Lajkonik on Mt Kosciuszko

The whole story:
I am really sorry to write this story, but I feel someone has to speak up. Maybe if more people of my generation and my background were to speak up, there might be some hope for change.

You may well ask - what gives me the right to make such comment?

I grew up in the Polish Community in Sydney and I have always been involved in it via Dancing Groups (in fact all 3, in one way or another!).I was responsible for establishing Lajkonik and hold the position of Artistic Director. I was also involved in Harcerstwo and Laetare, and my husband Tony was a Director of the Polish Club in Bankstown. My parents have always been involved too, and worked for the betterment of the community in a variety of ways. Dad was involved in fundraising for the Bankstown Polish Club and the Church at Marayong. My mum has always sewn costumes, helping Mazury[/b] out with costumes for their Rzeszow Trip, and sewing for [i]Warszawska Syrenka (no longer in existence) and of course, for the last 18 years in Lajkonik.

This is an inconvenient story about power-mongering and lack of integrity. My unanswered question is - when will there be change and who will take responsibility?

Recently I asked for and was provided with a faxed copy of the Rules of the Fundusz Wieczysty Polonii Australijskiej im.Generala Juliusza Kleeberga, or in English, the General Juliusz Kleeberg Polish Community Perpetual Fund in Australia. The current Secretary of the Committee which administers the Fund is Mr Stan Mikolajski, and other committee members are Mrs Jadwiga Solka-Krajewska, Mr Jan Malecki, Mr Tarmas. I know that there are a few interstate members on the Committee as well, but no one that I asked was really sure WHO EXACTLY is on the Committee and what positions they hold. I think Mr Malecki is President.

In any case, I read the above document with interest, as I had never been successful in obtaining a copy before. This was a copy faxed to me by Mr Mikolajski.

I noted the Section headed "Name and Character" of the Fund, and Section II," Objectives of the Fund".

Lajkonik's Goralski on Federation Square

Of particular note is Section I, Clause 4. "The accumulated capital of the Fund shall be invested in secured, interest bearing deposits and deposits warranted by the Australian Government Bonds and only interest from such investment shall be available for annual distribution to support its objectives:

Section II. OBJECTIVES OF THE FUND

1. To promote literature, music and all other forms of Polish arts and culture in Australia;
2. To aid the organization of youth activities;
3. To support the work of the Education Commission of the Polish community in Australia;
4. To establish scholarships for young people of Polish descent;
5. To support the work of the Executive Committee of the PCCA (Polish Community Council of Australia) and member organisations ."

Section VIII. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR FUNDING

1. Organisations applying for donation must:

• Be non-profit and non-political;
• Keep proper accounting records and have, at least, yearly financial statement or reports;
• Provide information about ABN, tax status and GST registration where applicable;
• Be a member organization of the PCCA;
• (dot point erased from my fax copy? I do not know why?)

2. Individuals applying for a grant must:

• Have a recommending letter of support from an organization fulfilling the above criteria.

3. Organisations and individuals applying for a donation must undertake to fulfill the Objectives of the Fund as listed in Part II of these Rules"

(I will supply a full version of the Rules document to Puls Polonii for publication.)

In October of last year, I applied, on behalf of the Polish Song and Dance Ensemble Lajkonik, in my capacity as Artistic Director, to the Perpetual Fund for financial assistance to send 10-12 young persons of school and university age from Lajkonik, to participate in an established Polish Festival in Federation Square, Melbourne. The Festival was to be held on 18 November 2007. I had been liaising for a number of months prior to the Festival with Festival organizers, in relation to Lajkonik's invitation to the Festival, technical arrangements, proposed repertoire etc./

Here is Lajkonik's application to the Fund seeking assistance:

POLISH SONG AND DANCE ENSEMBLE
LAJKONIK
SYDNEY

To Fundusz Wieczysty Management Committee
Sydney, 25 October 2007

On behalf of the Polish Song and Dance Ensemble "Lajkonik" I would like to request the assistance of Fundusz Wieczysty in sending a contingent of 5-6 pairs from the Ensemble, to the Polish Festival in Melbourne. This Festival is due to be held on 18th November 2007.

