Read also "¦lemy serdeczne podziêkowania z Chicago". Plenty of photos there, too

A case in point was the certificate that acknowledges performance in the Great Hall of Parliament House, Canberra. The performance had not been booked, so there was no way a certificate could be issued. Absolutely not! Impossible! That’s all there is to it! No way, that is, unless you have Lidia negotiating. Circumstances and ‘meaningfulness’ were explained and voila a certificate was issued.

Just prior to the PaSO and Snowy Strings combined performance at Jindabyne Central School hall, Lidia co-opted my assistance in phrasing an Australian idiom for the dedications in the books to be presented to Maryanne Simpson and the school library. The hall is too noisy, so I found a seat in the school grounds. I still couldn’t think – too many interruptions with kids asking questions. Perhaps, the bus will give me the peace I need to think. Wrong, Mirka arrives to pick up costumes and other things. Too much for her to carry alone but it’s needed urgently. What would Lidia do? I ask an elderly gentleman passing by with a walking stick to help. He agrees and even asks if anything else needs to be carried! Peace at last. *~%*, my mobile rings. It’s Ernestyna at the Strzelecki statue with stuff urgently needed at the hall and she doesn’t know the address. I can’t go and I don’t know the directions either. What would Lidia do? I ask an elderly lady just getting out of her car in the school parking lot. She’s probably one of the students’ grandmothers. My request seems a bit odd to her. I pass her the phone and Ernestyna, another stranger, explains. She drives off to make a pickup. Country people are so friendly and helpful. All the co-opted had beaming smiles at the end of the resoundingly successful Paderewski Symphony Orchestra and Snowy Strings combined performance.

Have you ever found it hard to get people to listen to what you have to say? I have, often. I have discovered that you don’t have to speak loudly to be heard. At the conclusion of the Snowy Strings and Paderewski Symphony Orchestra combined performance at Jindabyne Central School on the 12th February, memorable were the whispered words of Barbara Bilszta, spoken in the wooden floored hall, where even itsy-bitsy banter would reverberate. Had banter occurred, the moment would have been lost.

Chicago in Jindabyne. Concert at the Jindabyne Central School

Snowy Strings performing at the Jindabyne Central School

So, if you want to be heard, speak softly and every ear will strain to listen to what you have to say? Simple and true I guess, as long as you and your spouse can attract youthful talent to come to you and embrace the discipline, dedication and perseverance needed for ‘little cherub’ potential to blossom into music. You must not only be accomplished in your craft but also be able to nurture, guide and patiently inspire the children over many years to overcome adversity and the pitfalls of success. In your speech you better make sure you don’t utter any drivel either.

The rapport between the visitors from Chicago and the locals of Jindabyne was a magic moment for me. Both gave their best for the packed audience. The audience yearned to hear Barbara’s concluding remarks and perspectives. The yearning was fulfilled. What was said? You can only wish you had been there. Don’t miss out next time! However, here is a clue – the children work hard, unimaginably hard, to perform so magnificently, but it’s worth it because it can enculture goodness, sensitivity and understanding and foster the better side of human nature to help make a better, more loving and peaceful community. Support Maryanne Simpson in her dreams and endeavours with the Snowy Strings and you will achieve it too.

Wojciech Niewrzol is a treasure. Just like when Ali Baba spoke the words ‘open sesame’, doors would magically open, when Wojciech used the term of endearment ‘s³omka’ when addressing PaSO it also seemed to have a magical effect. The students almost immediately stopped chatting and gave him their undivided attention. I asked Ernestyna what the meaning of ‘s³omka’ is and she tells me it translates as ‘straw’. I don’t think the sense of it translates well into English and I can’t see it being used in Australian classrooms to engineer the same response. It’s not his talent and accomplishment alone that draws the students to him and inspires them to work hard, and to be the best they can be, but his patience and gentle soul help as well. The same can be said of Barbara Bilszta-Niewrzol.

