Jozef Guminski
| Town/City | Melbourne |
|---|---|
| First name | Jozef |
| Last name | Guminski |
| Country of Origin | Poland |
| Date of Birth | 18.09.1909 |
| Year of Arrival in Australia | 1952 |
| Submitted by | Diana Heim |
Story
Jozef Guminski was born on 18.09.1909 (however some records suggest that it was actually 1906) in Drzewoszki Poland.
Jozef was a Lieutenant in the Polish Army and was captured by the Germans on 28.09.1939. He spent the duration of the war in various Oflag camps and his POW number was 1167. Jozef witnessed atrocities in the camps that haunted him for the remainder of his life and he wanted to get as far away as possible from Europe. Australia seemed the logical choice and it also appealed to Jozef for it had a strong British influence and he felt indebted to the British who had liberated him.
He applied for an assisted passage to Australia as a “Displaced Person”. He left Bremen on 5 January 1952 on board the “Skaubryn” and arrived in Melbourne on February 8 1952. The voyage was uncomfortable and his wife, Maria, suffered badly from seasickness.
Upon arrival the couple was housed in Bonegilla and worked on neighbouring farms picking grapes. Jozef became an Australian citizen in 1958 and loved his adopted country. He died on 13 October 1976 survived by his wife and daughter.