Gallery – Polish refugees in New Zealand

Poland's national day parade (3 May) at the camp led by Piotr Przychodźko. On the rostrum: Major Finny (2nd from left), Szczęsny Zaleski (3rd from left). Note the camp's siren on the building on the right.

Taking a salute on Poland's national day, 3 May, on the podium beneath the guard tower. Major Finny (in uniform), Stefania Kozera (next right) and Szczęsny Zaleski. The tower is a relic of the camp's original purpose as a detention centre for New Zealand's wartime "aliens".

The now adult Polish boys during their motorbike phase on Wellington's picturesque Oriental Parade in the 1950s. Note St Gerard's monastery on the hill. (l-r): Marian (Marek) Kazimierzak, Jan Rogowski, Witold Suchodolski, Czesław Bełczącki

Archbishop O'Shea makes an official visit to the camp, 25 January 1945

Halcyon days in the prime of their youth. Many of the former Polish children refugees with the ex-Polish army emigres celebrate New Year's Eve 1954 at the Winter Show Buildings in John Street, Wellington.

Countess Maria Wodzicka, wife of the Polish Consul to New Zealand, welcomes the Prime Minister and guests.

Archbishop O'Shea makes an official visit to the camp, 25 January 1945.

The first wedding at the Polish Children's Camp, 21 May 1945. Back (l-r): William Jane, Helena Dajnowska, Wally Jane (Groom), Maria Wypych (Bride), Wiktoria Wypych, Larry Eddie Front: Halina Woźniak (Flower Girl)

Children in national costume at Pahiatua Camp get ready for the arrival of Prime Minister Peter Fraser.

The whole camp welcomes Prime Minister Peter Fraser.

The Prime Minister, Peter Fraser and his entourage with the children outside one of the camp's buildings.

In the garden of the Polish Boys' Hostel, Island Bay, 1947. Standing (l-r): Zdzisław Kaczorowski, Stanisław Wójcik, Father Michał Wilniewczyc, Roman Kołodziński, Pawel Wójcik, Adam Banaś Sitting (l-r): Wacław Juchnowicz, Jan Dawiec

Polish children in costume lead the Prime Minister, Peter Fraser (back middle, with hat) into the camp.

Outside the camp's chapel, 1948. Back: (l-r) Edward Dąbrowski, Jan Jarka, Mieczysław Ptak, Julian Nowak Front: (l-r) Piotr Przychodźko, Krystyna Niedźwiecka, Irena Wierzbicka, Władysław Pietkiewicz

Standing: (l-r): Józef Głowacz, Antoni Głowacz, Tadeusz Mazur, Sister Monika Alexandrowicz, Władysław Martul, Wiktor Guńko, Edmund Jabłoński Sitting (l-r): Grzegorz Krawczyk, Witold Domański

The youngest Polish children from the camp temporarily attended Marist Primary School, Palmerston North, where they lived in Linton Military Camp before relocating to the Hawera Polish Boys' Hostel for the final term of the school year, 1949. Back (l-r): Marian Sadowski, Krzysztof Dziegieć, Józef Jagiełło, Ludwik Głogowski, Kazimierz Krawczyk, Zdzisław Lepionka, Zdzisław Iwan, Bogusław Turski, Antoni Sarniak, Leon Zyzało, Tadeusz Rozwadowski Middle (l-r): Jan Makuch, Franciszek Barański, Kazimierz Niedźwiecki, Antoni Rybiński, Brother Egbert, Zbigniew Dziki, Bronisław Gmyterko, Stanisław Zyzało, Bogdan Bocian, Tadeusz Najbert Front (l-r): Waldemar Dejnakowski, Jerzy Juchnowicz, Tadeusz Jankiewicz, Bronisław Węgrzyn, Lech Dobroński, Kazimierz Zając, Witold Pleciak, Eugeniusz Sarnecki, Henryk Apanowicz

One of the last groups of boys (back row) to leave the Polish Children's Camp briefly attended Mangatainoka School before being transferred to Linton Military Camp. Back (l-r): Waldemar Dejnakowski, Henryk Apanowicz, Józef Jagiełło, Marian Sadowski, Tadeusz Rozwadowski, Franciszek Barański, Antoni Rybiński, Zbigniew Dziki, Jan Niedźwiecki, Bronisław Gmyterko, Bogdan Bocian, Jan Makuch, Antoni Sarniak, Krzysztof Dziegieć, Ludwik Głogowski, Wojciech Michalik