God works in mysterious ways. The orchestra was originally due to fly out on the 6th of February, but a blizzard disrupted the plans. I had a moving conversation with Mirka Radzik, mother of three of the children, nurse and ‘jillaroo’ of the group, about how they had handled the adversity. Mira is a registered nurse and the disrupted travel plans resulted in her being able to be in in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the hospital she works at, at a time when a youngster was in dire need and it was critical that all help be available. Her presence, and that of all the others there at the time, was invaluable and irreplaceable. Mirka believes, and I do too, that she happened to be at ICU at this time through the intercession of God.

Incredibly, the students of PaSO did not miss out on their ‘trip of a lifetime’. Pani Ernestyna did not give up, despite being at the end of her tether due to the toll that organising the visit and festival had taken of her. Andrzej Kozek provided her with much needed moral support and with renewed vigour, she made the extra effort to salvage the visit. Marysia Rosiak, undaunted by the travails, made the needed accommodation and itinerary re-arrangements. Nevertheless, all appeared to have come to nought because the new itinerary clashed with previous bus bookings made by schools starting a new term. After hearing the circumstances and manner in which the young performers were handling adversity and understanding that it was a ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunity for these children from Chicago to come to Australia, the Principals of Southern Cross Truck Rentals went out of their way, despite the short term notice, to juggle their schedules and buses to fit in with the new arrangements, and the needed Mitsubishi Rosa Deluxe was made available. As a bonus, it was the more economical manual version of this model.

Undaunted by the roller coaster of emotion they had undergone at the airport in the previous week’s ten hours of hope, despair and eventual disappointment, PaSO was off to Australia. The travel, and typical ‘waits’ included getting from home to O’Hare airport, then to Los Angeles and on to Mascot, where they were picked up on the morning of Friday, February 11th, for the bus trip to Canberra and their feature performance in the National Multicultural Festival 2011. As soon as they finished, it was back to the bus, and after a short rest at John Paul II Polish Catholic Centre, onwards to Jindabyne to meet the families who were billeting them for the weekend. The exuberance of youth is amazing. On the bus trip I expected the group to catch up on sleep but instead the visitors engaged in joyful community sing-alongs! The Jindabyne families waited stoically, patiently and thoughtfully for their guests who arrived a few hours late, close to midnight; marvellous hospitality. A wonderful example of how one should treat ones fellow human being. Early next morning they had to set off for an outdoor performance in front of the Kosciuszko Hotel at Charlotte Pass Village.

Dark clouds, torrential rain and thick fog all the way to the village forebode doom for the group, but lo and behold the fog lifts, the rain stops, glorious sunshine and warmth greets them on their arrival just in time for their performance. It goes off stunningly well. A great day of entertainment was had by all taking part in the jointly held ‘Kozzie Fiesta’, in its fifth year, and ‘Fun at the Kosciuszko Run’, in its second year. Amazingly, on their way back to Jindabyne the weather reverted to the way it was in the morning. The same thing happened with the weather on the trip to the secluded Depot Beach a few kilometres north of Durras North. This pattern, except for the fog, was repeated in Sydney, on their arrival at Manly Beach. Someone above seemed to be looking after PaSO. The youngsters were well rewarded for their pluck and willingness to ‘overcome’. A lesson I am sure they will carry through life, not to stop at the first hurdle, but to overcome all that confronts them and reap the rewards that beckon.

The seen and the unseen! To bring events such as Kozzie Festivals from conception, to planning to execution requires the input of a lot of volunteers with different skills and attributes, not to mention the money and sponsorship that needs to be raised. Such effort has to be mirrored overseas when there is an international flavour, as in this instance, the students of the Paderewski Symphony Orchestra Academy of Chicago were invited to participate. Permissions have to be sought and gained, venues booked, contracts signed and all the rest. Working out the logistics and the schedules and finding and bringing together the needed volunteers and having them understand their role and responsibilities can be overwhelming.

