fit in anywhere. 

It was interesting for me to read of how the family moved about as adults, all living in different locations.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and quickly read it, so I could learn the fate of the family.  The sisters wrote the book mainly for their own family for those who no longer speak Lithuanian. I think they have given the family a fantastic legacy.

 

I purchased a new copy from the Book Depository for  only $15.00.

 

 

Australian Lithuanians - Litho's

If Lithuanian Jews are called Litvaks and Lithuanian Americans are known as Lugans, what are Australian Lithuanians known as?  Australians shorten everything so its no surprise that Lithuanian become Litho's.  While on the outside we look like any other Australian there are some things that make us different.  Here are a few.