(l-r): Władysław Szulgan, Mikołaj Bartniczak, Michał Sidoruk (partly visible), Zygmunt Zyskowski, Mieczysław Grzywa, Andrzej Dajnowski

On holiday in Gisborne, January 1946 Back (l-r): Stanisław Cieślik, Józef Holender, Jerzy Surynt, Tadeusz Mazur, Stefan Wiśniewski, Władysław Pietkiewicz, Witold Domański, Czesław Iwan Front: Kazimierz Zieliński

On holiday in Gisborne with members of the Gisborne Red Cross Transport Corps in Waihirere's Bush Reserve, January 1946

Boys in the camp's vegetable garden when an effort was being made to make it as self sufficient as possible, 1945. (l-r): Stanisław Prędki, Artur Gawlik, Wacław Gołębiowski, Aleksander Basałaj, Kazimierz Depczyński, Mieczysław Sadowski, Edward Dąbrowski, Tadeusz Zioło, Tadeusz Budny

A dish washing brigade at the camp's kitchen No. 1

Back (l-r): Andy Nola, Bronisław Kasprzyk, Eugeniusz Zajkowski, Ryszard Żołnowski, Frank Muller Front (l-r): Tadeusz Wiewiórka, Bronisław Gmyterko, Tadeusz Lepionka, Stanisław Gratkowski

Antoni Kozłowski leads the march at the Pahiatua camp to Sunday Mass

Back (l-r): Jan Wojciechowski, Krzysztof Jasiński (Staszczuk), Lech Lubas, Jan Lasota Front (l-r): Zofia Pacanowska, Irena Banach, Henryka Aulich, Emilia Sondej, Ryszard Białostocki

Standing (l-r): Wiesław Kaliński, Marian Tarasiewicz, Tomasz Kaźimierów Kneeling (l-r): Kazimierz Pisarek, Zbigniew Tarasiewicz

l-r: Piotr Mazur, Zbigniew Markowski, Kazimierz Markowski

Poles under the posts, 1948. The boys took on rugby with a passion and became "the fear of the northern Wairarapa". The opposition team's management had to lend them rugby boots for the representative team's first game. Standing (l-r): Marian Kępka, Zdzisław Lorenc, Zdzisław Witkowski, Władysław Leszewicz, Anatol Karpik, Bronisław Lemów, Frank Muller, Stanisław Gratkowski, Marian Budny, Jan Niedźwiecki, Alfons Moroz, Bronisław Gmyterko (partly visible), Witold Powierza, Michał Sidoruk, Michał Smal (partly visible), Bolesław Banasiak, Zygmunt Wiśniewski, Zbigniew Tarasiewicz, Eugeniusz Zajkowski (partly visible), Kazimierz Niedźwiecki, Michał Adamczyk, Władysław Orawiec, Stanisław Ościłowski, Piotr Mazur (white shirt), Andy Nola Kneeling (l-r): Jan Holender, Antoni Leparowski, Zygmunt Ratuszny Sitting (l-r): Władysław Nowak, Jerzy Wierzbicki, Roman Kraj, Tadeusz Lepionka, Antoni Dobrowolski, Tadeusz Wiewiórka, Stanisław Dygas, Mieczysław Grzywa, Bronisław Woś, Franciszek Kubiak, Bogusław Januszkiewicz, Edward Krejcisz, Mikołaj Bartniczak, Nikifor Piesocki, Władysław Szulgan, Jerzy Bojarski

The seven-a-side Bush Primary Cup, 1948 Back (l-r): Andy Nola, Teodor Poszeluk, Władysław Orawiec, Kazimierz Niedźwiecki, Frank Muller Front (l-r): Władysław Leszewicz, Michał Adamczyk, Zdzisław Witkowski, Anatol Karpik

Standing (l-r): Stanisław Wołk, Kazimierz Wiśniewski, Tadeusz Zioło, Julian Borowiec, Kazimierz Walczak Sitting (l-r): Alfred Sapiński, Mieczysław Ptak, Bronisław Rożniatowski, Jerzy Jankiewicz, Stefania Kozera, Czesław Pelc (arm in sling), Lech Lubas, Jan Lasota, Jan Kowalski, Adam Banaś, Krzysztof Jasiński (Staszczuk)