The Three Smilgevicius Passengers on the Heintzelman, by Daina Pocius and Ann Tündern-Smith

Looking through the list of names of those who arrived on the First Transport, the General Stuart Heintzelman, we often wonder about relationships and friendships between those on board. When we see the same surname, our first thought is, are they related? Maybe they are brothers, or cousins? When Daina saw the name Smilgevicius three times, she wanted to know if there was a connection.

Izidorius Smilgevičius

Izidorius, or Izzy as he was known in Australia, was born on the 11 February 1924 in the village of Truikiai, close to the town of Plungė. Named after his father, he was a farm worker while residing in Lithuania. The population at the time Izidorius lived in Truikiai was about the same as it is today, around 150.

He was only 22 years old when he arrived in Australia. He was described on his arrival statement as having worked previously as a general labourer. He therefore was suited to continuing to work as a labourer.

Izzy's ID photo from his Bonegilla card

Source:  National Archives of Australia

He was among 185 Baltic men sent from the Bonegilla camp to pick fruit in northern Victoria’s Goulburn Valley, in his case, for Messrs Dundas Simson in Ardmona.

When that fruit season finished, Izzy returned to Bonegilla on 31 March 1948. With still most of his two-year contract to work, his next placement was to Tasmania, where he was sent after 4 days back in Bonegilla.

Izzy’s Bonegilla card does not say what he was to do in Tasmania. Ramunas Tarvydas, in his From Amber Coast to Apple Isle, fills in the missing information. Ramunas or Ray says that Izzy first picked apples in the Huon Valley in the southeast of Tasmania. When that work finished, the Commonwealth Employment service sent him to the northwest, to work for the Electrolytic Zinc Company at Rosebery. His working and living conditions, and his Baltic companions, are described in Jonas Mockunas’ recent entry in this blog.

At some point Izzy moved to Melbourne and married Victorian-born Clara Edith Matthews, ten years his senior. He became a house painter. He is recorded as being an early donor to the Melbourne Lithuanian Club and a member of the Melbourne Lithuanian Catholic parish.

Ann discovered a message online from Clara’s niece, Joy Spain, after she had posted the First Transport’s passenger list to the Immigrant Ships Transcribers’ Guild Website. Izzy was in a high-care nursing home and wanted to see a picture of the ship which brought him to Australia, so Joy took Ann to visit him there in 2012. Although Joy’s message said that Izzy was in reasonable health, he clearly was bedridden but pleased to see his ship again.

Izidorius died two years later, on 6 December 2014 aged 90 years. Clara had passed away almost 23 years previously in 1981. They are buried together in the Warringal Cemetery, in Heidelberg, Melbourne.

Izzy and Clara Smilgevicius' headstone in the Warringal Cemetery
Source:  John William Constantine through Find A Grave

Jurgis Smilgevičius

Jurgis was born on the 22 June 1919, in the Laumakiai manor, located near the beautiful Venta River, in the Šiauliai district. Here he was taught to read and write at home. His parents died, leaving him an orphan the age of ten. His maternal uncle, Liudvikas Ragauskas, took him into his family.

His obituary in Mūsų Pastogė, the main Lithuanian newspaper in Australia, said that he finished 4 classes at the Kelmė school and another 4 at the Šiauliai Boys' school in 1937. His selection papers for migration to Australia confirm that he had finished a full 8 years of secondary education.

In 1937, Jurgis entered the Military School. In 1938, he graduated with the rank of artillery reserve lieutenant. During 1938-40, he studied electrical engineering at the Vytautas the Great University in Kaunas. When the University was closed during WWII, Jurgis moved to Germany and finished his studies in 1947 at the Technical University of Braunschweig, majoring in electrical engineering.

Here was another Lithuanian with a full 12 years of school plus a higher education. His military career and his degree in electrical engineering from Braunsweig follow the same pattern as that recently described for Jonas Motiejūnas. Perhaps they even were in the same classes.

Like Jonas, he was accepted for resettlement in Australia in October 1947, and sailed on the First Transport.

Jurgis Smilgevicius from his selection papers for Australia

Source:  National Archives of Australia

His uncle Liudvikas also came to Australia, on the Anna Salen arriving on 22 June 1949. Sadly, Liudvikas was only in Australia for five years before he died of a heart attack. The Communists had taken his wife and three children to Siberia, and he had been imprisoned in a Communist prison for a long time. When Liudvikas declared his intention to be naturalised in the year before he died, his place of residence was given as Sunbury Mental Hospital (where he probably was working).

Jurgis’ first job in Australia had nothing to do with electrical or any other kind of engineering. Instead, he joined the fruit-pickers in Victoria’s Goulburn Valley from 29 January 1948, working for Mr E Fairley of Shepparton. After the season ended and he returned to the Bonegilla camp on 1 April, his next employer was the Templestowe Brickworks, in Heidelberg, Melbourne, starting two weeks later.

On his 50th birthday in June 1969, Jurgis celebrated with friends in Geelong and spoke about himself and the difficulties he had encountered. The brickyard foreman would point the workers out to customers as if they special attractions — here a professor, here a doctor, a lawyer or engineer. Fortunately, it did not take long for a happy coincidence to allow Jurgis’ qualifications to be recognised, so he began working in his specialty.

He married Regina Narbutaitė, who had arrived on the Second Transport, the General Stewart, on 12 February 1948. They married on 20 December 1948 in Melbourne. It was a civil registry wedding rather than a church one, because Jurgis had to describe himself as divorced.

Jurgis Smilgevicius in 1947

Source:  National Archives of Australia

Jurgis was married before the War and had two daughters, Violeta and Liliana. They were separated by the flight to Germany. The two girls with their mother, Valentina, and grandmother, Marija, were resettled in Michigan, USA. Jurgis was able to meet Violeta when she visited Australia 30 years later. Jurgis travelled to Michigan to visit them as well.

One month after the marriage, Jurgis lodged a sponsorship to bring Regina’s 61-year-old father to Australia from Germany. He reported that he was earning £8/5/- per week at the brickworks while Regina was able to earn £5/5/- each week.

Jurgis’ income translates into only $16.50 in decimal currency, but its buying power now would be about $570, adjusting for inflation. As of November 1948, the basic wage for men was £5/19/-, so Jurgis’ income compares well as it was nearly 40 per cent higher. Regina, of course, was earning only three-quarters of the £7/-/- a man would be paid for doing her work.

