Eighty Years = Eighty Candles – HMD 2025: For a better future
80th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz: A Milestone in History and the Story of Olgerts, Stefan and the Nowicki Parents
January 27 2025 is the eighty years of the Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi concentration camp.
80 Candles for 80 Years is an opportunity for readers and the community to unite in remembrance of Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) 2025 – A day to honour our Disabled people and D/deaf people who have perished and persevered through the darkest of times, including those who survived the Holocaust. It is a day that reminds us of the importance of remembering our history, acknowledging the sacrifices made, and reflecting on the lessons we can learn from the past.
In New Zealand, there were not many resources about disabled survivors/D/deaf with disabilities survivors and D/deaf survivors from the Holocaust camps, Displaced Camps, and Ghettos. Jean recalled someone mentioning there was a small number of Deaf people who came from Europe. Jean does not know if they were a Holocaust survivor, Displaced Camps, Ghettos or one of the Resettlement camps. The apparent reason there were no resources about us – people with disabilities/D/deaf people for the readers available in the library, website here. Despite this, our community displayed remarkable resilience, a testament to the strength and endurance of the human spirit.
Jean knows one couple from Poland and Germany whose lives were filled with struggles, hardships, and dangers before they came to live in New Zealand. They have three sons in New Zealand; the eldest is Deaf, CP (Cerebral Palsy), and Speech-Impaired, and his name is Jacek. Jean supports/assists this chap as part of her second work role and as a long-time friend in Waikato. Jacek’s parents were German and Polish, and they travelled to New Zealand on the Hellenic Prince ship. This UNRA-commissioned ship brought displaced people of various nationalities from Europe to New Zealand. They spent a few months in the Pahiatua displaced persons camp – Little Poland. Jacek was born there before finding work on a farm near Waihou in Waikato. Jacek’s parents started a new life after WW2 and somehow chose New Zealand to suit their lives and future generations here. Note Jacek’s parents were not Holocaust survivors, only to survive through WW2.
Here is her second finding: The deaf man who came to New Zealand was Olgerts (Olgorts/Olgort) Viestarts RUBLIS. He was born in Riga, Latvia, in 1922. He had a sister with her husband and a mother who had moved to the USA after 1950. His parents were Emils and Karline of Riga, Latvia. Jean did not understand why Olgerts chose to come to New Zealand while his sister, her husband and his mother chose to live in the USA. Jean assumes they were not together through the war or living in the Displaced camps separately. The questions raised several understandings of how Olgerts and his sister found each other after the war. Olgerts became a New Zealand Naturalised as the first possible deaf person here in July 1956. (Paperpast article here) Please disagree with the word – Deaf Mute as it was a stereotype in the past, and it was wrong to name this type of disability and the word ‘mute’ is no longer used today.
Jean understands that Olgerts came to New Zealand from one of the three Resettlement camps—Trieste, Germany (Northeastern Italy, and French Zone, Germany. The shipping records are somewhat confusing when arriving in Australia for New Zealand. There were two ships, Dundalk Bay and Ceramic. One of the ships left Cape Town, South Africa, and another left Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Another piece of the departure place was Trieste, Germany (Northeastern Italy) —the travel timeline between May 20 and June 16 1949. Jean will look up the list of shipping passengers for these two ships to see if they are correct and if they need to be recorded here for this blog. The person from the Pahiatua Museum sent it to her a couple of days ago, and they are emailing the shipping records. Jean received their email and scanned through names before Jean went north (south) to Marton, Woodville and Masterston for a one-night stay. Jean will continue researching with his nephew and his friend from the USA. The Pahiatua Museum is a good place to start, as it has records, photos, and archives. Of course, anyone can visit the museum on Sunday. https://www.kotuia.org.nz/organisation-pages/org-page-3136/
https://ehive.com/collections/3136/pahiatua-districts-museum-society-inc
Trieste was seized in 1943 by the Germans, who intended to maintain it as a southern outlet to the sea for the Third Reich. As the war reached its final weeks, Marshal Tito’s Partisans closed in from the east; the Allies also raced to liberate the city. The German garrison surrendered to New Zealand troops on May 2, 1945, but the city was claimed for Yugoslavia. https://www.britannica.com/place/Trieste-Italy
People from the Baltic Sea states of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania mostly came as displaced persons after the Second World War, and by 1956, there were 538 Latvians, 240 Estonians, and 207 Lithuanians. https://teara.govt.nz/en/russians-ukrainians-and-baltic-peoples#:~:text=People%20from%20the%20Baltic%20Sea,2000s%20the%20communities%20remained%20small.
