Babcia Jadwiga

Eulogy for Our Beloved Jadwiga Molski
delivered by her son Felix

Some of us here have been born in the ‘lucky country’ of ‘no worries mate’, we have the freedom to live life as we see fit; a land of milk and honey, iPhones, jet travel, leisure and opportunity. Babcia was born in a different land and a different time. I hope to share a life lesson we can learn from her. Please bear with me as I outline her birth setting.

In a pre-1918 period, Poles were a family of people with a common language, religion and culture, but no country. During WWI in the eastern theatre, armies advanced and retreated 4, 5, 6 times across the land on which Poles lived. Can you imagine the devastation? Peasants were without even a handful of grain, a drop of milk or a scrap of meat. Agriculture and industry were wiped out. Death from famine took an aweful toll. In partitioned Poland, Sienkiewicz wrote ‘when the Red Cross go out to collect the wounded from a battlefield they lift from a heap, one man in German uniform, another in Austrian and a third in Russian and discover that they are all – Poles’.

On the 28th June, 1919, the treaty of Versailles was signed by Paderewski and Poland reappeared on the maps of Europe. Between 1919 and 1921 Poland stopped Russian communists from invading Western’ Europe, by winning the war known in history as the ‘Miracle on the Vistula’. From 1916 typhus ravaged the population, reaching its peak in 1922 with over 4 million Poles afflicted and many of them didn’t survive.

Jadwiga Molski was born into this setting on February 18th, 1921, in Nag³owice to Michal Zbronski and Marysia nee Gumó³. Mum’s father died in 1923 and alone, her mother did her best to look after Wladek, Kazia and Jadwiga. Later in the year, she married Walenty Lis and in time Halina, Juzek and Marysia were born. Jadwiga started 1st Class in 1928, but fell ill with fever in 1932. She recovered three months later, but the family couldn’t afford to keep her in school to complete 5th class, so at 12 years of age she began work as a housecleaner. In these desparate depression days Mum knew hunger. I can understand why she was so fussy to make sure her children, grandchildren and Syrena had very full stomachs.

Babcia was familiar with injustice and poverty. I recall her saying that she never had a doll of her own until she made one using straw, cotton and waste cloth. Her great grandchild, Syrena, of course has many dolls and other playthings. One of the best memories of her last few weeks in hospital is the beaming smile that came over her face whenever she saw her grandchildren but especially when she saw Syrena.

Mum’s circumstances improved in 1937 when she went to live with her Auntie in Legionowo, near Warsaw. Sadly, in 1939 the Germans and Russians invaded Poland and her Auntie was killed by a Nazi bomb. In June 1940 Jadwiga was taken for forced labour on the Anton Kopp farm near Munich, Germany. She worked dawn to dusk 24/7. She related how terrible she felt being stigmatised by being forced at all times to wear clothing marked with the letter ‘P’, and seeing sniggering Germans pointing to her and saying ‘Polish’ - inferior person. She learned that back in Poland, her elder brother W³adek was killed in the Warsaw Rising of 1944 and a year later, her 17 year old other brother Józek was killed trying to help Jews in Kielce.

When Germany was defeated in 1945, ‘Babcia’ was interned in Coburg Displaced Person’s Camp. She met, fell in love and at the end of the year, married Feliks Molski. Preferring liberty, Mum didn’t want to live under the communist tyranny imposed on Poland by Russian puppets, so mother, father and Jan Micha³, born in 1947, waited till they were accepted as New Australians.

They arrived in Sydney on November 11th, 1949, with no English, no education, nothing but hope and the clothes on their back. The family had to work for 2 years at a place of the Government’s choosing to pay off their transport to Australia. To save, they had to ‘go without’. It was tough because Jadwiga had to look after sons Janek and Felix at Greta migrant hostel, paying rent for a tiny space in the ex-army barracks, whilst her husband paid for accommodation in Sydney where he was required to work. In 1956 the young couple had saved enough to buy land, with a shed to live in till they could afford to build a house. They did so not long after twins, Mary and Helen, were born in 1957.

This glimpse into Mum’s early days of poverty, disadvantage and injustice offers a lesson in life. We, her surviving children, grandchildren and spouses, nieces and nephews can testify to Jadwiga’s character. She was a fountain of love for family and friends; others before self; empathetic; kind, generous and compassionate; spiritual not materialistic; strong in Faith. I can express it best by how a ‘bridge friend’ defined a jumper. It is the thing your mother tells you to put on when she feels cold.

The message is this: By the way she lived life, Babcia proved that no matter how terrible your circumstances or background, as a moral being, you always have the choice of ‘right or wrong’, ‘good or bad’. When you hear or read commentators attributing bad deeds to poverty, injustice and the like, they deflect from the fact that we ALWAYS have choices and we ARE responsible for the choices we make. Choosing wrong over right ALWAYS seems easier, simpler or immediately profitable and doing the right thing may seem to be permanently costly. But Babcia proved that you CAN choose to be a loving compassionate person, not a bitter, hating one.