The speed with which Regina and then her father followed Jurgis to Australia makes us think that this was a special friendship which had developed in a Displaced Persons camp in the British Zone, where these two had found refuge. Valentina, in the American Zone, signed an English-language letter on 4 October, her signature certified by the camp’s Executive Officer, stating that she had not lived with her husband since 1944. She further declared that she had no objections to her husband migrating to Australia and that she would “not raise any summons” against the Australian Government for supporting her family or “other matters concerning (her) husband”.

This must have cleared the way for the early migration of this still married man, after the Australian Government had made it clear that all on the First Transport were to be single people. This was to give officials greater freedom to send the new arrivals where they were most required without having to worry about their dependents.

Jurgis was one of the founding members of the Melbourne Lithuanian community and was elected to its first committee in August 1948.

There was a major housing shortage in Australia’s cities after WWII, given that those who would have been building new accommodation were fighting instead. As a consequence, rents were high. Jurgis and Regina saved hard for a deposit, which he put down on a housing block. He started to build a small house, a tiny house even, with an area of 14 square metres. He worked on it at weekends. Living there was hard for his wife, as running water and electricity were not connected at first. Regina gave birth to both their daughters from this unfinished house.

On 25 August 1955, Jurgis and Regina Smilgevicius became naturalised Australians. This was reported separately for each by Commonwealth Gazette but the address in both reports was the same. The new house was at 38 Clyde Steet in the west Melbourne suburb of Newport.

Jurgis worked as an engineer for Melbourne’s trams and for the State Electricity Commission. In the Commonwealth Department of Civil Aviation, he was appointed in October 1958 to the position of Airway Engineer on a salary range of £903-£1,353 per annum, which the Reserve Bank calculates now would buy $35,000-$52,000. Since salaries have risen faster than inflation for the past 67 years, we can say that he definitely had a good income. Another way of looking at that income is to look at the basic wage for men in 1958, which was less than half of Jurgis’ starting salary, at £425.

In February 1972, Regina too joined the Federal Public Service, as an Assistant Postal Officer Grade 1 with the Postmaster General’s Department. Her salary was not published in the Commonwealth Gazette notifying her appointment

After retiring in 1980, they moved to Surfers Paradise. In 1981 they initiated a meeting of local Lithuanians and the formation of an eldership (Lietuvių Seniūnijus). Initially it was only a group of 10, but when it grew to over 30, 8 years later, he passed on his role as secretary.

Jurgis Smilgevicius (left) with Antanas Vailionis, Liudas Krašauskas, and Juozas Songaila

Source:  Gold Coast Lithuanian newsletter, 9 March 2003

He was reported to have been the sort of person who got on well with everyone.

Jurgis passed away on the Gold Coast on14 October 2006. His ashes are interred in the Allambe Memorial Park, Nerang, Gold Coast City, Queensland.

Jurgis Smilgevicius' plaque in a rose garden at the Allambe Memorial Park

Source:  JanetET in Find A Grave

Kazys Smilgevičius

Kazys was born in Jankaičiai village, in the district of Rietavas, Lithuania, on 18 December 1922.  The population of this village has shrunk from 123 at the time of Kazys' birth to 10 in 2011, the latest available figures.

He was a tailor and single when he arrived in Australia on board the General Stuart Heinzelman on 28 November 1947. After a short time in Bonegilla, he was one of the 64 sent to Adelaide to labour for the South Australian Government’s Department of Engineering and Water Supply (E&WS) at Bedford Park.

Later he worked for the E&WS at Port Lincoln and Murdinga on the Eyre Peninsula, then moved to General Motors-Holden (GMH) to work as a spot welder. As the Adelaide News in May 1949 reported that he had been living in North Adelaide for about 6 months, he probably had been able to find his GMH job in late 1948 (with Commonwealth Employment Service and Department of Immigration permission, of course).

Kazys’ time in Australia was only beginning when tragedy stuck.

Kazys Smilgevicius' death as reported in the Adelaide Advertiser of 21 May 1949

Source:  Trove

He had been in Australia for less than 18 months.

He lies buried in West Terrace cemetery with a headstone erected by the Lithuanian community. The inscription “Teesie tavo valia” usually is rendered in English as “Thy will be done”.

Kazys Smilgevicius' headstone in the West Terrace Cemetery, Adelaide

Source:  Catherine@SA in Find A Grave

Conclusion

After researching the three Smilgevičius men, we could see that they are not related. The common features that Daina has noted are that all three are Žemaičiai (the plural of Žemaičias, meaning someone from Žemaitis) and all three are buried in a foreign land far from their home of birth.

Žemaitis or Samogitia is one of the five cultural regions of Lithuania. Located in the northwest of the country, its capital is Telšiai and the largest city is Šiauliai. Through the centuries, Samogitia has developed a separate culture featuring with its own architecture, folk costumes, dances, songs, traditions, and a distinct language. A Žemaitis trait is stubbornness: they never give up when in trouble and stubbornly pursue a goal. That’s a perfect characteristic for thriving in a new country.

Sources

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Jonas Motiejūnas (1921–2004): The Lithuanian Leader Who Left, by Rasa Ščevinskienė and Ann Tündern-Smith

The Photographs

Two photographs of two Lithuanians with Australia’s first Minister for Immigration, Arthur Calwell, are used frequently to illustrate early post–World War II migration to Australia. Arthur Calwell is clearly identifiable on the right, we are told that the woman is Konstancia Brundzaitė, but who is the man with her?

This presentation captured by a photographer clearly is an important moment, but what is that moment? A memoir written by a fellow Lithuanian migrant, Kazys Mieldazys, tells us (in Lithuanian), that the Kanimbla ship carrying the First Transport refugees from Fremantle in Western Australia to Port Melbourne in Victoria “reached Melbourne on 7 December. 

"There we were greeted by the Minister for Immigration, Arthur Calwell, together with other government representatives. The leaders of the Lithuanian group, Jonas Motiejunas and Konstancija Brundzaite, handed the Minister a gift – a picture book of Lithuanian views and a sash. Later this gift was deposited by Mr Calwell in the Australian Cultural Museum (sic) in Canberra …”.