Volunteers: Pawel & Darek. Photo Puls Polonii

As the event progresses the ‘foot soldiers’ helping out are seen by all the people taking advantage of the festivities and amply rewarded with thanks and gratitude for volunteering their time, talent or treasure. Unseen, is the driving force, the ‘General’ and supporting ‘high officers’ if there be any, that conceive the idea, formulate the plans and co-ordinate the execution. The ‘General’ has to recognise that the foot soldiers need to have their efforts acknowledged with his or her simple but genuine expression of thanks, because without foot soldiers, the execution of any plan is impossible. The leader’s role, however is most important and the effort and emotion expended is manyfold of the contributions of the ‘seen’. Instead of thanks, quite often they are abused, second guessed, have their motives and abilities questioned and they may suffer disheartening criticism and ridicule for any mistakes or failures, perceived or actual, avoidable or not. It’s understandable were it a paid position, but not when it is volunteer work that is offering a positive contribution to the Polish and Australian community.

In the US, the Polish community achieves a lot more, not only because they have more people, but also because they are more likely to help create light rather than complain about the darkness. Find out who organises events like Kozzie Fiesta 2011 at the highest level, give them your thanks and if you are able to, offer your support, and NEVER let them down.

I was a ‘chalkie’ *) in the era of ‘chalk and talk, too many years ago. I had forgotten about one of the fringe benefits of this vocation. It is pleasurable and invigorating being around young talented people, who seem to have endless reserves of energy, and are so optimistic, effervescent and joyful. It’s rewarding seeing the smiles, interesting listening to the conversations and the interplay of personalities. It’s very refreshing witnessing young people experience the wonderment of life, while playing a small part helping them in one of their endeavours. I have been able to put name to face and to personality and a little bit of each of them will remain in my heart for the rest of my years. To any of the students of PaSO that visited Australia reading this, thank you for your goodness, zest and energy, I am sure you have learned a lot from your visit to the ‘Land Down Under’ and it will be helpful to you throughout your life. Work hard, play by the rules and whenever you can, help your fellow human being in the same way you have been helped by so many people on your visit here. Enjoy the memories.

Ripple effects happen whenever people interact. Imperceptible they may be, but they are real and they occur in a much more powerful way than most people can imagine. My willingness to volunteer as a bus driver is a personal example. I was aware that a means of transport for a large number of students was being sought, but I was averse to letting anyone know that I had a heavy vehicle drivers licence, class HR, a class of licence that would allow me to drive a rented 25+ seater bus. My reluctance was due to fact that I hadn’t driven a heavy vehicle for more than 30 years.

Here is the story of how I became PaSO’s volunteer bus driver, despite the lack of recent practice. Had the orchestra been named ‘Joe Blogs Symphony Orchestra’, I am not certain I would have volunteered. I would have been happy to have been one of the convoy of cars that would have been arranged as the alternative means of transport, due to the lack of resources needed to hire a professional driver. I think it would have been a struggle to get more than four vehicles in the convoy because of the nature, timing and length of the Chicago visit. Some of the students would have missed out and we would have lost out too, because of their absence.

The thing that caused me to overcome my apprehensiveness was Paderewski. All my life I have been passionate about liberty. It absorbs my life totally, reading, doing, thinking. In 2006 I spent five months in the US and one month in England exploring the theme ‘the triumph of liberty over tyranny’. Chicago was on my itinerary because it was in driving distance to the Lincoln Museum in Springfield, Ronald Reagan’s boyhood town and home in Dixon and the little Reagan Museum at Eureka College. Many Frank Lloyd Wright sites were handy, such as Oak Park and there are others in Wisconsin. It was a bonus stumbling on the Polish Museum of America and listening to Richard Kujawa explain why Paderewski was a great champion of liberty. From this day on Paderewski became one of my favourite heroes. It inspired me to read more and I bought a number of books about him whilst in the US.

Shortly before I learned that Ernestyna was trying to bring the orchestra to Australia, I had written an article commemorating the 150th anniversary of his birth, for her website, ‘Puls Polonii’. Here is a link:

Paderewski- birth anniversary

Paderewski faced death on several occasions because of assassination attempts. Here is how Charles Phillips on page 444 of his book Paderewski: The Story of a Modern Immortal describes the 59 year old’s reaction to a July 1919 attempt:

“. . . after a night long session with Pilsudski, he was amazed to find a man in his bedroom who covered him with a pistol and demanded that he sign a paper containing his resignation as Prime Minister. Paderewski thought fast; he took the paper as if he acquiesced and walked toward a table as if to sign. Suddenly he wheeled, caught the man by the throat, and downed him. When Madame Paderewska . . . came running in . . . she found Paderewski with the would be assassin pinned to the floor, his steel-like piano fingers throttling his assailant.”