I recall Mum once said that one mother can bring up 20 children, but sometimes 20 children are unable to look after one mother in old age. In heaven now, we believe she is beaming with joy, knowing how deeply she was loved and appreciated and seeing her extended family following in her footsteps, building their characters in the way she prayed they would. Till we meet again, love, hugs and kisses from all of us here on earth, our work still to be finished.

Janek & Marysia
Felix
Mary & Brian
Helen
Toni, Craig and Syrena
Renata & Matthew
Kyle & Julianne
Tom
Ania
Zenia & family

Felix Molski & relatives - eulogy

Fr Dudek - homily & relatives Prayers of the Faithful

Prawnuczka Syrena

Mrs Molski had a reunion in Poland with her 3 sisters in 1986. From Left to Right: Marysia, Jadwiga, Kazia, Halina

JOHN'S Thoughts of Mum
Birth, Death; Eternity. As our family joined hands with Mum on her deathbed farewell as her Soul transmuted out of her body into the Eternity of Heaven I reminisced about one of my beginning consciousness of Mum. I was about 20 months old, somewhere in the Indian Ocean with pneumonia on the US troop ship General RM Blatchford transporting us to our new home: Australia. Every night, Mum hid under my cot in the ship’s hospital to hold my hand and comfort me to recovery.

All her life, Mum was a selfless person who sacrificed everything she had for her children and family. Let me amplify this point so it sinks in. Like most of her contemporaries, she was robbed of her best childhood and teenage years by the horrors of the Nazi holocaust against Poland. She survived indescribable terror the likes of which the world had never experienced: before, or after. The only way to survive this unimaginable hell was to turn to God. Mum’s survival is testimony that pure goodness is the only effective weapon to vanquish even the most concentrated evil.

With this in mind, fealty to Holy Mother Church (founded by God himself, and the keeper of God’s Truths), was critical in the bringing up of our family. What Mum had to give was pure love by the truckload. It was Mum who taught me everything I knew as a young boy. It was very important that I knew how to make the Sign of the Cross: that glorious symbol which provides spine to Polish culture. She taught me how to write in Polish and read in both Polish and English. Mum always magnified the goodness in people and ignored anything bad and tried to inculcate this attitude in our dealings with others. We took her love for granted but organized a special surprise party for her 90th birthday with the whole family. She was thrilled and frequently commented that it was one of the best experiences in her life.

Over a long time she thoroughly prepared us to face the reality of her eventual death. Quod tu es, ego fui, quod ego sum, tu eris. We are in this life for only a short spec of time. We will live in the spiritual world forever. Actions have consequences. How we succeed in this world determines our place in the next. Mum’s legacy is alive in the way she brought up her children, her grandchildren and her great grandchild.

Janek & Marysia
Felix
Mary & Brian
Helen
Toni, Craig and Syrena
Renata & Matthew
Kyle & Julianne
Tom
Ania
Zenia & family

Thoughts and Memories of Babcia Molski[b]
[b]Craig:
Without Babcia, I would not have my wife. That is one of the best things I ever got from Babcia. I will always remember her smile, she smiled so much when Syrena was in the room.

Toni:
Babcia was a very strong, wise, religious, family orientated woman. She had many qualities one of which was to see the good in everyone. Babcia loved her family. She loved to cook and always made sure you ate all your food on your plate. Babcia guided me through my childhood, teenage and adult years and gave me good advice.

I’m vary glad that Babcia had the opportunity to meet her prawnuczka, Syrena. Syrena was another lease on life for Babcia. Babcia loved her dearly. She would feed her, soothe her, sing to her, talk to her and funny enough give Syrena the same advice that Babcia gave me. "Your mummy and daddy need to go to work to make sure you have a roof over your head, food in your belly. Your mummy and daddy love you dearly" I never realised it when I was younger. But, I do now being a mum myself - she was and is right even now.

Babcia was strong right to the end. I will never forget her beautiful smile and everything she has done for not only me, but for all her extended family. She will be greatly missed, and will always part of our lives.

Roy Eaton & Mrs Molski at Kellyville

Roy Eaton visiting Mrs Lang in Nursing Home

Ania:
Rest in Peace Babcia. I will never forget your kind and caring nature and warm heart. You put your family above everything else. I will never forget how you used to give me piggy backs on the way home from school and how you allowed me to watch cartoons after school. I always knew where you kept your sneaky stash of lollies hidden in the fridge and I loved the strawberries coated with sugar you would give me as a treat. I love that you found it to be completely normal to be climbing up trees well into your eighties and chopping them down in order to improve the view. You are a fighter and an inspiring woman who lived a life truly worth living. I feel honoured to have shared your moments of life with you. I already miss you so much. But say hello to Babcia Salcia, my other guardian Angel. You will be forever in my heart and thoughts. I love you so very much. Thank you for everything.
XOXO