From left to right, Jonas Motiejūnas, Konstancija Brundzaitė, Arthur Calwell, unknown Australian onlookers, when Calwell received the gift of a sash and book from the Lithuanians
Source:  Australian Maritime Museum digitising of print donated by Konstancija Brundzaitė Jurskis 

This presentation occurred later, apparently, when the 
two Lithuanian leaders met Calwell again, as Jonas is in national costume this time:
judging from the background, it may have been at the 1951
travelling exhibition of New Australians' Arts and Crafts

Source:  SLIC

How did Jonas become a leader of the Lithuanian group, along with Konstancija? Kazys has written further, “We first organised ourselves at the Diepholz camp in Germany. A week before the ship’s departure a Lithuanian representative committee was established. It comprised Jonas Motiejunas, president, Povilas Baltutis, vice president, Napoleonas Butkunas, interpreter …”

Kazys added, “On All Souls Day, we honoured the dead and all those who had perished for Lithuanian freedom. J. Motiejunas was the keynote speaker. After that a prayer was recited for our homeland and a few hymns were sung …”

Young Jonas

Who was this leader among 417 Lithuanian men? He was born on 5 July 1921, in Janenai village, Sventezeris district, Seinai county, so he was 26 years old when selected. He had graduated from Lazdijai high school and completed his military service with graduation from the officer training school, in the last program before the school closed, ironically because of the War.

In 1941–1944, he studied electrical engineering in the Faculty of Technology at Vytautas the Great University, in Kaunas. He completed his studies after leaving Lithuania, in Germany’s Technical University of Braunschweig, receiving an electrical engineering degree.

He was an active athlete and exhibiting artist during his student days. He participated in the June 1941 uprising against the Soviet occupiers of his country, shortly before the Germans turn as occupiers. He was active in community organisations during this time.

Work and Marriage

After nearly two months in the Bonegilla camp, Jonas was among 28 men sent to pick fruit on the Dundas Simson Pty Ltd property at Ardmona, Victoria, on 28 January 1948. He returned to Bonegilla on 10 April. On 22 April, he was sent to work in the Australian Carbide Company’s factory at Electrona, 40 km south from Hobart, capital of Tasmania.

During his 10 days back in the Bonegilla camp in April, Jonas had met Ona Prižgintaitė by Lake Hume. She was one of the Lithuanian women on the Second Transport, the General MB Stewart, which had reached Fremantle on 12 February 1948.

Their casual acquaintance quickly grew into love and respect for each other. They married on 11 July 1948 in the Catholic Church in the town of Snug, near Electrona.  Jonas later told Ramunas Tarvydas, author of the 1997 book, From Amber Coast to Apple Isle, that the couple were surprised and delighted by the number of locals who attended to wish them well. 

Ona and Jonas Motiejūnas on their wedding day
Source:  Mikuliciene, Irena (2023) 
Lietuviai perkeltųjų asmenų (DP) stovyklose 1945–1951 m.

Meanwhile, Jonas was engaged in hard work, unloading large limestone rocks, smashing them with sledgehammers and loading them onto wagons.  He and his fellow workers shovelled coal onto the limestone, added both to furnaces, poured the resultant molten material into shallow basins to cool, then smashed the cold product and loaded it into barrels for export.  

The main product of the Electrona factory in 1948 was calcium carbide, a solid which reacts with water to produce acetylene gas. Using acetylene for lighting was common still in mid–20th century Australia. Another major use of acetylene is in welding.

As you can imagine from this summary, the work was dangerous also, as Jonas described to Ramunas Tarvydas, quoted in the next entry on the carbide factory.

Jonas was able to get a transfer to Hobart after talking with a CES official.  There he was employed more suitably as an electrical draftsman with EZ Risdon.  In his spare time, he drew house plans for other Lithuanians in Hobart. 

Accommodation

Jonas also told Ramunas that, "Electrona is a very lovely area.  We lived in houses especially built by the company.  One of the three bedrooms in the house was for us, the married couple, the other two were for four single men.  There was also a dining room, a kitchen and a bathroom.

"Our meals were excellent, first cooked by Mrs Stasytis, then by my wife, who also looked after the Lithuanians' house."

(Mr and Mrs Stasytis were Adomas and Veronika, who had arrived in February 1948 on the Second Transport, the General MB Stewart.  They had been sent together to Electrona on 28 April 1948, that is, 6 days after the 8 from the First Transport.  Apart from the cooking, doubtless expected by the men, Veronika Stasytienė was destined for "factory w", whatever that meant in this dangerous environment.)

Jonas’ New Family

Ona Prižgintaitė had graduated from midwifery school and studied history at Vytautas the Great University for two years. After reaching Germany, she studied history and art at the University of Heidelberg before leaving for Australia in January 1948.

Jonas and Ona had four daughters:

• Ramunė (born 1949) – studied art in Paris, and worked as a formal wear specialist at Bloomingdale's, Beverly Hills, California.
• Eglė (born 1950) – worked as an administrator at Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia.
• Ruta (born 1952) – lived in Portland, Oregon, raising two sons.
• Birutė (born 1958) – lived in Prescott, Arizona, working as a landscape designer until she had a son and daughter; sadly, she died in 2020 from breast cancer, aged only 61.

Ona and Jonas with their three oldest daughters:
(left to right) Ramunė, Eglė and Ruta
Source:  Source:  Mikuliciene, Irena (2023) ,
Lietuviai perkeltųjų asmenų (DP) stovyklose 1945–1951 m.

The Family Moves

In 1954, the family moved from Tasmania to Melbourne, where Jonas got a job as an engineer on the railway. Later, he worked at the Ford Motor Company, which used to assemble cars in the Melbourne suburb of Broadmeadows, and southwest of Melbourne in Geelong.

On 21 April 1959, the family left Australia for Los Angeles in the United States. There Jonas worked as an engineer for various companies. His last job was at Hughes Aircraft company, where he worked 29 years until he retired in 1988. Meanwhile, Ona took care of the family.

Retirement in America

After Jonas retired, he and Ona moved to Prescott, Arizona, in order to be closer to Birute and her family. Ramune also was living in Prescott in 2020.

