The bulletin contains articles by Dr Janusz Rygielski and Alan E. J. Andrews concerning the proposed renaming of the Mt Ko¶ciuszko.

Below we reprint the foreword (by Dr Rygielski) which pinpoints goals of the Polish Community Council and highlights the history of our community. From the president

It is my great pleasure to introduce the inaugural bulletin of the Polish Community Council of Australia and New Zealand ("PCCA&NZ"). There is a need for such a publication. In fact, many believe it is long overdue!

The Polish community in Australia has grown considerably over the years, so much so, that we were placed among the “top ten” in the Australian Multicultural Book (2001). There are currently 60,000 Polish born people living in Australia. When you take into account second generation Poles (those born of Polish parents), the fi gure comes close to 160,000. PCCA&NZ comprises about 90% of Polish organisations in Australia. Poles are playing an important part in many facets of Australian life. At most tertiary institutions in Australia there are Polish academics. Notable examples include: Professor Jerzy Zubrzycki, credited as being the father of the Australian policy of multiculturalism; and, Professor Maciej Hannenberg of Adelaide University, anthropologist and world renowned forensic scientist. There is also a large number of Poles employed in the executive sector, of which Doctor Sev Ozdowski, the Federal Human Rights Commissioner, is a prime example.

In spite of this large “Polish presence” in Australia, our voice has not been heard suffi ciently. Our history and our image, often largely distorted, is misrepresented by some seemingly hostile, or ill-informed media outlets.

Throughout one millennium of its recorded history, Poland has made a considerable contribution to human development. Again, to mention but a few examples: famous Poles in the fi eld of science include Nicholas Copernicus and Maria Curie Sklodowska, a double Nobel Prize laureate. Closer to Australia, there was Professor Bronislaw Malinowski, one of the most important anthropologists of the 20th century and a founder of social anthropology. In the fi eld of exploration, there was Sir Paul Edmund Strzelecki.

Poland played an important role in shaping the history of Europe. In the 13th century, Poland halted Genghis Khan’s march through Europe. In the 17th century, under the leadership of King John III Sobieski, Poland halted the expansion of the Ottoman Empire. In 1920, Poland repelled the advancing Soviet Army, that intended to conquer West Europe. Like Great Britain, at the beginning of WWII, Poland “stood alone”.

Poland was the fi rst country that offered military resistance to Hitler’s policy of conquering Europe. Poland fought alongside the Allies and fi nished the Second World War with the fourth largest army in the Allied camp. In return, Poland was betrayed by the Allies and was given to Stalin as a puppet state at Yalta in 1945.

This part of contemporary history has never been explored by Hollywood or in other films. Consequently, the general public remains ignorant of this catastrophic historical fact. The above demonstrates why Polish migrants in Australia, as, indeed, in other parts of the world, are so sensitive about recognising Poland’s true history. Poles found it hurtful and offensive when, for half a century, Poland was referred to in the West as a “Communist Nation”, implying that Poland had chosen to be part of the communist regime. In fact, communism had been forced on Poland by the Soviet Union despite massive Polish resistance. The main purpose of our first bulletin is to address the issue of the proposed renaming of Mt Kosciuszko to an Aboriginal name. The proposal has been put forth by a small group of infl uential people. There were no Aborigines among them. In this bulletin you will find information that explains why such an amendment is unnecessary.

The Polish Community in Australia would support a renaming of Mt Kosciuszko if the Aboriginal people had a prior naming claim. In other cases this may be true, however, in the case of Mt Kosciuszko there is no prior name and, as such, no confl ict between the European name and an Aboriginal counterpart. Contrary to many other of the Snowy Mountain tops, Mt Kosciuszko did not provide food for native Australians and its lack of any signifi cant topographical features created no cultural interest. It was only by way of modern science, through Strzelecki's exploration and measurement of this mountain that made Mt Kosciuszko important.

We must ensure that in the course of pursuing a one-eyed goal, harm is not perpetrated on the Polish Community of Australia. It would be a grave injury to the Poles of Australia, and to the broader multicultural society, if the only significant name of Polish origin in Australia, was removed for no satisfactory reason. I hope you will find this, our first, magazine both informative and interesting.

Dr Janusz Rygielski
President of the PCCA&NZ