Theft of ikon bitter blow

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32788, 13 December 1971, Page 1

Theft of ikon bitter blow

Life has dealt some bitter blows to a White Russian, Mr Avdei Vshivkoff, who has been persecuted by Communists in his own country , and in China. But he is ■ quite shattered by the ’ theft of a treasured ikon ifrom the grave of his son, Afanasi, who was : killed in a car accident ’ recently and buried* at i Belfast. Mr Vshivkoff, who is 80, I came to New Zealand with his ’ son and family six years ago,, one of a group of 88 White Russians refugees accepted by New Zealand. His sou Afanasi, with his wife and nine children, settled on ,-a farm at Annat, near Sheffield but a fortnight ago, Mr Afanasi Vshivkoff was killed in Christchurch in a motor accident. The Vshivkoffs are members of the Old Believers’ faith, an off-shoot of Russian Orthodox, and funeral rites were held according to the ancient traditions of their beliefs. Members of the few families in the area attended. • Mr Afanasi Vshivkoff was > eventually buried in the Bel--1 fast cemetery, and a fine 1 wooden cross, after the fashion of a Russian Orthodox crucifix, was placed over the

grave. On top was fixed the ikon which-Mr Vshivkoff sen. had carried with him during his wanderings and kept with him even in a prison camp and which symbolised the ancient faith of these,peoples. . But when visiting; the grave of his son this week, Mr

i Vshivkoff found the ikon . gone. ; “He is quite distraught'at : losing the ikon, which -Wks i the only thing he managed to ■ keep when imprisoned, for 'his beliefs, in a'.cell in northern China," said the associate i secretary of the National ; Council of Churches (The Rev.' R. O’Grady) yesterday. I “Whoever took it probably does not realise the significance of the- ikon, which was a symbolic piece of -shaped . brass and copper with, a figure of Christ in the centre,” he said. The National Council , of Churches took the initiative in bringing the White Russians to New, Zealand. A number of families settled in Southland. r In theeariyl93os,thouI sands of .Russians .poured across the Siberian border into northern China to escape persecution, an economic 'crisis,.- > and • political ferment Over the border, the refugees in a- community eked out a living and strove to be left in peace to follow their Old Believer religion. But mounting antagonism forced the community to abandon its land and flee south to a larger town. A L short time later, the communHty had to flee . agaip, but \ eventually gained permission i from the Communist Chinese to cross into Hong Kong. It was a ragged group of

300 which crossed the border, m Hong , Kong, the state-ltes refugees finally came under the mandate of' the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. When the World Cbuncil of Churches was asked to help, the resettlement department enureses nearu or uje - proolem, and arranged with the Government for a group to come to New Zealand! Mr O’Grady asks anyone who has any information about the whereabouts of the ikon to contact the National Council of Churches office, telephone 69-274.