Jonas and Ona Motiejunas established two charitable funds in USA. Jonas said that he could only pursue his education with the help of scholarships, so he wanted to compensate for a small part of assistance he had received. The Jonas and Ona Motiejunas Scholarship Fund was started in 1990 with the Lithuanian Foundation with $10,000. The Lithuanian Foundation is a not–for–profit organisation in Lemont, Illinois, started in 1962, which still offers scholarships.

Jonas and Ona started their second fund in 1995 in order to help Lithuanian orphans with the interest earned. Their first $10,000, in the name of the Ona and Jonas Motiejūnas, was donated to Lithuanian Orphanage Committee in July 1995. The second cheque for $10,000 was written in October 1997, the third in February 1999 and a fourth in 2000. In October 1998, a cheque for $100 was acknowledged in the Draugas (Friend) newspaper. The $40,100 and possibly more of capital was admired as a beautiful sacrifice.

Jonas and Ona Motiejūnas were active Lithuanians, always participating in Lithuanian community activities. The family was seen as an exemplary, future–oriented family, harmoniously operating for the maintenance of Lithuania abroad and aid to Lithuania, and supporting that activity financially.

The family on the occasion of Ona and Jonas' 50th wedding anniversary
(left to right) Eglė, Ramunė, Ona, Jonas, Ruta and Birutė at front left

Source:  Draugas, 31 October 1998

Jonas Motiejunas died on 28 February 2004, at the age of 83, in Prescott, Arizona, having been married to Ona for 55 years. At his request, his ashes were buried in his home village of Janenai. Ona Motiejuniene died more than 7 years later, at home on 22 September 2011 at the age of 90.

Of the two Lithuanians in the 1947 photos with the Minister for Immigration, Konstancija has been the easier to identify because she remained in Australia. She donated her prints of the photos to the Australian National Maritime Museum, where the donations are recorded in her maiden name as well as her married name of Jurskis.

We don’t know why the Motiejunas family left Australia in 1959. The common reason among other cases of departure … was other family members settled successfully in the United States. Vytautas Stasiukynas, the vet who left for Colombia, is the only case so far of someone leaving Australia because of better employment opportunities elsewhere.

Perhaps either or both of Jonas and Ona had relatives in Los Angeles. Their departure was Australia’s loss.

CITE THIS AS: Ščevinskiene, Rasa and Tündern–Smith (2025) ‘Jonas Motiejūnas, the Lithuanian Leader Who Left’

Sources

‘A†A Jonas Motiejūnas’ (RIP Jonas Motiejunas, in Lithuanian) Draugas (Friend), Chicago,  Illinois, 17 March 2004, p 5, https://draugas.org/archive/2004_reg/2004-03-17-DRAUGAS-i7-8.pdf, accessed 10 August 2025.

Ancient Faces, ‘Jonas Motiejunas’ https://www.ancientfaces.com/person/jonas-motiejunas-birth-1921-death-2004/86579155, accessed 10 August 2025.

Australian Lithuanian History ‘Two Year Contracts Part IV (Final)’ https://salithohistory.blogspot.com/2021/03/two-year-contracts-part-iv-final.html, accessed 9 August 2025.

Draugas, the Lithuanian World-Wide Daily, ‘A † A Ona Prižgintaitė Motiejūnienė’ (RIP Ona Prizgintaite Motiejuniene, in Lithuanian) http://www.draugas.org/legacy/mirties2011.html, accessed 9 August 2025.

Jasaitienė, Birutė (1995) ‘Jono ir Onos (Prižgintaitės) Motiejūnų Fondas Lietuvos Našlaičiams’ ‘Jonas and Ona (Prižgintaitė) Motiejūnas Foundation for Lithuanian Orphans’ (in Lithuanian) Draugas (Friend) Chicago, Illinois, 12 August, p 8 https://www.draugas.org/archive/1995_reg/1995-08-12-DRAUGASw.pdf, accessed 10 August 2025.

Jasaitienė, Birutė (1998) ‘Darnaus Gyvenimo 50 Metu Sukaktis’ (‘50th Anniversary of Sustainable Living’, in Lithuanian) Draugas (Friend) Chicago, Illinois, 12 August, p 4 https://draugas.org/archive/1998_reg/1998-10-31-DRAUGASm.pdf, accessed 10 August 2025.

Jasaitienė, Birutė (2000) ‘Jono ir Onos Motiejūnų Fondas’ (‘Jonas and Ona Motiejūnas Fund, in Lithuanian) Draugas (Friend) Chicago, Illinois, 19 February, p 4 https://draugas.org/archive/2000_reg/2000-02-19-DRAUGAS.pdf, accessed 10 August 2025.

Juodvalkis, A (1990) ‘Inž. Jonas ir Ona Motiejūnai Įsteigė Stipendijų Fondą’ ‘Engineer Jonas and Ona Motiejunas Established a Scholarship Fund’ (in Lithuanian) Draugas (Friend) Chicago, Illinois, 22 February, p 4, https://draugas.org/archive/1990_reg/1990-02-22-DRAUGAS-i7-8.pdf, accessed 9 August 2025.

Lithuanian Foundation, Inc. ‘Scholarships Reports’, https://lithuanianfoundation.org/lf-reports/scholarships/ accessed 10 August 2025.

Mieldažys, Kazys (1961) ‘Pirmieji Žingsniai Australijoje‘ [‘First Steps in Australia’ translated into English by Jonas Mockunas from an article in Metraštis (Yearbook)] https://www.australianlithuanians.org/history/ww2-kazys-mieldazys/ accessed 9 August 2025.

Mikulicienė, Irena (2023) Lietuviai perkeltųjų asmenų (DP) stovyklose 1945–1951 m. (Lithuanians in displaced persons (DP) camps in 1945-1951, in Lithuanian) Lietuvos nacionalinis muziejus, Vilnius, 440 p.

National Archives of Australia: Migrant Reception and Training Centre, Bonegilla [Victoria]; A2571, Name Index Cards, Migrants Registration [Bonegilla]; Motiejunas Jonas, MOTIEJUNAS, Jonas : Year of Birth - 1921 : Nationality - LITHUANIAN : Travelled per - GEN. HEINTZELMAN : Number - 601 https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=203902827 accessed 9 August 2025.