I hope all of the orchestra’s budding musicians are aware of what an incredible role model they have to live up to!

Just as Richard Kujawa had no idea that his talk to me, a total stranger, would lead me to help PaSO, likewise the members of the orchestra cannot imagine the impact they have had on the people they have touched in the various communities in Australia and the ripple effects this will have in the fullness of time. I have felt it and I know others have too. I witnessed the sheer joy and enthusiasm of the parents, students and Maryanne Simpson of Snowy Strings orchestra. They could vividly see and brightly hear what is possible. I can picture the sense and unity of purpose they will have in working towards raising the money to visit Chicago in 2013, and how they will work their little butts off getting themselves to the highest standards they are capable of to make their performances worthy of any audience they deliver to. Michelle Pearson, one of the parents, had her curiosity sparked then and there and wanted to learn more about Kosciuszko from Lidia Filus. I know my brother has turned his life around thanks to you all.

Ernestyna Skurjat-Kozek co-operative efforts with Brendan Collins of Barker College generated a series of such ripple effects of which PaSO is part of. Here is the link:

The Story of Brendan's Kosciuszko

Very touching is how the ripple effect acted on Brendan’s 14 year old son Tom and his classmates providing them with enlightenment about the meaning of Kosciuszko, why he was a household name in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, and why a Poet of the calibre of Lord Byron would write:

The sound that crashes in a tyrant’s ear ---- Kosciuszko.

Ernestyna explains it in this way: "Tom had an English assessment where he was to write about a famous person in history. “I am sure you will be delighted to know that he has chosen Kosciuszko as his subject”- Brendan wrote in his email to me [Ernestyna]. He asked me to send his son some material to help him complete the assignment, and especially an obituary which would outline all the achievements of Kosciuszko’s life. Sometime later Brendan said: “My son's presentation was great. Many thanks for your help. All his classmates focused on boring people such as sports stars etc. and he focused on a true hero."

Paderewski and Poland benefited from a much more powerful example of a ripple effect than these simple cases. Herbert Hoover was an orphan, a Quaker who dreamt of becoming an engineer. Difficult to achieve without a high school diploma, but by passing an entrance exam he was accepted into Stanford. To raise money to help him pay for his tuition and living expenses, he and another student rented a hall, hired a world famous musician, advertised and sold tickets for a piano recital. Unfortunately they didn’t gross enough to pay Jan Ignace Paderewski the fee they promised him. What would you do?

The two lads fronted Mr Paderewski and explained what happened, gave him all the box office takings and offered an IOU for the still substantial shortfall. They thought that their academic careers were over when Jan Ignace said ‘no boys, that won’t do’ as he ripped up the promissory note in front of them. However, Paderewski gave them back the money and said:

“Here’s the money back, take out of this your expenses, give yourselves each ten percent of the balance for your work, and let me have the rest.”

Time passed and in 1919 Jan Ignace Paderewski became Prime Minister of Poland at a time when it was experiencing a terrible famine and a typhus epidemic was raging. It has been estimated that in 1919 alone, more than 230 000 people throughout Poland were suffering from this disease. Just in the nick of time, huge quantities of food, clothing medical supplies and equipment including portable baths, steam laundries, trucks and ambulances were being distributed to the starving within Poland’s then borders. Paderewski was overwhelmed with gratitude and in Paris he thanked the man responsible. The man’s reply?

“That’s OK Mr Paderewski, you probably don’t remember me, but you helped me out when I was a student at Stanford.” It was Herbert Hoover, repaying Paderewski’s good deed all those years ago. A full account of what happened can be read in Charles Phillips’ "Paderewski: The Story of a Modern Immortal" Pp 225 and 226. Herbert Hoover also makes reference to these events in his memoirs.

