Maria Guminski
| Town/City | Melbourne |
|---|---|
| First name | Maria |
| Last name | Guminski |
| Country of Origin | Czechoslovakia |
| Date of Birth | 12.04.1922 |
| Year of Arrival in Australia | 1952 |
| Submitted by | Diana Heim |
Story
Maria Guminski (nee Sonntag) was born on 12.04.1922 in a town called Kurshin in Czechoslovakia.This region was called “Sudetenland” by the Germans and was reclaimed by Hitler in 1938.When W.W.2 broke out, Maria was taken as slave labour to Germany and was placed in the service of the wife of a Dr Martens, who treated her kindly.
At the end of the war, she worked in an American hospital as a nurses’ aide and she met her future husband Jozef. She arrived in Australia on 8 February 1952 as a “Displaced Person”. The voyage on the “Skaubryn” was unbearable as Maria suffered badly from seasickness and could not keep any food down.
Upon arrival in Melbourne, Maria and Jozef were sent to Bonegilla by train. To Maria the food was unpalatable and stodgy – lamb and vegetables cooked in dripping. She found the heat oppressive and when she first saw a lizard, while picking grapes on a neighbouring farm at Nyah West, she thought she had seen a monster.
Maria became an Australian citizen in 1958 and devoted her life to her family. She died in 1992 survived by her daughter and four grandchildren.