Rimon, Wendy (2006) ‘Carbide Works’ in The Companion to Tasmanian History https://www.utas.edu.au/library/companion_to_tasmanian_history/C/Carbide%20Works.htm accessed 9 August 2025.

Ruffner Wakelin Funeral Homes and Crematory ‘Birute Motiejunas Upchurch, August 13, 1958 — February 8, 2020’ https://www.ruffnerwakelin.com/obituaries/birute-motiejunas-upchurch

Sydney Lithuanian Information Centre ‘In Memoriam, 24th April, 2005, Kastutė Brundzaitė - Jurskis (1921 - 2005), Among the Very First Lithuanian Post World War II Migrants in Australia’ https://www.slic.org.au/News/news_240405.htm accessed 9 August 2025.

Tarvydas, Ramunas (1997) From Amber Coast to Apple Isle : Fifty Years of Baltic Immigrants in Tasmania 1948-1998, Baltic Semicentennial Commemoration Activities Organising Committee, Hobart, Tasmania, pages 35-36.

Jonas Strankauskas (1916 – 1987), Generous Donor and Lover of the Lithuanian Press by Rasa Ščevinskienė

Updated 19 January, 25 January, 7 February and 2 May 2025.

First Transport passenger Jonas Strankauskas was born in Virbaliūnai village, Kaunas district, Lithuania, on 1 September 1916. His parents were the peasants Joakimas Strankauskas and Pranciska, whose maiden name was Ciuciulkaite. Jonas was the second child in the family.

Jonas Strankauskas birth record (in Russian) from the Raudondvaris church,
near Kaunas, Lithuania

Source:  Lithuanian State Historical Archives

There was an older son, Antanas, and two younger daughters, Teofile and Aleksandra. Jonas also had an older half-sister, Ona, from his father's previous marriage. His Bonegilla card says that he also had a half-brother in Germany, Kasys Kalasinas. In reality, this was his first cousin, Kazys Kasiūnas.

Jonas Strankauskas' photo on his Bonegilla card

Source:  Bonegilla Migrant Experience

In pre-War Lithuania, 21-year-old boys were called to the army, so Jonas spent the years 1937-1939 on military service.

Jonas Strankauskas' Lithuanian identity paper from 1937

Source:  AustralianLithuanian Archive

From his Arolsen Archives DP registration card, we know that Jonas arrived in Germany before 11 July 1945. The card shows his profession as a carpenter.  Two years later, in October 1947, he advised the Australian selection panel that he had 10 years experience as a joiner, someone who made furniture rather than someone engaged in the rougher woodwork of building houses.

He was living in Northern Casern Displaced Persons (DP) Camp in Würzburg. Many Lithuanian DPs lived at this camp between 1945 and 1949.

Jonas left Bremerhaven for Australia with 842 other Baltic refugees on the USAT General Stuart Heintzelman on 30 October 1947 and arrived in Australia on 28 November 1947. Despite having trained and worked as a joiner, he was recruited into Australia as a much-needed builder’s labourer, for erection of the new houses Australia needed to make up for the absence of building during World War II.

Like many other men who came on the First Transport, Jonas’ first job in Australia was fruit picking. In his case, he left Bonegilla camp to work for Dundas Simson Pty Ltd in Ardmona. on 28 January 1948 and returned to Bonegilla on 10 April 1948.

From 14 April to 17 May, Jonas worked in the Bonegilla migrant camp as a casual labourer. He left Bonegilla on 2 June 1948 having been allocated to the Commonwealth Department of Works and Housing at Philip Ponds camp, Woomera, South Australia. He worked here as joiner, with a salary of £7/10/6 per week.

Huts 12 and 13 at Philip Ponds camp, 1948:
the FX Holden between the huts means that this photo was taken after 29 November

Source:  Steve Swayne on Flickr

On 18 August 1948 at his own request, Jonas left Woomera and moved to the State’s capital city, Adelaide.  Two days later, he joined the South Australian Railways' (SAR) workforce and, 11 days later, he was off to join the other First Transporters at Peterborough.  His citizenship application says that he stayed there for around 6 months only, so was off to the State capital, Adelaide, in early 1949.

Like most of the other First Transport arrivals, he was released from his obligation to work in Australia on 30 September 1949.  He stayed with the SAR though, as his occupation in August 1955, when he applied for citizenship, was Locomotive Fireman.

From an advertisement in the new Lithuanian-Australia newspaper, Mūsų Pastogė, we can see that in mid-1949, Jonas was living at 93 Childers Street, North Adelaide. When he received Australian citizenship on 24 April 1956, his address was 14 Divett Place in Adelaide.  This 14 Divett Place address may well have been a boarding house at the time, since one of those vouching for his good reputation on his citizenship application was a Storeman also living there.

Jonas became an Australian citizen at a ceremony led by the Lord Mayor of Adelaide City on 24 April 1956.

From newspaper and magazines we can describe Jonas’ life in Australia. He liked to read Lithuanian newspapers and magazines, he subscribed to them and constantly donated money to them. He read and donated to the following Lithuanian publications until this death: Mūsų Pastogė, Dirva, Lietuviu Dienos and Tėviškės Žiburiai.  

This intense support was despite Jonas reporting to the Australian selection panel in Germany that he had only 4 years of primary school education, the norm in Lithuania in those days.

When Mūsų Pastogė was starting, Jonas donated a valuable £1/8/- to help it on its way. The Reserve Bank of Australia estimates that this sum was worth nearly $100 in today’s money. It certainly was generous for someone who had been out of DP camps for only two years and who had been on a low income for all of that time.

Jonas’ generosity included ordering Lithuanian publications for other people. In September 1955, the Lithuanian magazine Lietuviu Dienos advised that J Strankauskas from Adelaide, Australia, ordered had ordered this magazine for two ladies, L Juodelyte and N Juryte.

He also loved books. In 1952, the Lithuanian newspaper Tremtis advertised that it was preparing for publication a volume of original writings by Vincas Kudirka. Jonas preordered this book. A couple of years later, Tremtis advertised that it would soon publish the second part of the Gatvės berniukų nuotykiai (Adventures of Street Boys) trilogy by writer R. Spalis, to be called Ant ribos (On the Edge), and a selection of articles by Tremtis writers, Gintarai (Amber). Jonas subscribed to these books as well.

