Warm Welcome Given Three Refugee Women

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30794, 5 July 1965, Page 2

Warm Welcome Given Three Refugee Women

Many days and thousands of miles after leaving Harbin, China, as a Russian-Chinese refugee, Miss Vera Rezchikova-Chang was not expecting any familiar faces among the group waiting to welcome her to Christchurch from Sydney on Saturday.

But there was one person she knew she had seen before—Miss Glafira Kaidalov, now of Redcliffs, and formerly a student at Harbin. Miss Kaidalov came to New Zealand about three years ago.

With Miss Rezchikova-Chang were her grandmother, Mrs Paulina Rezchikova, and mother, Mrs Klaudia Rezchi-kova-Chang. They soon found that the frosty evening air was the only cold and cheerless thing about their arrival. Waiting to welcome them in their own tongue, and to help them with interpretation during customs formalities were members of white Russian families already living in Christchurch, and representatives of the Oxford Terrace Baptist Church, which has completely furnished and stocked a flat for the women and will look after their welfare.

Later they were entertained to a meal of typical Russian dishes at the home of Mr and Mrs A. Chipizubov. After years on a frugal, almost meat less and sugarless diet, the women were almost overwhelmed at the sight of so much food, which included salkison, a meat dish, traditionally prepared vegetables, and plate upon plate of Russian cakes and confections. Life in China was increasingly difficult, the refugees said. In a state where there was no private enterprise, and no free sale, money, even when earned, was not sufli-

eient to buy food and materials. A permission card had also to be produced to make purchases. Much of their food consisted of a thin “pancake” made of cornflour, and chopped vegetables they ar id pick up at the market. Born In Russia Mrs Rezchokiva-Chang was born in Russia, but went to China with her mother in 1926, after the death of her father. In 1943, she married a Chinese citizen, Mr Chang, who died in 1947, a year after the birth of their daughter, Vera.

Mrs Rezchikova • Chang worked as a teacher until 1945. From 1950 to 1953 she was employed as a translatorinterpreter at the Central Chinese Railway Hospital and since 1953 has been an interpreter in a Chinese Government institution. Agreeing to sponsor a refugee family through the National Council of Churches some months ago, the congregation of the Oxford Terrace Baptist Church heard that “their” family was on the way only about a week ago. Since then, an organising committee of six, under the chairmanship of Mr R. J. Bain, has co-ordinated offers

of furniture and assistance. A flat was found, and furnishings, fixtures, blankets, carpets and household utensils, from a frying plan to needle and thread, were installed. Expressed Thanks Through an interpreter, the women expressed their thanks for all that had been done for them. Now they had to learn many things, they said, and get used to a new way of life, but they were thankful they had been given an opportunity to do so. This evening, the women will receive their first lesson about life in New Zealand, from Mrs K. R. Ryan, of Christchurch, who is also of Russian origin and was born in China.

“Mr Bain is going to get us a tape recorder, and I will be able to record simple sentences they will need, first in Russian and then in English, Mrs Ryan said. Learning would then progress even when a tutor was not available. The money system also would be among the first lessons.