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Legislative Council - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2016-11-30 Daily Xml
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Dozynki Harvest Festival

The Hon. J.S. LEE (21:18): I move:

That this council—

1. Recognises that 2016 marks the 30th anniversary of the Polish Dożynki Harvest Festival and 160 years of Polish settlement in Australia;

2. Acknowledges the wonderful work that the organising committee has done over the years in the promotion of Polish culture, food, language and activities of the Australian-Polish community in South Australia; and

3. Pays tribute to the social, cultural and economic achievements of the Australian-Polish community to South Australia, including the contributions of many Polish clubs and associations.

Today, it is a great honour that I rise in the Legislative Council of the South Australian parliament to move the motion in my name to recognise that 2016 marks the 30th anniversary of the Polish Dożynki Harvest Festival and also to acknowledge the 160 years of Polish settlement in South Australia. These two milestones are significantly important to South Australian multicultural heritage and deserve to be put on the record. To celebrate the historical milestone, our Governor, His Excellency the Honourable Hieu Van Le, generously hosted a reception for community members in Government House to celebrate 160 years of Polish settlement in South Australia.

As the shadow parliamentary secretary for multicultural affairs, I would like to take this opportunity to commend the community on their remarkable efforts in putting together the Three Waves of Polish Migration exhibition at the Dom Polski Centre earlier this year as part of the South Australia's History Festival. The wonderful exhibition demonstrated the pride, the resilience, the pioneering spirits and the footprints of the Polish community in South Australia.

The Polish community has flourished in our state since the 1850s, making it one of the longest established cultural groups in South Australia. As honourable members would know, there have been three waves of Polish migration to South Australia. The first wave was during the period of colonial settlement, the second wave was after World War II and the third was in the early eighties in response to Communist rule.

For 30 years, Polish Hill River in the state's Mid North was the site of the largest Polish settlement in Australia. The story of the hardships and triumphs of this little community at Polish Hill River is a fascinating one—a story of resilience to preserve the heritage while overcoming the struggle to build a new life in a land far away from home. As time has gone by and a new wave of Polish migrants has arrived, the community has evolved and changed over the years but the connection to the Mid North has always stayed strong. To maintain and preserve Polish heritage and identity—

The PRESIDENT: Order! It is very disrespectful to have your backs turned and to talk while the member is on her feet. The Hon. Ms Lee.

The Hon. J.S. LEE: Thank you, Mr President, for your utmost protection. To maintain and preserve Polish heritage and identity, the community takes pride in the creation of the well-known Polish Hill River Church Museum. Today, there are more than 20 Polish organisations in South Australia, and each organisation was established with an interest to serve the community by offering a wide range of support services and activities. The Polish community enriches the cultural diversity in our state by the contributions they make to enhance the economic, social and cultural development of South Australia.

For 160 years, the Polish community has shared a strong culture with all Australians through active participation in our society and through events and festivals. This motion in parliament enables all South Australians to recognise this significant milestone. In the 2011 Census data, 17,978 South Australians reported to have Polish ancestry. Many Polish organisations, clubs and committees have been established to deliver services and preserve Polish culture. Some of the largest associations include the Federation of Polish Organisations South Australia, the Polish Association of South Australia, the Dom Polski Centre, the Polish Cultural Society and the Polish Women's Association, just to name a few.

On 2 December 2011, the appointment of Mrs Gosia Hill as the Honorary Consul for the Republic of Poland in South Australia was presented by the Ambassador of Poland to Australia. Mrs Gosia Hill is well respected and has a great interest in foreign affairs and is a dear friend. She is doing a great job representing the Polish government and serving the community in South Australia. It has always been a pleasure to catch up with Gosia at various community events and to keep up with activities and the support she gives the community.

Thirty years ago, the Polish Dożynki Harvest Festival was established in South Australia to ensure the promotion and preservation of Polish culture and traditions. It offers Polish migrants a platform to showcase their proud heritage, customs and vibrant culture at the festival. Over the years, it has been a drawcard for many local and international visitors of Polish descent and also the broader Australian community.

The first Dożynki festival in Adelaide took place in 1979 and was actually named Polish Day. The festival was held for several years at the Parks Community Centre before being transferred to Regency College and then later to Rymill Park. In the more recent years, it was held at the Polonia Reserve, and it has been a popular location for the Dożynki festival. This year, it was held on Sunday 23 October. This all-day event brought a little bit of Poland to Adelaide with a wide range of cultural performances, interactive activities and delicious Polish dishes to enjoy.