In 1956 the Lithuanian newspaper Dirva advised that its longtime reader, Jonas Strankauskas, who recently had celebrated his 40th birthday, was a patron of the Adelaide men's choir "Lithuania" and had been supporting the Vasario 16 (February 16, Lithuania’s Independence Day) Gymnasium for the fifth year, making him the largest donor of all the Australian supporters.

Jonas Strankauskas in 1959

Source:  Private Collection

Jonas became the Treasurer of the Adelaide Lithuanian Club (Mūsų Pastogė, 1958) and the Adelaide Lithuanian sports club, Vytis (Mūsų Pastogė, 1959, 1960). He remained the Vytis Treasurer until 1965.

Jonas Strankauskas is the gentleman at the righthand end of the middle row
in this 1961 photo of the Vytis sportspeople and officials

Source:  Australijos Lietuvių Metraštis, 1961, courtesy Jonas Mockunas

Jonas is eighth from the left among those standing at the back in this 1963 photo
of Adelaide sports people and friends

Source:  Mūsų Pastogė

In 1964, Jonas gave clocks and 15 chess sets to its chess group (Mūsų Pastogė, 1964). From this and other evidence, it looks like Jonas’ sport may have been chess.

The Mūsų Pastogė caption says, in Lithuanian
'‘Chess matters are discussed during the farewell for Mr and Mrs Bačiūnas’:
Jonas Strankauskas is in the background on the right

Source:  Mūsų Pastogė

Jonas became seriously ill in the middle of 1967 and Mūsų Pastogė told its readers that he was in hospital but feeling better. The newspaper sent its wishes for him to get well soon. He was described as the long-time treasurer of Vytis and a generous supporter of the club.

In 1970 Jonas resumed his activities with Vytis. Mūsų Pastogė noted that Vytis was celebrating its 20th anniversary. Large contributions had been made and continued to be made by Jonas Strankauskas, its Treasurer.

A formal portrait of Jonas Strankauskas

Source:  Australian Lithuanian Archive

Jonas Strankauskas died in Adelaide on 14 June 1987. His death certificate records the cause of death as ‘intracerebral and subarachoid haemorrhage, hyperglyaemia and pneumonia’. The hyperglyaemia indicates that Jonas had diabetes – not a surprise in someone who looks overweight in all of his photos. Maybe that was the cause of his ill health in mid-1967.

He had not married. His last known address had been 58 George Street in Norwood, Adelaide. He was farewelled on 22 June at the Centennial Park Crematorium.

The last press notice about Jonas Strankauskas was on 8 September 1987, three months after his death. Tėviškės žiburiai announced that Jonas had paid $25.00 to renew his subscription.

Lithuanian language publications in exile were in Jonas’ good hands until his death and after.

Sources

Arolsen Archives, ‘AEF DP Registration Record, DocID: 69321313 (Jonas STRANKAUSKAS)’ https://collections.arolsen-archives.org/en/document/69321313 accessed 28 December 2024.

Australian Cemeteries Index, ‘Name/Cemetery Search’ https://austcemindex.com/?family_name=strankauskas accessed 24 December 2024.

Australijos Lietuvių Metraštis [Australian Lithuanian Annual] (1961) Sydney, p. 126.

Bonegilla Migrant Experience, ‘Bonegilla Identity Card Lookup: Jonas Strankauskas, https://idcards.bonegilla.org.au/record/203694645 accessed 26 December 2024.

Centennial Park, ‘Memorial Search – Cemetery Records’ https://www.centennialpark.org/memorial-search/?surname=Strankauskas&firstname= accessed 24 December 2024.

Commonwealth of Australia Gazette (1956) 04 24 ‘Certificates of naturalization’, Canberra, ACT, 24 April, page 2866 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/232988815/25126346 accessed 26 December 2024.

Dirva [The Field] (1956) ‘Kas ir Kir’ ['Who and Where'] Cleveland, Ohio, 18 October, p 2 https://spauda.org/dirva/archive/n1956/1956-10-18-DIRVA.pdf accessed 24 December 2024.

Lietuviu Dienos [Lithuanian Days] (1955) ‘Ka Veikia Skaitytojai’ [‘What Readers Do’, in Lithuanian] Los Angeles, California,15 September, p 17 https://spauda.org/lietuviu_dienos/archive/1955/1955-09-15-LIETUVIU-DIENOS.pdf accessed 27 December 2024.

Lietuviu Dienos [Lithuanian Days] (1958) Ka Veikia Skaitytojai’ [‘What Readers Do’, in Lithuanian] Los Angeles, California,15 April, p 17 https://spauda.org/lietuviu_dienos/archive/1958/1958-04-15-LIETUVIU-DIENOS.pdf accessed 27 December 2024.

Lietuviu Dienos [Lithuanian Days] (1966) ‘LD Žurnalui Aukojo’ [‘Donated to Lietuviu Dienos Magazine’, in Lithuanian] Los Angeles, California,15 November, p 20 https://spauda.org/lietuviu_dienos/archive/1966/1966-11-15-LIETUVIU-DIENOS.pdf accessed 27 December 2024.

Lietuviu Dienos [Lithuanian Days] (1967) ‘LD žurnalą parėmė’ [‘Lietuviu Dienos magazine supporters’ , in Lithuanian] Los Angeles, California,15 December, p 18 https://spauda.org/lietuviu_dienos/archive/1967/1967-12-15-LIETUVIU-DIENOS.pdf accessed 27 December 2024.

Lietuviu Dienos [Lithuanian Days] (1970) ‘Lietuvių Dienoms Paremiti, Įsigydami bilietėlių, aukojo’ [ ‘To support Lietuviu Dienos, by purchasing tickets, they donated’, in Lithuanian] Los Angeles, California,15 November, p 15 https://spauda.org/lietuviu_dienos/archive/1970/1970-11-15-LIETUVIU-DIENOS.pdf accessed 27 December 2024. 

Lithuanian State Historical Archives, Veliuonos dekanato bažnyčių gimimo metrikų aktų knyga, 1916-01-01 – 1916.12.31 [Book of birth records of churches in the Veliuona deanery, 1.1.1916 – 31.12.1916] https://eais.archyvai.lt/repo-ext-api/share/?manifest=https://eais.archyvai.lt/repo-ext-api/view/267329282/304796043/lt/iiif/manifest&lang=lt&page=174 accessed 24 December 2024 [Jonas Strankauskas’ birth record in Raudondvaris church, page 174, record number. 107].

