Personal Details
Name: | Krystyna Downey | |
Maiden Name: | Kołodyńska | |
Nickname/Pseudonym: | ||
Gender: | Female | |
Date of birth: | 1931-09-06 | |
Place of birth: | Poland, Wołyńskie, Krzemieniec, Krzemieniec | |
Did this person die during World War ll?: | No | |
Date of death: | 2020-2-16 | |
Place of death: | New Zealand , Wellington (near Johnsonville) | |
Cause of Death: | Heart failure | |
Fathers given name: | Henryk | |
Entry ID: 145924 | Mothers given name: | Stanisława |
Mothers maiden name: | Leszczynowicz | |
Given name of spouse: | Patrick James | |
Maiden name of spouse: | ||
Given name(s) of children: | ||
Description: | Exerpt from a talk given by Krystyna to Onslow Parish, Khandallah, Wellington 2007:I was born in south-eastern Poland in Krzemieniec (pop. around 25,000) a beautifu town surrounded by hills and forests, I had very young parents. When I was born my mother was just 21 and my father 25. My father was a land surveyor and although mother had qualified as a primary school teacher, she did not work as in those days married ladies stayed at home. Mine was a very happy and carefree childhood. I had lots of friends as did my parents, They loved entertaining and life was good.When I was five I went to kindergarten and in 1938, when I turned 7, I started school. The following year, during the summer school holidays, when I was old enough to appreciate what I was seeing and to learn, my parents took me on an extended trip around Poland. We visited Warszawa and other cities and places of interest. Our holiday was cut short by persistent rumours of war, and we returned home. Very soon afterwards my father, who was a reservist in the Polish Army, was called up. He was subsequently taken prisoner of war by the Germans. Mother and I did not see him again until 8 years later when he joined us in New Zealand in 1947. However, throughout the war we knew where he was and he knew where we were, thanks to that marvellous international organisation, The Red Cross.And the war did come: on 1 September 1939, Germany invaded Poland from the west and two weeks later Russia invaded from the East. Our lives changed irrevocably. |
Personal Situation at the outbreak of WWll
Residence at the outbreak of WWll: | Poland, Wołyńskie, Krzemieniec, Krzemieniec, |
Kresy Inhabitant Status: | Civilian settler / Family member of civilian settler |
Ethnicity: | Polish |
Religion: | Roman Catholic |
Education Level: | |
Occupation at the outbreak of WWll: | Primary school student |
Military status at the outbreak of WWll: | |
Military Rank at the outbreak of WWll: |
Deportations and Repressions
FROM: yyyy | mm | dd | To: yyyy | mm | dd | To: Soviet socialist republic | Oblast | Locality |
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1940 | 10 | 1942 | 07 | Kazakh SSR | Kustanajska oblast' |
Other Information: | Krystyna and her mother were first placed at a kolcholz where her mother worked on the railways. However after she had an accident on the railway and hurt her back, she was unable to receive an income so therefore were given permission to move together with Janina and Teresa Dmochowska to the town of Siemioznoj where they found accommodation in a house and survived by bartering their possessions and creating and embroidering head scarfs out of sheets. During their time of living in Kazahkstan, Krystyna's mother a school teacher continued to educate Krystyna. They were fortunate enough to receive school books through the mail from one of Krystyna's school teachers in Krzemieniec. |
For those who were repatriated to Poland from the Kresy or the USSR, please provide the following information
Date of return to Poland: | // |
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Nearest large city: |
For those who stayed in the Kresy area during WWII, please provide the following information
Province - as at 1939: | |
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Nearest Large City: |
Other Military Service: | |
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Other Wartime Circumstances
Other Information: | |
Orphanages: | Pahiatua, New Zealand |
Civilian Camp in the Middle East: | Esfahan |
Civilian Camp in India: | |
Civilian Camp in Africa: | |
Please provide information if none of the preceding apply: | During Krystyna's time in Esfahan, Krystyna continued her Polish school education in classes provided by Polish educators that organised schools for Polish children who lived as refugees in Esfahan from 1942 to 1945. |
Residence After 1945
Country | State | District | Locality | Nearest large city | Description |
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New Zealand | Pahiatua | November 1944 to January 1945: Krystyna and her mother came to New Zealand with 733 Polish children and 103 care givers. | |||
New Zealand | Wellington | From April 1956 : On graduation, Krystyna joined the Public Service and in 1956 came to Wellington for one year. However she so loved the city she remained and is still living in Wellington in February 2018. She subsequently applied and was appointed to the staff of the National Commission for Unesco. In 1961 she did her big OE and travelled throughout Europe visiting places she had always wanted to visit. Then for 6 months she worked at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. On returning to New Zealand, Krystyna held the position of the Secretary of the National Commission for UNESCO for 12 years and worked closely with the Department of Foreign Affairs. Please check the Wall of Images ( http://kresy-siberia.org/hom/element/kolodynska-downey/ ) for photos and documents relating to Krystynas story. | |||
New Zealand | Auckland | January 1945 to April 1956: After three months in Pahiatua camp, Krystyna, then 13 years old , came as a boarder to the Convent of the Sacred Heart, Auckland, with two other Polish girls to receive her secondary education. After four years tuition at the convent she obtained her matriculation and then enrolled as an undergraduate at Auckland University College. She took her bachelor of Arts degree in three years majoring in French. While at University, she has taken part in University Catholic Society Affairs and is a member of the committee. -- from an extract from Zelandia May 22 1952. |