What a blessed surprise! At the end of October 2023 we were contacted by an Anglo Celtic Magazine published in Qld. And here we go. In the November issue of the magazine TWO articles about P.E. Strzelecki have appeared. Aren’t we feeling proud?
What a report from Queensland Be quick to read and enlarge the PDF print if you need
So how has this wonderful story unfolded? I am quoting here from the correspondence between Mary Ellen, Editor of Anglo&Celtic Magazine and our own Felix Molski, the pillar of KHI.
26th October, Felix to Mary.
My name is Felix Molski, I am a volunteer with Kosciuszko Heritage (KHI). Ernestyna, our President is currently undergoing chemo, has asked me to respond to your enquiry. I believe it is wonderful that you intend to bring Paul Edmund Strzelecki (PES) back into living memory, especially with regard to his humanitarian deeds in Ireland during the period of an Gorta Mór – the Great Hunger.I wrote about this in a booklet titled “The Best of Human Nature” that was published by KHI in 2012 and it had amazing ripple effects. (…)
KHI is a non profit volunteer group aiming to keep Strzelecki and Kosciuszko in living memory. There is no copyright so you can use anything of interest to you without charge, including the booklet.
Recently we had as guest speakers in Pennant Hills, Sydney, Professors Peter Gray and Emily Mark-Fitzgerald, experts about Strzelecki’s deeds in Ireland(…)
26th October, Mary Ellen to Felix.
Hello Felix,
Wow, that is so helpful, I’m blown away. I only accidentally came across the story when searching for Irish Australian news on Google.
I didn’t know about the talks that took place in Melbourne and Sydney. I have just watched the talk by the professors on YouTube.
I will definitely be running the story in the November edition of Anglo&Celtic magazine.
But I may be able to do more than that.
I am also the public relations officer of Queensland Irish Association. I am going to send the information you sent me on to the board of the Association and see if we can do something to remember Strzelecki, perhaps an event, and let you know.
Even if they’re not able to do an event, I can also put the story about Strzelecki in the Queensland Irish Association Newsletter which goes out to several thousand people.
You are amazing to do what you have done for Strzelecki’s memory. Ripple effect and good hands indeed. He certainly found a good pair of hands in you. You are also doing great work to remember the victims of the famine, it is so misunderstood. Many in Australia don’t even know about it. I come from Cork city in Ireland and a few generations back, my family lived near Skibbereen, which was absolutely devastated by the famine.
Just a few years ago I visited the former soup kitchen and famine museum in Skibbereen, and also Westport House in Mayo where there are several famine soup pots on display. So I’m very familiar with all the places mentioned in the talk. I often think of what my ancestors suffered through and somehow survived, and, of course, I wouldn’t be here if they hadn’t. And knowing that makes you battle on at times when life gets tough.
So leave this one with me and I’ll be in touch. Very best wishes to Ernestyna.
October 27th, Felix to Mary Ellen.
Thank you for your kind words and thank you for your dedication to honouring the good. You are a rare jewel. No matter the community or the culture people generally seem to remember the bad and forget about the good. So many examples, but the best one for me is I ask people if they have ever heard of the name ‘Goering’. Every adult I know who has, speaks about Herman, one of the National Socialist elite, who at the end of the war was convicted of war crimes for the murder of Jews. I then ask if they know anything of his brother, Albert. The answer is always no despite the fact that his brother was a good man who stood against the National Socialists and was responsible for saving many Jews from death!!!!!
Dear Mary Ellen it is Ernestyna who deserves the primary credit for the honouring of the good deeds of Strzelecki. I think she deserves appreciation and acknowledgement for her effort and inspiring work, especially since I am sure it would uplift her spirits in her current circumstances.
November 3rd, Mary Ellen to Felix.
Here is a the link to the magazine. The story is mentioned in my column on page 3 as well as the full page feature.
angloandceltic.com/2023/11/01/read-the-november-edition-of-angloceltic-magazine-here/
One of our directors at Queensland Irish Association has just died so I don’t think we will be doing any events until we recover from the shock of that. But I will work on trying to do something for Strzelecki. I emailed our history committee about it and they are keen. But now there will definately be a delay.
All the best.
Source: https://www.zrobtosam.com/PulsPol/Puls3/index.php?sekcja=1&arty_id=23002
