My father died in 1944, I was 2.5 years old then
We lived in a medium size town - Kielce - some 180 km away from Warsaw where most of my parents family lived.
Among them 3 brothers of my father - Stanisław, Jerzy and Ziemowit.
Ziemowit was in good contact with us, usually he invited me, sometimes with my mother, for Easter or Christmas celebrations.
It was also Ziemowit who organised a summer holidays for me in 1954 in Sopot a popular sea resort.
There I met for the first time wider family of my father - uncles Józef, Władysław, Szymon, Antoni.
Most memorable was Joseph (top row, right).
He was just on a short visit to Poland, his place of residence was Johannesburg in South Africa.
Few years later I met his son Joseph with wife Ginette and newly born son - Joseph again.
They lived at that time in France. Few years later they moved to Brasil.
At the end of 1979 I visited France.
At that time I worked for Polish airlines LOT, which cooperated with Air France and the latter invited me to visit their computer centre in French Riviera.
There I visited Joseph Snr in Antibes and at the same time Joseph was there. Full of energy, he took us to some presentation of minerals exploration in Brasil.
In 1981 I got a job contract in Kuwait University Computer Centre...
My family (wife Sylvia, children Ania and Michał) were there with me...
At the end of 1982 serious political disturbances shook Poland, we decided to move to Australia.
We landed there in February 1983 - details HERE.
Start was difficult, we felt quite lonely being so far from family, friends, familiar places.
So it was an unbelievable surprize when in winter (means June or July) 1983 we were visited in our rented small flat by Joseph and Ginette.
They visited us in our small, rented flat..
Then invited for dinner in the city, it was cold winter night...
A year passed, we moved from a small flat to own house and another surprize - we were visited by Joseph's and Ginette's daughter - Nuka,,,
Few years later we were visited by the youngest of Joseph's children - Paul with his wife Kimberley and their first child. Unfortunately I cannot support this with any photos.
Many years passed, we settled well enough and I found a new passion - cross country skiing.
It got so serious that in January 1994 I went to Europe to participate in ski marathons.
What a surprize it was when I got a message from Joseph that he and Ginette are travelling to Poland and on their way they could visit me in Italian Predazzo where I was to prepeaing for ski marathon Marcialonga.
And 2 years later they visited me again in Potresina, Switzerland, where I came for Engadin Ski Marathon...
This time Joseph and Ginette stayed in Pontresina all day...
... and they were so nice that they gave mi lift to Zurich where I was to board the flight back to Australia.
Ginette was so nice that she drove the car all way to Zurich while Joseph told me a story of his work in Brasil, beginning with landing somewhere in the middle of nowhere and his encounter with local explorers who were digging around feeling there is something valuable in the ground, but not knowing what.
Amazing story.
Next meeting was again related to a ski race, this time it was Bieg Piastów in Poland...
Australian flag in on the fifth pole from the left.
I am the first Pole on the left.
After Poland I met Sylvia in Frankfurt and we both visited Joseph and Ginette in their hospitable home in St Jeannet.
There we felt really like members of a family.
Ginette took Sylvia for shopping...
Joseph introduced me to local goats...
We were treated with great hospitality and most delicious food.
Joseph introduced me to his Petanque friends, we played bridge in the evenings.
Most memorable time, which will stay with us forever.