Mūsų Pastogė [Our Haven] (1949a) ‘Mūsų Pastogės Rėmėjai’ (Mūsų Pastogė Sponsors, in Lithuanian) Sydney, NSW 21 December p 8 https://spauda2.org/musu_pastoge/archive/1949/1949-12-21-MUSU-PASTOGE.pdf accessed 26 December 2024.

Mūsų Pastogė [Our Haven] (1958) ’Nauja Adelaidės Apylinkės Valdyba’ [‘New Adelaide District Council’, in Lithuanian] Sydney, NSW, 17 March, p 6 https://spauda2.org/musu_pastoge/archive/1958/1958-03-17-MUSU-PASTOGE.pdf accessed 26 December 2024.

Mūsų Pastogė [Our Haven] (1959) ‘Adelaidėje, Visuotinis Susirinkimas’ [‘Adelaide, General Assembly’, in Lithuanian] Sydney, NSW, 1 May, p 5 https://spauda2.org/musu_pastoge/archive/1959/1959-05-01-MUSU-PASTOGE.pdf accessed 26 December 2024.

Mūsų Pastogė [Our Haven] (1960) ‘Adelaidėje, Visuotinas – Metinis Susirinkimas’ [‘Adelaide, Annual General Meeting’, in Lithuanian] Sydney, NSW, 6 May, p 5 https://spauda2.org/musu_pastoge/archive/1960/1960-05-06-MUSU-PASTOGE.pdf accessed 26 December 2024.

Mūsų Pastogė [Our Haven] (1961) ‘Sportas’ [Sports, in Lithuanian] Sydney, NSW, 17 February, p 5 https://spauda2.org/musu_pastoge/archive/1961/1961-02-17-MUSU-PASTOGE.pdf accessed 24 December 2024.

Mūsų Pastogė [Our Haven] (1962a) ‘Adelaidiniai Pranešimai’ [‘Adelaide Announcements’, in Lithuanian] Sydney, NSW, 20 June, p 5 https://spauda2.org/musu_pastoge/archive/1962/1962-06-20-MUSU-PASTOGE.pdf accessed 26 December 2024.

Mūsų Pastogė [Our Haven] (1962b) ‘Sporto Šventės Aktoriai’ [‘Sports Celebration Performers’, in Lithuanian] Sydney, NSW, 20 December, p 9, https://spauda2.org/musu_pastoge/archive/1962/1962-12-20-MUSU-PASTOGE.pdf accessed 26 December 2024.

Mūsų Pastogė [Our Haven] (1963a) ‘Pranešimai’ [‘Notifications’, in Lithuanian] Sydney, NSW, 13 March, p 6 https://spauda2.org/musu_pastoge/archive/1963/1963-03-13-MUSU-PASTOGE.pdf accessed 27 December 2024.

Mūsų Pastogė [Our Haven] (1963b) ‘Sportas, Perversmus Adelaidėje’ [‘Sports, Revolution in Adelaide’, in Lithuanian] Sydney, NSW, 12 June, p 5 https://spauda2.org/musu_pastoge/archive/1963/1963-06-12-MUSU-PASTOGE.pdf accessed 27 December 2024.

Mūsų Pastogė [Our Haven] (1963c) [Photograph caption] ‘Adelaidės sportininkai ir sporto bičiuliai po metinio susirinkimo ...’ [‘Adelaide athletes and friends of sport after the annual meeting …’, in Lithuanian] Sydney, NSW, 31 July, p 5 https://spauda2.org/musu_pastoge/archive/1963/1963-07-31-MUSU-PASTOGE.pdf accessed 27 December 2024.

Mūsų Pastogė [Our Haven] (1963d) ‘Vykstam Melbournan!’ [We are going to Melbourne!, in Lithuanian] Sydney, NSW, 12 April, p 5 https://spauda2.org/musu_pastoge/archive/1963/1963-12-04-MUSU-PASTOGE.pdf accessed 27 December 2024.

Mūsų Pastogė [Our Haven] (1964) [Photograph caption] ‘Aptariami Šachmatų reikalai p.p. Bačiūnų iSleistuvių metu’ [‘Chess matters are discussed during the farewell for Mr and Mrs Bačiūnas’, in Lithuanian] Sydney, NSW, 26 February, p 7 https://spauda2.org/musu_pastoge/archive/1964/1964-02-26-MUSU-PASTOGE.pdf accessed 27 December 2024.

Mūsų Pastogė [Our Haven] (1964) 04 01 ‘Is Bendruomenes Susirinkimo’ [‘Community Meeting’, in Lithuanian] Sydney, NSW, 1 April, p 4, https://spauda2.org/musu_pastoge/archive/1964/1964-04-01-MUSU-PASTOGE.pdf accessed 27 December 2024.

Mūsų Pastogė [Our Haven] (1965) 07 05 ‘Adelaidės liet. Sporto Klubui 15 m.’ [Adelaide Lithuanian Sports Club is 15 years old’, in Lithuanian] Sydney, NSW, 5 July, p 5 https://spauda2.org/musu_pastoge/archive/1965/1965-07-05-MUSU-PASTOGE.pdf accessed 27 December 2024.

Mūsų Pastogė [Our Haven] (1967) 07 31 ‘Sporto Naujienos’ [‘Sports News’, in Latvian] Sydney, NSW, 31 July, p 5 https://spauda2.org/musu_pastoge/archive/1967/1967-07-31-MUSU-PASTOGE.pdf accessed 27 December 2024.

Mūsų Pastogė [Our Haven] (1970) Adelaidės Vyties sukaktis’ [‘Adelaide Vytis club anniversary’, in Lithuanian] Sydney, NSW, 20 April p 5 https://spauda2.org/musu_pastoge/archive/1970/1970-04-20-MUSU-PASTOGE.pdf accessed 27 December 2024.

Mūsų Pastogė [Our Haven] (1976) ‘Adelaidės Kronika’ [‘Adelaide Chronicle’, in Lithuanian] Sydney, NSW, 29 November p 6 https://spauda2.org/musu_pastoge/archive/1976/1976-11-29-MUSU-PASTOGE.pdf accessed 27 December 2024.