An even more powerful ripple effect that relates to Poland is the way in which Merian C. Cooper lived his life because of the actions and bravery of Pulaski in his fight for American liberty in the War of Independence. Here is a link to this story.

The Kosciuszko Squadron

But the most inspiring case I know of the ripple effect is how Thomas Clarkson helped change the world by ending slavery in England, as a result of what he learned from writing an essay on a question set by the teachers at Cambridge University in 1785. Here is a link to the magazine that describes this story in detail, click on the fifth article.

The Freeman on line

A final thought about the ripple theme. If Thadeusz Kosciuszko had not lived an exemplary life as a champion of liberty or if he had not remained true and faithful to the universal values we hold so dear, would there have been any Kozzie Festivals?

The power of being positive is awesome. Positive energy is like the effect light has on darkness. Whenever light shines, darkness is overpowered. Go into a dark room and light a match and you will see what I mean. Shine a more powerful light and hold it higher and you will see a stronger and a wider reaching effect over darkness. It’s akin to having more and more people with positive attitudes and more brilliant leaders. In establishing FKPP Ernestyna Skurjat-Kozek set the philosophy on how the organisation would try to keep Kosciuszko as the name of Australia’s highest summit. It was a positive frame of reference. Criticising, attacking, or ridiculing those who were trying to change the name was to be avoided, totally. Instead, the people of the Snowy region, and anyone interested in the history of how Mt Kosciuszko was named, would be offered enriching experiences of Polish culture and the celebration of universal human values as symbolised by the life of Kosciuszko.

Five years of festivals and related activities are having an effect. This positive philosophy is what convinced me to become a willing ‘foot soldier’ when I was invited to join FKPP about 2 years ago. I think much of the success of Wojciech Niewrzol, and Barbara Bliszta-Niewrzol in bringing the best out of their PaSO students and guiding them to ‘goodness’ has come from their positive philosophy and the positive example they set to all. I witnessed this time and time again in their activities whilst in Australia.

Chicago and Jindabyne - both orchestras under the Strzelecki Monument

Barbara Bilszta with her husband Wojciech Niewrzo³

I would like to publicly thank all the people who helped me over the two weeks of busing PaSO students from and to the Airport and all the places in between. Firstly, to my brother, John Molski, for the first day at the airport and for sacrificing his time to drive the lead car which carried the passenger overflow to Canberra, Jindabyne, and the return journey to Sydney via the coast (the bus could only seat 24). Help in those early days was invaluable to me, thanks for the patience. Great idea of going to the secluded Depot Beach, it was enriching for all and the coastal return trip from Jindabyne was more interesting than the alternative. To Marysia and Andrzej Rosiak at the airport on that first night and to Andrzej for the guidance around Sydney, the patience to wait so long for my return when I was seeking a way back to free bus parking and also for his discovery of the bus holding area at Lime St.

Thanks to Marysia Rosiak for a wonderful itinerary and for navigating the last day of sightseeing to Featherdale and the Blue Mountains. To Craig Dennis, my niece's husband for help at the airport on the second day. Thanks to Wojciech Niewrzol for regularly reminding the students about the ‘no food and ‘no drink rules’, for cleaning the bus of all scraps at the end of each day and all the other help including attaching and detaching the heavy trailer, loading it in a balanced way and for engaging me in compelling conversation on the journey to Canberra and Jindabyne to make sure I stayed awake. Wojciech, you will be pleased to know that no clean up charges were incurred, and that is rare when taking a large number of students away over such a lengthy period. For a man of your talent and musical accomplishment to be so willing and happy to readily help out with ‘foot soldier’ type chores affected me more deeply than you can imagine. Thanks to Karolina Buckun for her leadership and support in encouraging students to follow the bus rules and thanks to Patrycja Lis and Pola Grzebien – their kind words at various times lifted my morale just when it needed lifting.

"Mr Felix"

*) chalkie - a teacher

Mira Radzik in front of Kosciuszko Hotel, Charlotte Pass Village

War Memorial. Dr Lidia Filus (in an orange dress)