The purpose of the trip is two-fold. Firstly, as an organizer of the Mound and Mt Kosciuszko Festival in April 2008, I am keen to observe how the Melbourne Polish Festival is held (I have heard that it is very well-organized and patronized). Secondly and even more importantly, the trip is a great opportunity for the youth of "Lajkonik" to connect with other Polish youth in other Polish Dance Ensembles in Victoria - Ensembles Lowicz, Polonez and Beskidy. Lajkonik is a stalwart member of the organizing team for the Mound and Mt Kosciuszko Festival, and by travelling to the Melbourne Festival, we hope to encourage the other Ensembles to be more mobile and come and join us in Jindabyne/Cooma in April 2008, to help us further the cause of promoting the Kosciuszko name and Polish contribution to Australian history.

We have prepared an interesting repertoire including Bialy Mazur, Tance Sadeckie and Tance Goralskie, being our contribution to the programme of the day, and prior to the performances on Sunday, we have arranged to rehearse with Ensemble Lowicz with whom we will be interchanging.

Lajkonik seeks a contribution of $2,000 towards the costs of sending our youth to the Festival, to help cover airfares ($205 per person) and accommodation ($100). This would mean a contribution of approximately 40% towards the overall costs of each performer which has been nominated to attend.

I look forward to receiving your determination of this request. Please contact me on 0418 265 271.

Yours sincerely

Lajkonik performing Goralski in Melbourne

Sadly, at its meeting of 10 November 2007, the Perpetual Fund Committee failed to reach a decision on the application despite the fact that the Festival was due to be held the following week.

I rang Mr Malecki to follow up. Mr Malecki verbally expressed to me the Committee's reservations as to the eligibility of Lajkonik to apply for such funding. It should be noted here that Lajkonik, being a Polish Dance Ensemble established for 18 years had successfully received funding from the Fund in previous years, and had on all previous occasions always met the criteria.

Although technically not required under the Fund's rules, Lajkonik subsequently sought support from the well-respected Polish Educational Commission. This letter of support was sent directly to both the President and Secretary of the Fund, Messrs Malecki and Mikolajski, for the Committee's further consideration.

A copy of the letter of support is provided herewith:

KOMISJA OSWIATOWA POLONII AUSTRALISJKIEJ
POLISH EDUCATION COMMISSION IN AUSTRALIA
PO BOX 818, ASHFIELD, NSW, 2131

MR MIECZYS£AW MA£ECKI
FUNDUSZ WIECZYSTY
PO BOX 5,
ASHFIELD,
NSW, 2131

RE: POPARCIE DLA 'ZESPO£U PIESNI I TAÑCA LAJKONIK' 'POLISH SONG AND DANCE ENSEMBLE LAJKONIK'

Szanowni Pañstwo,

W imieniu Komisji Oswiatowej Polonii Australijskiej pragnê zlozyc gorace poparcie dla Zespolu Piesni i Tañca 'Lajkonik' o sumê $2,000 z Funduszu Wieczystego.

Rozumiem, ze jednym z celów Funduszu Wieczystego jest poparcie finansowe dla szkól i grup mlodziezowych pracujacych na terenie calej Australii. Zespól Piesni i Tañca Lajkonik juz wykazal siê swoja dzialnoscia nie tylko w Australii biorac udzial w wielu imprezach polonijnych jak i równiez w wielu imprezach wielokulturowych-australijskich. Bral udzial w szesciu festiwalach POL-ARTu i 4 festiwalach w Rzeszowie reprezentujac polska kulturê i polskie tradycje.

Jestesmy dumni z osiagniêc naszych szkól i zespolów polonijnych na terenie calej Australii i wierzymy, ze przyszlosc naszej Polonii lezy w rêku mlodych ludzi.

Lajkonik nie tylko chce reprezentowaæ polski folklor w Melbourne, ale równiez chce brac udzial w imprezie w Jindabyne w 2008 roku, aby nadal promowac polski wklad w australijska historiê, której czesci± jest Góra Kosciuszko.