National Archives of Australia: Attorney-Generals’s Department; D1918, Investigation case files, single number series with 'S' prefix, 1938-1960; S1493/5/2, Nominal roll of displaced persons at Woomera [Long Range Weapons Establishment, Woomera, SA] 1948-1949 https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=856767, accessed 26 December 2024, page 31.

National Archives of Australia: Department of Labour and National Service, Central Office; MT29/1, Employment Service Schedules, 1947-1950; 21, Schedule of displaced persons who left the Reception and Training Centre, Bonegilla Victoria for employment in the State of South Australia, 1948-1950 [Schedule no SA1 to SA31] https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=23150376 accessed 26 December 2024, pages 33-34

National Archives of Australia:  Department of Immigration, Central Office; A446, Correspondence files, annual single number series with block allocations; 1956/41293, Application for Naturalisation - STRANKAUSKAS Jonas born 1 September 1916 recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=8362412, accessed 17 August 2025.

National Archives of Australia:  Department of Immigration, Central Office; A11772, Migrant Selection Documents for Displaced Persons who travelled to Australia per General Stuart Heintzelman departing Bremerhaven 30 October 1947; 665, STRANKAUSKAS Jonas DOB 1 September 1916 https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=5118088 accessed 19 January 2025.

National Archives of Australia:  Department of Immigration, South Australia Branch; D4881, Alien registration cards, alphabetical series, 1877-1976; STRANKAUSKAS Jonas - Nationality: Lithuanian - Arrived: Fremantle per General Stuart Heintzelman 28 November 1947, 1947-56 https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=9225262 accessed 7 February 2025.

Reserve Bank of Australia, ‘Pre-Decimal Inflator Calculator’, https://www.rba.gov.au/calculator/annualPreDecimal.html accessed 26 December 2024.

Teviskes Aidai [Echoes of Homeland](1948) ‘Nauja Apyl. Valdyba Adelaidėje’ [‘New District Council in Adelaide’, in Lithuanian] Melbourne, Victoria, 2 April p 6 https://www.epaveldas.lt/preview?id=C1B0002202866-1958-Bal.2 accessed 28 December 2024.

Teviskes Aidai [Echoes of Homeland] (1974) ‘Musu Remējai’ [‘Our Sponsors’, in Lithuanian] Melbourne, Victoria, 23 April, p 7 https:Teviskes Aida//www.epaveldas.lt/preview?id=C1B0002202866-1974-Bal.23 accessed 28 December 2024.

Teviskes Ziburiai [The Lights of Homeland] (1974) ‘”T. Žiburiams” aukojo’ [‘Donated to T. Žiburiai’, in Lithuanian] Toronto, Ontario, 20 June, p 4 https://spauda.org/teviskes_ziburiai/archive/1974/1974-06-20-TEVISKES-ZIBURIAI.pdf accessed 28 December 2024.

Teviskes Ziburiai [The Lights of Homeland] (1976) ‘“Tėviškės Žiburiams” aukojo’ [‘Donated to Tėviškės Žiburiai’, in Lithuanian] Mississauga, Ontario, 11 November, p 7 https://spauda.org/teviskes_ziburiai/archive/1976/1976-11-11-TEVISKES-ZIBURIAI.pdf accessed 28 December 2024.

Teviskes Ziburiai [The Lights of Homeland] (1980) ‘Aukotojai’ [‘Donors’, in Lithuanian] Mississauga, Ontario, 15 May, p 10 https://spauda.org/teviskes_ziburiai/archive/1980/1980-05-15-TEVISKES-ZIBURIAI.pdf accessed 28 December 2024.

Teviskes Ziburiai [The Lights of Homeland] (1983) ‘Aukojo “Tėviškės Žiburiams” [‘Donated to Tėviškės Žiburiai, in Lithuanian] Mississauga, Ontario, 11 September, p 9 https://spauda.org/teviskes_ziburiai/archive/1983/1983-09-01-TEVISKES-ZIBURIAI.pdf accessed 28 December 2024.

Teviskes Ziburiai [The Lights of Homeland] (1983) ‘Aukojo “Tėviškės Žiburiams” [‘Donated to Tėviškės Žiburiai, in Lithuanian] Mississauga, Ontario, 22 December, p 11 https://spauda.org/teviskes_ziburiai/archive/1983/1983-12-22-TEVISKES-ZIBURIAI.pdf accessed 28 December 2024.

Teviskes Ziburiai [The Lights of Homeland] (1985) ‘Aukojo “Tėviškės Žiburiams” [‘Donated to Tėviškės Žiburiai, in Lithuanian] Mississauga, Ontario, 19 March, p 9 https://spauda.org/teviskes_ziburiai/archive/1985/1985-03-19-TEVISKES-ZIBURIAI.pdf accessed 28 December 2024.

Teviskes Ziburiai [The Lights of Homeland] (1986) ‘Aukojo “Tėviškės Žiburiams” [‘Donated to Tėviškės Žiburiai, in Lithuanian] Mississauga, Ontario, 7 January, p 8 https://spauda.org/teviskes_ziburiai/archive/1986/1986-01-07-TEVISKES-ZIBURIAI.pdf accessed 28 December 2024.

Teviskes Ziburiai [The Lights of Homeland] (1987) ‘Aukojo “Tėviškės Žiburiams” [‘Donated to Tėviškės Žiburiai, in Lithuanian] Mississauga, Ontario, 8 September, p 9 https://spauda.org/teviskes_ziburiai/archive/1987/1987-09-08-TEVISKES-ZIBURIAI.pdf accessed 28 December 2024.

Tremtis [Exile] (1952) ‘Garbės prenumeratoriai’ [‘Honorary subscribers’, in Lithuanian] Memmingen, Germany, 22 November, p 4 https://spauda2.org/dp/dpspaudinys_tremtis/archive/1952-11-22-TREMTIS.pdf accessed 27 December 2024.

Tremtis [Exile] (1954) ‘Garbės prenumeratoriai’ [‘Honorary subscribers’, in Lithuanian] Memmingen, Germany, 1 March, p 16 https://spauda2.org/dp/dpspaudinys_tremtis/archive/1954-03-01-TREMTIS.pdf accessed 27 December 2024.