After the war, some Russians arrived in New Zealand as displaced persons who were unable or unwilling to return to their home countries at the end of the war. Their arrival raised the total number of Russians in New Zealand: at the end of the war in 1945, there were 348; in 1956, there were 740. (These figures probably included several Ukrainians.) https://teara.govt.nz/en/russians-ukrainians-and-baltic-peoples/print
Interview one Deaf person who remembers him vividly. Olgerts was a knowledgeable man and a clothes presser in Wellington, NZ. He was fluent in sign language here and in his homeland. With the Deaf Community in Wellington, some sign language was challenging to understand. He mentions several life experiences during the war; however, he kept his whole life experiences to himself. At the time, Olgerts was involved in the Deaf Sport NZ and joined the Deaflympics before 1951 until Deaf Sport NZ formerly joined together in 1966—the backlashed contest from the Deaf community to Olgerts to not take any more involved afterwards. The committee of the NZ Deaf Sport made the result disappointing for Olgerts to not take part of the role in the committee. Olgerts was the first Deaf man to establish the idea of forming a Deaf Sports NZ joint with the Deaflympic, a significant achievement in his life. Olgerts said he had no family after leaving Europe, and he had no idea if his family were alive or dead. Note that this conversation between the interviewer and Olgerts occurred between the 1960s and 1980s. Olgerts told the interviewer about his hometown, Riga, Latvia. Olgerts said a group of 4 Deaf people left as they escaped from the camp before coming to New Zealand. Jean assumed only two Deaf people came to New Zealand and left the other two Deaf people in Australia – Freemantle. Then, one of the people who arrived in New Zealand returned to Australia by leaving Olgerts here in Wellington. Olgerts has his “sign name” as a collar – see the video below this paragraph. The interviewer does not know whether Olgerts’s sign name is from someone through Wellington Deaf Society/Deaf Sport NZ or from his homeland – Riga, Latvia. Olgerts loved travelling to Japan many times.
The second Deaf interviewer recalled Olgerts during his time. Olgerts was the person who brought the idea of the joint to Deaflypmic, while the Deaflypmic did not officially recognise NZ Deaf Sports during the 1950s and 1960s. Olgerts saved up his income for the Deaflypmics/World Championships in 1957 and 1961 by travelling on the ship, taking trains, and staying at accommodations. The NZ Deaf Sports pointed out that Olgerts was not a member. He did much fundraising, helping with raffles, and other things involved in Wellington Deaf Society Inc. This interviewer attended Olgerts’s funeral and found that no other Deaf members came to the funeral.
Jean’s findings showed that he participated in the games as an athlete—a 15km walk race—and was a singles player in table tennis in Milan, Italy. He was the only Deaf person represented in New Zealand as a New Zealander. Then, in 1961, the Deaflypmic Games took place in Helsinki, Finland, with seven members—six men and one woman. Olgerts was involved in Basketball (he became sixth place in the winning game) and table tennis. Jean would like to thank Olgerts for putting our New Zealand Deaf Sport in the world by joining the Deaflypmic and continuing today.
The second interview mentions a couple who came to New Zealand and found it difficult to remember their names. Without recognising their name, the person told the interviewer about his experience during the war and in the camp. Jean told him not to worry too much. Since her travel home, Jean has received a message with the couple’s names.
Now, the next chapter is about a living couple in Auckland. The couple are both Deaf, and one male person migrated from Munich, Germany, in 1960. His name is Stefan (Stipe/Stipan) Puljan, and he was born in Plina, Yugoslavia, in 1926. His occupation was a tailor. According to the second interviewer, this person was very good at making beautiful handwork materials/clothes for tailoring work in Auckland. In the record, Jean found that Stefan was a tailor before and during the war. Stefan (Steve, as the Deaf community called him) has a wife, Stefica. Jean has no records of Stefica until further notice and will update shortly. In the meantime, Jean plans to interview Stefan and Stefica in Auckland, as they are over 80 years old, and Stefan is frail. It is critical to collect their memories for the New Zealand Deaf community to understand the past of the Holocaust and living experiences through WW2 in the Displaced Camps, Ghetto, and townships and add them to the archives.
Photos permission from the Chairperson of the Auckland Deaf Seniors group.
Pahīatua’s ‘Little Poland’
https://nzhistory.govt.nz/media/video/pahiatuas-little-poland-roadside-stories
https://nzhistory.govt.nz/media/video/pahiatuas-little-poland-roadside-stories
Deaf Sport and the Deaflympics
Deaf people compete in sporting competitions with hearing athletes and in competitions specifically for deaf athletes. These competitions are not based on the idea that deaf athletes are disadvantaged when competing with hearing athletes. Instead, the movement grew from the desire for deaf athletes to compete against and socialise with others from the deaf community.
Sports communication
In the 19th century, deaf people began organising their own sports teams. The first deaf sports club was established in 1888 in Berlin. In 1924, Eugène Rubens-Alcais, who was deaf, organised the International Silent Games in Paris. These games were the first Deaflympics, attracting 148 athletes from nine countries. Since 1949, there has also been a Winter Deaflympics. These events are held every two years, alternating between summer and winter games. Now called Deaf Sports NZ, the Deaf Amateur Sports Association was formed in New Zealand in 1966.
https://teara.govt.nz/en/disability-sport/page-4
‘Handicapped’ refugees, 1959 (Note: Please disagree with the word – ‘Handicapped and regarded’ as it is unacceptable by the Teara Government, and it should be Persons with disabilities.)
‘Handicapped’ refugees were those regarded as hard to settle for such reasons as ill health, disability, advanced age, or having large numbers of dependent children. In 1959, New Zealand became one of the first countries to accept refugee families with disabled members. By 1963, New Zealand had resettled over 200 such families. https://teara.govt.nz/en/refugees/page-3#:~:text=%E2%80%98Handicapped%E2%80%99%20refugees%20were%20those%20regarded
All photos and one video are copyrighted, and permissions are required to use this blog.