Zwracam siê uprzejmie proszac o pozytywne rozpatrzenie podania Zespolu Piesni i Tañca Lajkonik.

Z powazaniem
Halina T. Szunejko, OAM
Przewodniczaca Komisji Oswiatowej Polonii Australijskiej
Listopad 2007

Nowy Sacz Dances by Lajkonik, Melbourne 2007

However, at its meeting of 8 December 2007, the Perpetual Fund Committee resolved NOT to grant Lajkonik's application for funding on the grounds that Lajkonik did not meet its criteria.

The Committee's letter advising of the failure of the application is provided herewith:

Fundusz Wieczysty Rady Naczelnej Polonii Australijskiej i Nowozelandzkiej Inc. im. gen J. Kleeberga
Polish Community Council of Australia and New Zealand Inc. Gen. J. Kleeberg Perpetual Fund

P.O. Box 5, Ashfield NSW 2131
10th December 2007

Urszula Lang
Artistic Director
Polish Song & Dance Ensemble Lajkonik

We acknowledge receipt of your correspondence, dated 25 October 2007.

We wish to advise that your request, per your letter, was presented for consideration at our most recent Committee Meeting on Saturday 8 December 2007.

After careful consideration, we regret to inform you that we are not in a position to grant your request for assistance in funding your trip to the Polish Festival in Melbourne. As you would be aware, and can appreciate, certain criteria must be fulfilled in order for a request such as yours to be accepted by the Fund. In this instance not all criteria were satisfactorily fulfilled, and, as such, your request was rejected based on these criteria.

We wish you all the best in your future endeavours.

Yours faithfully,
Stanislaw Mikolajski
Secretary

Extraordinarily, the Perpetual Fund Committee REJECTED Lajkonik's application, saying that Lajkonik did not meet its criteria!

Anyone can have a look at Lajkonik's website

www.Lajkonik.com.au

and see the high level of activity undertaken by Lajkonik in pursuit of the promotion of Polish culture, by and for young persons of Polish descent.

Last year, 2007, Lajkonik gave 32 performances!

Note however that Theatre Fantazja was successful in its application in 2007, and surprise, surprise, calls Perpetual Fund its "SPONSOR"!

Does this mean that the Perpetual Fund guarantees funding for Theatre Fantazja but that other applicants have to have to be assessed based on some unclear criteria, as stated in the letter of advice from Mr Mikolajski advising of the failure of the application.

How can a Community Fund be a PERMANENT SPONSOR of Theatre Fantazja (see Theatre Fantazja website under sponsors)? [u]Theatre Fantazja's Administrative Manager is Mr Stan Mikolajski and Mr Mikolajski is also the Secretary of the Perpetual Fund and Vice President of the NSW Federation!

How can Perpetual Fund justify its failure to provide occasional assistance to an established and active youth Dance Ensemble such as Lajkonik, but be a permanent sponsor of an organization run by its Secretary. Note also the membership of Fantazja comprising adult and senior people, and compare with the membership of Lajkonik, youth of school and university age. Refer back to Objectives 1, 2 and 4 of the Fundusz Wieczysty's own Rules.

Isn't it time that this sort of power-mongering by those in charge of Polish community organizations and resources was stopped? Isn't it time people with integrity were placed in these positions?

I think there is a gross misunderstanding of responsibility on the part of the Committee Members of the Perpetual Fund.

I explained to Mr Mikolajski that I was not asking for the money for myself, but simply for the mlodziez (the youth) because they were really deserving and needed this support.

It amazes me that the youth of Lajkonik want to pursue cultural activities when the so-called "leaders" of the Polish community treat them in this way. We should be supporting and encouraging them in their every endeavour associated with Polish Folk Dance and we should appreciate just how much time and hard work is involved on top of their usual studies and work.

And so, I leave you all with the question…. when will there be change?
Who will speak up and do something to rectify this injustice? Who will apologise to the youth for letting them down?

Ursula Lang

Lajkonik Ensemble in 2005