POLISH GIRLS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26544, 20 August 1947, Page 4

POLISH GIRLS

TWENTY-TWO IN CITY STUDY AT COLLEGES A TALENTED GROUP When the express for the north pulls out of the Dunedin station this morning it will be taking 22 Polish children on a holiday visit to Pahiatua. These girls are attending the Catholic schools of St. Dominic's and St. Philomena’s in Dunedin, and are spending their holidays with other Polish children living in various parts of the Dominion. , „ . Although the background of their lives is one of sadness, the girls are finding new happiness in Dunedin and are forgetting to some extent the unpleasant experiences of the past. Many of the children have lost their parents and do not know what fate has befallen brothers and sisters. Others have only recently heard of the safety of a parent or a close relative, and the letters they receive may bring to them joy or fresh sorrow. Careers Planned Of the eight Polish girls at St. Philomena’s, six are boarders and two stay with people in South Dunedin and attend as day girls. With the exception of one who has been here longer the girls have spent only seven months at the school and already they can speak and write remarkably good English. Their ages vary from 13 to 16, but in those years they have had experiences that do not befall most people in a lifetime. Most of them spent three years in Russia before being taken to Persia. From there they went to the Polish camp at Pahiatua and |his year came to Dunedin. , .. While they cannot help at times thinking of the past, they are all alive to the needs of the future. Most of them have already planned their careers Two wish to become school teachers, one has hopes of being a journalist if her English can improve sufficiently, two would like to teacn music, and another hopes to be a sports mistress. Two others are going to concentrate on commercial subjects and become shorthand-typistes. _ Practically all are very fond of music, and some of them display the musical gifts possessed by many Poles. Two ate extremely artistic and do beautiful work with pencil and brush. Return to Homeland The Dunedin girls at the college have been extremely good to the Polish pupils and have gone out of their way to make them feel at home. They have asked the girls to .them homes and taken them on holidays. The Polish girls have responded to such kindness and their outlook and nature have changed considerably since they reached Dunedin and became established in an atmosphere of kindness an But a in P each'there is still a burning desire to 'return to Poland. Some of the letters that have reached them describing conditions , in £° la ™L t 0 have upset the girls, but each on hopes to return there some day. even if it is only to find traces of then families. They expressed, however, a high opinion of New Zealand, and 11 their parents and other members of their scattered families could come out to the Dominion it is probable that they would prefer to remain here A similar story may be told of the 14 Polish girls at St Dominies. Nine of these girls are boarding at the school and five are day girls. They, too, are learning English fast and aie becoming accustomed to life in a New Zealand school.