The displacement of Lithuanians at the end of World War Two was believed to be temporary; communism would be expelled, and they would return home. This did not materialise and new homes were sought. From 1947 to the early 1950s almost 10,000 Lithuanians settled in Australia, 1,500 in South Australia.
Separated from their family, culture, language and customs, Lithuanians came together in search of companionship, which in turn initiated many cultural and social groups.
One thing that united them and never wavered; the hope that Lithuania would be free, and they could return home.
This is a collective of stories about the Lithuanian Community in South Australia, their clubs, groups, people and events that have occurred over the 70 years the community has been in South Australia.
A Shared Hope: Lithuanians in South Australia
In November last year, a new book was launched in Adelaide. The book is the culmination of ten years research. Over that time, I created a blog where I could post stories about what I found in the Archives, in newspapers, books and online. It is these stories that are part of the book.
As someone who grew up with four Lithuanian grandparents involved in the community, I was surprised that, there was a lot of history, I didn’t know. The history has been recorded in publication in the newspapers but all in Lithuanian. Not being my first language, I translated the stories in English, so I could tell the stories to those who were connected to the community but no longer spoke the language.
Again and again I was astounded by the dedication, sacrifice, and perseverance that members contributed to the community. The time, money and effort that so many people willingly gave to see their beloved homeland free, is extraordinary.
It was every Lithuanians shared hope that they could return home to a free Lithuania. This hope bound the community in its early years and instigated many of the clubs and events that transpired over the past 70 years. Now it is time to honour their hard work and celebrate their successes.
This publication could not have been done without the effort of Jurate Grigonis. Jurate spend many hours providing information, correcting the text and adding names.
The money for the printing of this book, has been provided by the Australian Lithuanian Fund. All proceeds from this book and going back into the Archives so we can publish more history.
I want the community’s history to be remembered, each of us have a story to tell, one that is unique and will be lost if it is not recorded. I look forward to working with you in preserving our community’s history.
