Rozalia Nowak: Kościuszko i Strzelecki |
Mt Kosciuszko has been ascended, named and placed on the map of the world by P.E. Strzelecki on March 12th 1840 at 3 pm, as reported by James Macarthur in his Field Notes. False myths were built about Strzelecki based on a slanderous (yet very popular) book In a Dark Glass by Helen Heney (1961). A scholarly book by Polish historian from Melbourne, Lech Paszkowski Strzelecki. Reflections of His Life published in 1997 had no chance to totally clean The Dark Glass mess. As late as May 2019 I have heard a Tumbarumba man claiming that Strzelecki was a conman, thief and womanizer and that he never climbed the mountain at all. I felt outraged. Will the untrue and negative image ever change?
Perhaps we should learn from Ireland, where several memorial plaques have been built and exhibitions organized to honour Strzelecki “the forgotten Polish hero of the Great Irish Famine” . He had saved over 200.000 Irish children from hunger death. Strzelecki: a man of compassion and of extra ordinary skills, great humanitarian figure. Just a few months ago the President of the Irish Republic Michael Higgins opened in Dublin an exhibition in tribute to the man so devoted to the victims of the famine, a man strong enough to survive deadly typhus and to continue his noble mission. We should feel proud that Strzelecki would not have survived without his extraordinary physical strength acquired in Australia during his exploratory journeys – he did over 11 thousand kilometers on foot, mind you, with a heavy back pack full scientific instruments.
The Irish exhibition is now coming down to us.But is Australia prepared to embrace Strzelecki as seen in the crystal glass?
Let’s face it: Australian media have been interested the change of the mountain name but not in such great humanitarian figures, Kościuszko & Strzelecki, Friends of Mankind. So it is our duty to promote them in whatever way we can: painstakingly, step by step. We are confident that Kosciuszko Heritage Inc. to celebrate the 180th anniversary of Mt Kosciuszko naming will soon be joined by a team of people of good will of Aboriginal, Polish, Irish, true blue Ozzie & other roots.
Damian Kryj, Mt Kosciuszko, 2009 |
Strzelecki had set off to the Australian Alps from the Welaregang Station on March 9th, 1840. So now we plan to celebrate it right there at the starting point. We wish to pay tribute to the team formed just there: Strzelecki himself, James Macarthur, James Riley, Charlie Tarra a Burra Burra man from Goulburn Plains, and a local Aboriginal guide Jackey who knew the way to the High Country. We were lucky to have contacted a descendant of the original owners of the Station; soon we are going to find out where exactly Messrs Hay & Chalmers Station stood as we plan to build a history marker there.
Having ascended and named Mt Kosciuszko, Strzelecki and his team returned to Welaregang to get provisions for the Gippsland exploratory trip. Strzelecki and Macarthur were rejoined here by their convict servants John Rent and James Nolan, while hired Jackey was returned. Nolan as we have known for years was an Irish convict. It was only days ago that I have unexpectedly learnt that the other convict, employed by James Macarthur, John Rent (not Kent!) was actually a black African from London! What a multicultural intercontinental team moved beyond Omeo Lake to explore Gippsland!
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The last two stations where the team was hosted (25th and respectively 27th March 1840) by pioneer settlers were in Omeo and Ensay. From then on they were on their own, not aware of 22 days of hunger and despair awaiting them. It was Charlie Tarra who saved their lives by feeding them raw koala meet when in a heavy rain there was no chance to lit a fire. So Omeo and Ensay were probably remembered as islands of paradise.The Station in Ensay was owned by legendary pastoralist Lachlan Macalister, manned by his cousin Matthew with the help of the famous or rather infamous (Butcher of Gippsland) Angus Macmillan. The station in Omeo was owned by a convict Edmond Buckley and his stepson Patrick Coady, both famous pioneers. A descendant of Edmond, Evelyn, took part in the Kosciuszko Bicentenary Literary Competiton, and now through her, we have contacted another descendant, Sandi. And so we are joining forces to organize celebrations together.
We are planning several events. Saturday 28th March 2020 – multicultural festivities in Omeo and visiting the original Bindi Station, possibly finding time to climb Mt Tambo like Strzelecki did, all on the traditional land of our friends, Monero Ngarigo People. Mid-March a one day trip to Mt Kosciuszko and possibly to Mt Townsend, a summit from which Strzelecki noticed and measured as the highest, and named Mt Kosciuszko.This happened on Saturday, 12th of March 1840, at 3 pm, as Strzelecki, in the presence of James Macarthur, took the hat off and named the highest mountain after Thaddeus Kosciuszko. Strzelecki left alone to explore and measure the summit, while Macarthur got back to the camp on Mt Townsend. Admiring the landscape and taking notes took several hours, so Strzelecki could not find the way in the dark; no wonder he slid and tumbled several times, luckily Jackey located him and brought him back.
Nowadays Welaregang is an empty space, not quite suitable for celebrations, so we gladly accepted and invitation to the Tumbarumba High School which has got all the facilities for a nice performance and film screening. We are planning a function there on Sunday 26th of April. The teachers seem to be interested in the cooperation, the students are willing to help with our exhibitions, and local historians happily share their knowledge about the region. For the first time we are to celebrate on the other side of the Moutain. Quite a historic event!
Ernestyna Skurjat-Kozek
office@kosciuszkoheritage.com
Joanna Samołówka, Strzelecki & Jackey nad Snowy River, 2009 |
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