My esteemed parliamentary colleague, the hardworking member for Davenport, Sam Duluk, who has a proud Polish heritage, attended the festival and formally represented the state Liberal leader, Steven Marshall, and all of us. I take this opportunity to thank Mr Sam Duluk for his commitment to serve the community and recognise the valuable connection he has with the Australian Polish community in South Australia. The member for Davenport informed me that the 30th anniversary of the Dożynki festival was a memorable and successful event, just as in other years. It was a very well organised event, as always. The reputation and accomplishment of the festival was achieved through the outstanding work of the organisers, sponsors and volunteers.

Invited guests of the festival were warmly welcomed by the vivacious and dynamic president of Dożynki, Ms Marysia Hock. Other distinguished guest speakers included my parliamentary colleague, the member for Davenport, Mr Sam Duluk; Mrs Gosia Hill, the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Poland, and Mr Leszek Wikarjusz of the Polish Community Council of Australia.

Throughout the day, there were activities for the whole family, including food tents, folk dance and folk art and, as always, the popular wheat snopek tossing competition and the pierogi dumpling eating competition really got the crowd going. There were great activities for children, too, including an animal farm, police cars, carnival amusements, a puppet show and puppet-making classes. It was noted on the website that, since its inception in 1979, the Dożynki Polish Harvest Festival event has attracted over 100,000 people over the years.

Let us pay tribute to the founder of the Dożynki festival. It was under the presidency of Jurek Andrecki AM, who had the great vision to establish the festival in 1979. Jurek was the president from 1979 to 1994 and is the longest-serving president of the Dożynki festival. He was a remarkable community leader who demonstrated great abilities to implement a project that has sustained over the last 30 years. He is still very much a part of the Dożynki committee today. What a wonderful testament to what a long-term commitment is all about.

Special thanks to Marysia Hock, the current president of Dożynki. She has been in the leadership role since 2013. Marysia is a proud and passionate community leader. I have known her for a number of years now and she is a lovely friend. I wish to place on the record my appreciation for her high level of professionalism, her warm courtesies and respect for others and her outstanding efforts to engage with the community. She is a great asset to Dożynki and the Polish community. I congratulate her on her great achievements to date.

Community organisations require strong leadership and determination to drive its agendas and fulfil the dreams and aspirations of the CALD community. I wish to thank all the presidents for their contributions and commitment to the SA Polish community. Each successive president helped to shape the association in their own way and that enabled the festival to reach its 30th anniversary this year. I would like to put on the record the names of the presidents and the years they served. They are:

Jurek Andrecki AM, 1979 to 1994;

the late Krzysztof Wator, 1995 to 1997;

Jacek Sczieszka, 1998 to 1999;

Jacek Kapica, 2000;

Jurek Syrek, 2001 to 2002;

Tadeusz Kacki, 2003 to 2004;

Grazyna Strzelecki, 2005;

the late Stanislaw Gotowicz, 2006;

Lilia Zyzniewski, 2007 to 2012; and

Marysia Hock, 2013 to now.

A festival or event of such magnitude cannot be achieved without a strong committee and an army of energetic volunteers. I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the work and contributions of the 2016-17 committee who organised the 30th anniversary of the Dożynki festival.

In addition to the president Marysia Hock there is the vice president Lilia Zyzniewski, the secretary Richard Szkup, treasurer Edward Dudzinski, public officer Pawel Zajac, and committee members Bronek Duszynski, Dominika Rewak, Elizabeth Klimek, Ewa Gruszka OAM, Gosia Skalban OAM, Josie Jaszcz, Jurek Andrecki AM, Krystyna Andrzecki, Krystyna Lesnicki, Richard Sierocinski and Stefan Lesnicki OAM. Thank you to these wonderful individuals and their families who have played such an important role in highlighting the strong presence of the Polish community in South Australia.

Honourable members might recognise a number of prominent names in those I just mentioned on the committee. It goes to show that some people are blessed with the ability to serve. For example, Gosia Skalban OAM is a wonderful lady I have had the pleasure to get to know over the years. She continues to strive for the advancement and preservation of the Polish community in South Australia, and is actively involved in the Polish Hill River Church Museum, the Polish Link with Seniors coordinating committee, and the Polish Women's Association. Just another outstanding contributor in the community with proud Polish heritage.

In conclusion, it is a great honour to move this motion in parliament today to highlight and recognise the amazing work of the Polish Dożynki committee in the last 30 years, and also to recognise 106 years of Polish settlement in South Australia. I would also like to pay tribute to all those involved in the Polish community, and my heartfelt congratulations once again. With those remarks I commend the motion to the chamber.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. J.M. Gazzola.

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