Not all stories of the First Transport’s passengers tell us of a long and distinguished life in Australia.The shortest and saddest is that of Aleksandras Vasiliauskas, who drowned in the Murray River on 4 January 1948.This was only two months after his arrival in Western Australia on 28 November 1947.[1]
Aleksandras' ID photo from his Bonegilla Card
Source: National Archives of Australia
On that Sunday, he went for lunch with the family of a local woman he had met at a dance at the Bonegilla camp.[2] After lunch, a group took him to Noreuil Park. At about 3.20 pm, he went for a swim by himself.[3] He swam around a bend in the Murray near the Park enclosure, then was seen to be in difficulties.[4]
Noreuil Park is on the left of this Google map.
The previous main road out of Albury to Victoria (C319) is just to its right.
The current route of the Hume Highway (M31) is on the right of the map.
A young woman who noticed the difficulties dived into the river fully clothed. Fay Tattersall, 20, of Sydney told the inquest two days later that she had seen him floating down the river. At first, she thought he was fooling around but, when she saw a second time that he was still floating face down, she took action.
As she got to him, he disappeared under the water. “I sang out to those on the bank and then I saw some boys coming out”, she told the inquest. She held a Bronze Cross for life-saving, so would have had little doubt about her ability to help someone in trouble.[5]
The water was running fairly swiftly, Ms Tattersall told the inquest, so anyone other than a strong swimmer could have had trouble getting out of the water. Friends said that Aleksandras was not a good swimmer.[6]
After Fay’s evidence was heard, the inquest adjourned. Her evidence was taken first because she had to be in Sydney by the following Monday to recommence work after her summer break.[7]
At the resumed inquest on 21 January, Norman Bennett Fellowes, of Albury, told of having stood on the river bank with a group of other young men when one them drew attention to Fay diving in, fully clothed.
He saw Aleksandras’ head coming up, face down. As he started to sink again, Norman and others dived in. Norman described the attempts to recover Aleksandras, who was found about 40 metres from where they had dived. Apparently, he had been carried down the river by its very swift current. The water depth was only 1.2 metres where he was found.
Frederick George Brumm, another young Albury resident, told the inquest that he had dived for Aleksandras and brought him to the surface. He held a Bronze Medallion and instructor’s certificate from the Royal Life Saving Society. His assessment of the river conditions was that, “It (was) possible for a poor swimmer to be swept out by the strong current into deep holes. A swimmer could get of the current lower down the river. If anybody panicked, he would not get out.”
The young men manoeuvred the body to the river bank, where Fay helped with the artificial resuscitation. An ambulance came with oxygen. Leslie Arthur George Stepto told the inquest that he had applied oxygen and resuscitation to Aleksandras for about 10 minutes. In his opinion, Aleksandras was no longer alive.
Aleksandras then was transported to the Albury District Hospital where Eva Grey, medical practitioner, and other staff tried to revive him with injections and an iron lung, normally used to keep polio patients alive. All efforts were in vain. In her opinion, death was due to drowning.
In reaching a verdict of death by accidental drowning, the Coroner, EM Debenham, noted that he, “… must commend the action of a very brave and courageous young girl … even though her attempt was not instrumental in saving the man’s life, it seems that some steps should be taken to bring her action to the notice of the Humane Society for some possible recognition”. He also supported an appeal in the previous day’s issue of the Border Morning Mail for the formation of a Noreuil Park Life Saving Club, “in view of the nature of the river at this place.”
He added that it was unfortunate that Aleksandras had met his death in Albury after coming from “such a troubled place”. “It is to be regretted that he was not spared to enjoy life in Australia.”[8]
The Coroner’s recommendation that Fay Tattersall’s action should receive recognition was heard. The Royal Humane Society of New South Wales records that she received “a Certificate of Merit for actions involving a river at Albury on the 4th January 1948”.[9]
Aleksandras had hoped to resume his medical studies in Australia, it was reported, although his intended occupation on the First Transport’s passenger list is given as ‘labourer’.[10] He was 23 years old when he drowned, born in the Lithuanian city of Panevėžys. This is in the middle of Lithuania, midway between two Baltic capitals, Vilnius and Riga.[11]
When news of Aleksandras’ death reached the Bonegilla camp, its Australian flag was lowered to half-mast.[12] The funeral took place the day after he drowned, at St Augustine’s Church, Wodonga.[13] Andrew Jankus has described the funeral from the perspective of Aleksandras’ Lithuanian compatriots.
“This morning I didn’t go to classes as all the former Scouts went into the bush to get leafy branches to make two wreathes. We made them out of gum trees and decorated them with sashes. One sash had the inscription, ‘From the Lithuanian Community’. The other inscription read, ‘From the Sea Scouts of Lithuania’.
“The Sea Scouts and the Rover Scouts in their respective uniforms went to the Wodonga church where the coffin with Alex’ remains was lying in state. We placed the two wreaths at the base of the coffin and stood by the coffin as an honour guard. Two Sea Scouts and two Rovers carried the coffin out from the church to the hearse. Then all of us proceeded to the Albury Cemetery for the burial.
Aleksandras’ funeral procession outside St Augustine’s.
Head bowed, just behind the scouts, is Alton Kershaw,
Commandant of the Bonegilla Migrant Reception and Training Centre.
