POHOS chairpersons report 2016

 Polish Heritage Trust of Otago and Southland

Chairperson’s Report
1 April 2017 to 31 March 2016

On behalf of the Board, I am pleased to present my Annual Report on the activities of the Trust which took place during the last 12 months. These activities benefited the local and wider New Zealand communities in many ways, while we were working steadily, towards focusing on our Trust’s objectives, specifically:

• Enriching New Zealand society by promoting cultural and spiritual awareness of Polish heritage in New Zealand
• Supporting the maintenance of historical properties of Polish heritage in New Zealand
• Co-operation with other historical trusts and organizations
• Supporting and encouraging cultural, educational and economic links and exchanges between Poland and New Zealand

This year the following events took place:

This year the following events took place:

 April 2015

Poland’s economic system, history and culture talk was held at Columba
College in Dunedin

! May 2015

We observed Polish National Day with Polish and EU flags flying from the
Civic Centre at Octagon and Toitu Otago Settlers Museum

Pahiatua Children event: Czesia’s Panek “Chmielow our Paradise lost” book
launch in Oamaru. This wonderful book was researched and edited by Philipa
Keaney and illustrated by Robyn Belton.

June 2015

Polish film screening at Toitu, Otago Settlers Museum. Members of Polish
and wider Dunedin communities had a chance to see “Ida” the Academy
Award winning Best Foreign Film of 2015

Civic function held on an occasion of presentation of the Gold Cross of Merit
to POHOS Board Member Ewa Rozecka-Pollard at Fletcher Lodge
The Polish Ambassador, Zbigniew Gniatkowski and Honorary Polish Consul
for the South Island Mrs Winsome Dormer were in attendance.

August 2015

POHOS Board Members, Ewa Rozecka-Pollard and Anna McCreath-Munro
were promoting Dunedin UNESCO’s “World City of Literature,” in Krakow,
Poland’s “World City of Literature,” Kiwi contingent presented Janet Frame’s
book from Dunedin City Council and was very well looked after by Justyna
Jochym, UNESCO’s coordinator in Krakow. It was a very interesting literary
and historic visit. We can be very proud of the fact that POHOS was very
actively involved in advocating Dunedin’s bid to become the “World City of
Literature,” a status awarded to the city by UNESCO in 2015.

September 2015

Pahiatua Children event: Czesia’s Panek “Chmielow our Paradise lost” book
launch was held at Toitu Otago Settlers Museum.

November 2015

Conference of Federation of Polish Organizations in New Zealand was held at
Heriot Lane City Apartments and Fletcher Lodge in Dunedin.
Civic function was held on an occasion of presentation of the Gold Cross of
Merit to POHOS Foundation Board Member Czesia Panek, POHOS Board
Member Carolina Meikle, Artist Margaret Ann Howard and Toitu Otago
Settlers Museum Curator Shean Brosnahan at Toitu Otago Settlers Museum
Celebration Dinner held at Forsyth Barr Stadium
The Polish Ambassador, Zbigniew Gniatkowski and Honorary Polish Consul
for the South Island Mrs Winsome Dormer were in attendance.

December 2015

A Christmas Carol service was held at Mary Queen of Peace Church at Broad
Bay on the Otago Peninsula where members of Polish and wider Dunedin
communities sang Christmas carols together in many languages.

Preserving Polish heritage:

Work in progress on the preservation of the old historic
Church, Mary Queen of Peace, built by the first Polish settlers to Otago and
Southland in the XIX century, and maintenance of the rose garden at Broad Bay on
the Otago Peninsula.
.
Further co-operation and integration:

We appreciate our participation in the Federation of Polish Organisations in New
Zealand (FPONZ). Establishing a common platform of communication among
representatives of Polish organisations from Christchurch, Wellington, Hamilton,
Auckland and Dunedin is a very important step towards further integration of the
Polish communities in New Zealand
The Trust is a Member of the Otago Settlers Association and co-operates with the
Southern Heritage Trust, Taieri Historical Society and Port Chalmers Historical
Society. We value these links very highly.

We would like to acknowledge the wonderful support we have received from:

• Toitu Otago Settlers Museum
• Broad Bay community and Mercy Parish of the Dunedin Diocese
• Polish Embassy in Wellington and especially from the Polish Ambassador to
  New Zealand, Zbigniew Gniatkowski.
• Honorary Polish Consul for the South Island and honorary member of
  POHOS,
• Winsome Dormer of Christchurch.
• New Zealand Embassy in Warsaw, Poland and especially from the New
  Zealand Ambassador to Poland, Wendy Hinton

  Their efforts to strengthen and integrate our southern Poles in Otago and Southland,
  are commendable.

  I would like to thank all members and friends of the Polish Heritage of Otago
  and Southland here in New Zealand and in Poland, and especially:
  Czesia Panek, Bozena and Alfred Haug, Schep Family, Katarzyna Miscewy,
  Dominika and Kuba Kochan, Beata and Grzegorz Peckowski, Margaret Ann Howard,
  Robin Belton, Philippa Keaney, Maribeth Mitchell, Steven Holmes, Therese and
  Mark Sharma, Peter and Jeannie Hayden, Sam Neil and Ania Kowalewski.
  Jennifer Evans, Sean Brosnahan and Kristen Glengarry from Toitu, Otago Settlers
  Museum, Ann Barsby from Southern Heritage Trust

• Special thanks to: current Polish Ambassador to New Zealand, Zbigniew
  Gniatkowski, Honorary Polish Consul for South Island, Winsome Dormer and to the
  New Zealand Ambassador to Poland, Wendy Hinton, for their positive
  encouragement, and for looking after our small Polish community down south.
• On behalf of the Board I would like to acknowledge families of POHOS Board
  Members for their unquestionable support and understanding.
  Our sincere thanks go to Gemma Dzikiewicz, Chris Gamble, Keith Rozecki-Pollard,
  Corran Munro and Graham Bain.
• My final vote of thanks goes to the current POHOS Trustees:
  Secretary, Anna McCreath Munro; Treasurer, Ewa Rozecka-Pollard and Board
  Members: Paul Klemick, Krzysztof Dzikiewicz, Carolina Meikle, Monika
  Wrukowska Gamble and Lisa Warrington.
• It has been an honor and privilege to be part of the Board dedicated to the Polish
  Heritage of Otago and Southland.
• I am very proud of the Trust’s considerable achievements and its well deserved
  recognition in New Zealand and in Poland. This is the result of hard, dedicated,
  conscientious, and what is most important, voluntary work of Members of the Board,
  and tremendous local community support and goodwill.
  We look forward, with confidence and optimism, to the year 2016.
• Thank you,
• Cecylia Klobukowska, M.Com (Economics), Dip Grad (Accounting)
  Gold Cross of Merit (Poland)
  Chairperson and Founding Member
  15th November 2016, Dunedin, New Zealand