Peter Skrzynecki

Story

Peter left Germany with his parents, Feliks & Kornelia, to emigrate to Australia after World War II. Feliks, from Poland, had been in forced labor under the Nazis for 5 years. Kornelia, a single mother from the Ukraine, was in Germany when war broke out. She & Feliks met in a Displaced Persons\’ camp in Lebenstedt. A year later they married & the family emigrated in 1949. Both Feliks & Kornelia were from rural backgrounds.

They were brought by train to Bagnoli, a transit camp in Italy. They sailed from Naples on the ‘General R.M. Blatchford’ on 16 October among 1219 passengers. A small boy died on the journey & there was a burial at sea. Other memories include passing through the Suez Canal, small boats at Colombo with traders bringing gold & silver ornaments, scarves & small black elephants. Stops were made at Colombo & Perth to allow passengers who had contracted various contagious diseases to disembark. The Great Australian Bight was very rough. The ship arrived in Sydney on 11 November, Armistice Day, & docked at wharf 13, Pyrmont.

The first sighting of land was Manly & there was much joy when the ship moved closer to the Sydney Harbour Bridge; but it was several hours before the passengers were allowed to disembark & they were first made to clean the ship.

The refugees were dispatched to Bathurst, to the Department of Immigration Reception & Training Centre. Trains left around midnight & escort officers traveled with the refugees. The Skrzynecki family lived in Bathurst for 2 weeks & then were transported to Parkes where they would live for the next 2 years. Feliks moved to Sydney & worked for the Water Board as a pipelayer , although he returned to the camp regularly. Kornelia worked as a domestic for families in the Parkes district. After 2 years the family moved to Sydney. Enough money had been saved for a deposit on a fibro cottage at 10 Mary Street, Regents Park, a working-class suburb in south-western Sydney. As hard as this life had been it was also a happy time. Peter\’s love of the Australian landscape was born; it left him with vivid memories of those things that have traditionally represented Australia: country people, the wealth of the land, its wildlife, the extremes of climate Ðsheep, cattle, paddocks of wheat, galahs, gum trees, willows & peppercorns, tractors, grain sheds, roads of red dust.

Feliks continued to work as a laborer for the Water Board & Kornelia as a domestic for families in Strathfield; they worked hard & paid off the house in 4 years. They grew their own vegetables, kept chooks & had a magnificent flower garden. Like many from their generation they experienced ‘zal’, a Polish word that literally means ‘sorrow’, but it is also a word associated with physical, psychological & spiritual loss. For many years immigrants were referred to as ‘New Australians’ & ‘reffos’. While they missed their homelands Feliks & Kornelia were determined to make a new life for themselves in Australia. Peter attended the local Catholic School & St Patrick\’s College, Strathfield, completing his Leaving Certificate in 1963. Brian Couch, his English teacher, engendered in him a love for literature.

Peter completed Primary Teacher Training & degrees from the Universities of New England & Sydney. He taught in small schools at Jeogla, Kunghur & Colo Heights & various schools in Sydney from 1967 to 1987. In 1987 he joined what has become the University of Western Sydney teaching Australian & American literature. He retired as an associate professor in 2004 & holds an adjunct\’s position in the School of Humanities & Languages.

He has published poetry, novels, & short stories. His collection of poems ‘Immigrant Chronicle’ has been a set text on the NSW HSC English syllabus for many years. His memoir, ‘The Sparrow Garden’, a tribute to the lives of his parents recounts the first 11 years of life in Australia. His prizes include: Captain Cook Bi-Centennial Award, Grace Leven Poetry Prize & Henry Lawson Short Story Award. In 1989 he received the Polish Order of Cultural Merit & in 2002 an OAM for services to Australian multicultural literature. He feels the award belongs to his parents. ‘They are the heroes of this story, the legends. They worked hard, lived lives of integrity, realized their dreams & contributed to the prosperity of Australia.’

Feliks died on 26th June, 1994 aged 89.

Kornelia died on 6th February, 1997aged 79.

Peter is married to Kate & has 3 children, Judith, Andrew & Anna

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