The gentleman with a bow tie and top hat between the priest and the altar boys
probably is the funeral director
Lithuanian Sea and Rover Scouts
carry the coffin to the cemetery lych gate.
The two Sea Scouts in the lead are Endrius Jankus (left) and Antanas Jurevicius (right).
Again, the Bonegilla Commandant is just behind the scouts.
The funeral procession in
the cemetery
Photographs supplied by Andrew Jankus
“At the graveside, the priest said his eulogy and the Camp Commandant, Major Kershaw, praised the person now deceased. Our community leader, Jonas Motiejunas, put the gold chain with a cross that Alex wore round his neck on top of the coffin. He added a holy picture found in Alex’ belongings. Then the coffin was lowered into the grave. There were wreaths from us, Mr Calwell, Major Kershaw and Alex’ girlfriend.[14] It poured throughout the graveside ceremony. Hurriedly we took some photos and departed for home.”[15]
Aleksandras is committed
to the earth
Photograph supplied by Andrew Jankus
Aleksandras was buried in the Catholic portion of the Albury Cemetery, now known as the Pioneer Cemetery, Albury.[16] His grave is located at the northern end of the Cemetery, in Row S, Lot 11 of the Catholic Section.
He was spared the indignity of a pauper’s grave or an unmarked one by his compatriots. When I interviewed Petras Morkunas and Petras Baltutis in Melbourne in 2001, they explained what had happened.
“The Lithuanian men were concerned that his grave would be forgotten. Mr Baltutis’ twin brother, Povilas, organised a collection among them to ensure that he got a headstone. The men gave 5 shillings each for two weeks. The committee of the Lithuanians decided that the headstone would say something like, ‘Tell my country I loved you’”.[17]
The sea scouts leave as
three special friends say goodbye
Photograph supplied by Andrew Jankus
When I visited in 2005, the grave had sunk to the right and lichen was hiding much of the text on the headstone. Jonas Mockunas kindly has provided photographs from his visit in December 2017.
Aleksandras Vasiliauskas’ grave is in the middle foreground of this 2017 photograph.
The headstone, like some other untended ones in the background, is covered by lichen
Photograph courtesy Jonas Mockunas
Close-up of the headstone
Photograph courtesy Jonas Mockunas
It’s time to organise another collection, to pay for the restoration of the grave including careful cleaning of the headstone. Can you help?
[1] Ann Tündern-Smith, Bonegilla’s Beginnings, 2nd ed, Triple D Books, Wagga Wagga, p 59.
[2] Endrius (Andrew) Jankus, ‘Bonegilla 1947-1948’, now published as 7 entries in this blog between 20 December 2022 and 2 January 2023: see https://firsttransport.blogspot.com/2022/12/bonegilla-1947-1948-first-five-days-by.html, https://firsttransport.blogspot.com/2022/12/bonegilla-1947-1948-next-week-december.html, https://firsttransport.blogspot.com/2022/12/bonegilla-1947-1948-week-to-christmas.html, https://firsttransport.blogspot.com/2022/12/bonegilla-1947-1948-boxing-day-to-new.html, https://firsttransport.blogspot.com/2023/01/bonegilla-1947-1948-another-two-weeks.html, https://firsttransport.blogspot.com/2023/01/bonegilla-1947-1948-two-more-weeks-from.html and https://firsttransport.blogspot.com/2023/01/bonegilla-1947-1948-at-last-off-to-work.html.
[3] The Park is named in honour of the men of the 13th battery, 5th field artillery brigade, an Albury-based group involved in an attack on the French village of this name beginning on 2 April 1917. See https://www.warmemorialsregister.nsw.gov.au/content/noreuil-park-memorial.
[4] ‘Immigrant Drowned: Tragedy at Noreuil’, Border Morning Mail (Albury, BMM), 5 January 1948.
[5] ‘Plucky Girl Tells of Vain Rescue Attempt: Sunday’s drowning at Noreuil Park’, BMM, 7 January 1948. The “Bronze Cross” may have been a reporter’s confusion with the Bronze Medallion.
[6] BMM, 5 January 1948.
[7] ‘Sunday’s Heroine at Albury was a Visitor: Brave attempt to save drowning man’, BMM, 6 January 1948.
[8] ‘Brave Girl Praised, Tried to save drowning man’, BMM, 22 January 1948.
[9] ‘Recipients, Case number 1948/06, https://www.braveryaward.org/recipients.php?case=1948/06, visited 27 April 2021.
[10] BMM, 5 January 1948.
[11] ‘Panevėžys’, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panev%C4%97%C5%BEys, visited 26 April 2021.
[12] Jankus, ‘Bonegilla 1947-1948’, now published as 7 entries in this blog between 20 December 2022 and 2 January 2023: see note [2] above.
[13] BMM, 5 January 1948.
[14] ‘Mr Calwell’ was Arthur Augustus Calwell, Minister for Immigration, who had initiated the scheme under which Aleksandras arrived in Australia.
[15] Jankus, ‘Bonegilla1947-1948’.
[16] BMM, 5 January 1948.
[17] Petras Morkunas and Petras Baltutis, interview with Ann Tündern-Smith, Melbourne Lithuanian Club, 14 January 2001, unpublished manuscript.
