Slavko Orsag

Story

My father\’s quest for freedom

My late father, Slavko, was born in 1909, in Kraljev Vrh (King\’s Peak), a small picturesque village in Zagorje province. His mother passed away at his birth. It is not surprising after giving the numerous births, coupled by a poor diet & poverty intensified by a Church\’s hierarchy – to provide a cheap labour for their numerous properties.

His father passed away shortly after & my father was look after by his eldest brother, Ivan, who made a simple rule. Instead of dividing a small property, Ivan decided to pay each brother & sister an equal share in their meagre sized property once they attained an adulthood – 21 years of age.

In case of my father this come much earlier. When he was twelve he was sent to Mostar Ð the city famous for an Old Bridge (seen on our TV screen during a recent war in Bosnia), built during the Ottoman Empire\’s occupation. There my father learned a shoemaking trade. He also learned about the ethnic intolerances initiated by the various religions.

Once he became a qualified tradesman he moved back to Zagreb, where he pursued a study for his Master certificate Ð the only way to work for himself. Upon his successful exams, my father became a Master in his shoemaking trade. By then he exhausted his share, which prevented him to open his own workshop. Instead, he accepted a lucrative job with BATA Ð a large shoe manufacturer of Czech origin operating at that time in SHS Ð a kingdom of Serbs, Hrvats & Slovenes (1918).

Upon his return to the civilian life, after serving a National Service, my father resumed his job with BATA & by 1938, he was promoted to a District Manager. As a young lad he joined Stjepan Radic Pesasant Party (HSS). Radic was a Croatian Deputy in Belgrade Parliament. As a result of his quest for a peaceful secession of Croatia from SHS, Radic was mortally wounded in Belgrade Parliament. in 1928 (promptly reported even by The Canberra Times).

As a result of the Chamber of Commerce presentation my father realised that his eagerness to provide a cheaper shoes for poverty stricken families would destroy a hand-made industry in Croatia, a legacy from Austro-Hungarian Empire, so my father resigned in 1939, & opened his own business.

In 1941, Croatia was occupied by the forces of the Third Reich, which installed a fascist regime. This creation appealed to a minority, which was eager to settle a national question by force. Obviously this creation became a darkest chapter in the 1000 year old history of Croatia. His workshop was sealed off & my father sent to a large factory where he remained until the end of the WWII.

In 1945, Croatia was liberated & incorporated in a new Yugoslavia instigated with help from the Great Britain & the USSR. Later on Yugoslavia would ‘break\’ from the USSR & initiate a formation of a Third Bloc, in 1948, exactly as outlined in George Orwell\’s novel, 1984.

Due to the continued political persecutions my father was arrested on trump up charges & sentenced to 15 months of hard labour i. a. w. a law similar to England\’s Regulation 18B.

On his return from a concentration camp my father realised that there is no future for him or our family. Therefore we concocted a plan how to escape. Not being aware of a landscape near border we made the three unsuccessful attempts in 1957, but managed to escape in March 1958.

Once in Vienna we were interrogated & two weeks later we received a refugee status approved by the High Commissioner for Refugees in Geneva. My father arrived by mid 1959 & settled in Melbourne. A year later my mother arrived & then my sister Nada.

With their arrival we closed a chapter of the persecution, torture, suffering, injustice, & the deprivation of Human Rights, forever. For next two decades my parents enjoyed life in Victoria before moving to NSW to be near Nada\’s family.

My parents provided a support for Nada & her growing family. This assistance enabled Nada & her husband to concentrate with the activities relating to the Croatian community (the formation of an ethnic school, & an orchestra in the Mt. Druitt area) & Nada\’s involvement with the Blackburn Library.

In 1988, Nada was delegated by the Technical Education of NSW to attend a seminar conducted by Dr James Jupp (ANU) who was appointed by the Federal Government to provide a White Paper on Immigration.

My father passed away in 1989.

Vladimir Orsag

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