May 2022 Report
May has been a busy month at Polonia and June looks just as exciting!
On Sunday, 1st May, “Polonia” celebrated Poland’s Constitution on the 3rd May starting with lunch in our marvellous restaurant, followed by our traditional “Akademia” (concert) which showcased our wonderful Polish youth organisations: “Pomorze” Polish Scouts, “Mały Brisbane” Junior Polish Dance group and “Obertas” Polish Song & Dance Company of Brisbane. We were also joined by two young pianists from the Clayfield Piano School which is run by Polonia member Dorota Batkiewicz. Thank you to all our talented youth for your ongoing efforts to represent our culture and honour our rich history. I am certain that everyone who attended appreciated your artistry!
Polonia was honoured to host our friends from the Ukrainian Community of Queensland in our restaurant on the 19th May when they celebrated “Vyshyvanka Day”, an international holiday that aims to preserve the Ukrainian folk traditions of creating and wearing ethnic embroidered clothes called vyshyvankas. Polonia has made a donation to the Ukrainian Community of Queensland in support of the Ukrainian refugees arriving in Brisbane, to provide them with urgent care and to meet specific needs, such as specialist medical treatment, crisis accommodation, disability equipment and foods etc.
Despite some dreary weather, our Market Day in May was well attended and we look forward to our next Polonia Market Day on Saturday, 18th June. Doors open to the public at 9am and we will be open until 1pm (or until sold out). Pre-orders of continental smallgoods from Krakus may be placed in the usual manner. Our range of stalls will feature regular favourites and we’ll be grilling kranskis in the beer garden, with the downstairs bar open from 10am. Our restaurant will be open from 11am until 2pm and then again from 5pm until 9pm. We encourage you to reserve a table by calling 3369 2747 if you would like to dine in with us this Saturday. The Library will be open from 9am until midday.
The “Obertas” Dance Party was well attended signalling the return of regular dance events at Polonia. Next up, “Wisła” Folkloric Dance Group invites everyone to their popular “White
Party” on Saturday, 18th June, commencing at 7:30pm.
In Poland, Mother’s Day is celebrated on the 26th May, irrespective of what day it falls on. To mark Polish Mother’s Day, florist and Polonia Management Committee member Agnieszka Kowal presented a 2 hour workshop in our Events Hall, guiding participants through the process of creating beautiful floral arrangements using dried flowers. Participants had a wonderful evening and proudly took home the fruits of their endeavours.
On 2nd June, we are hosting our first Member Mixer – please see the attached below. This is a new event intended as a social evening for current and intending members to meet new people and rekindle old connections. Members of Polonia’s Management Committee will be present and we welcome your questions and feedback about how things are progressing at the Club.
In terms of facility upgrades, we took delivery of the latest addition to our commercial kitchen, a new 6 burner gas stove and oven, affectionately christened “Gorąca Krycha” (aka “Hot Christine”) by kitchen staff. We are currently in the process of getting her connected so she can serve us well into the future. This year alone, the Management Committee has invested significant funds into upgrading our facility in Milton as well as Rathdowney, purchasing a new switchboard, upright freezer, ride-on mower and now an additional stove. These improvements are dependent upon careful budgeting of our income stream and your generous donations (we welcome all types of financial support, whether it’s a one-time gift, regular monthly donation, or a bequest).
We continue our search for motivated and experienced casual Kitchen Staff, Front-of-House (Maître d’) Staff and Wait Staff. If you know of anyone interested in work on a casual “as-needed” or roster basis, in particular for Friday and Saturday shifts, please invite them to make contact via: president@polonia.org.au. Polish language skills are advantageous but not
essential.
As May ends, we begin our Membership Renewal drive and encourage you, our treasured members, to renew your Polonia membership. Information about renewing your membership is available on our website. You can also renew in person at the Club.
Your ongoing membership and support are the life blood of our association and allow us to function. Our growth over the past year has been remarkable – almost 800 members joined Polonia – and we hope to maintain and increase that number going forward. I trust you will continue to support Polonia in her journey into the future by renewing your membership. Please also encourage family and friends who have not yet joined to consider becoming members.
MEMBERSHIP FEES
Ordinary Membership (you must be Polish or of Polish descent)
• $55 Couple
• $33 Single
• $33 Pensioner Couple
• $22 Single Pensioner
• $22 Student Member (over 18 years of age)
Associate Membership (for non-Polish persons)
• $22 Associate Member (all categories)
Please note: The membership year runs from July 1 to June 30 of the following year. Any membership application received on or after March 1 of a given year will receive membership credit through June 30 of the following year (for example, if someone applies for membership on March 1, 2022, they will be paid up (financial) through June 30, 2023).
BANK ACCOUNT DETAILS
Please make your payment at any Westpac Bank branch or using online banking. You can also pay in cash or card at the Club.
Account Name: “Polonia” Polish Association of Queensland Inc.
BSB: 034072
Account Number: 321095
In order to assist us process your payment:
• Write your initial and surname in the Reference/Description line (so we know who the
payment is from).
• Forward a confirmation of payment to secretary@polonia.org.au or by post to 10
Marie St, Milton QLD 4064 (so we can verify payment and process your membership
application).
• Bring your current membership card to Polonia for updating.
Important: If we cannot identify your payment, we will not be able to process your
membership application or renewal.
Finally, I wish to advise that due to increased professional commitments, our Treasurer Jason Mordacz has submitted his resignation. On behalf of the Management Committee, I thank Jason for his energy and commitment to the role of Treasurer and wish him every success in his newly expanded professional role. In accordance with Part XIII of the Polonia Constitution, the Management Committee hereby calls for expressions of interest to fill the casual vacancy of Treasurer of our Association until the next Annual General Meeting in which elections take place. A role description may be obtained from the Secretary by emailing: secretary@polonia.org.au. Expressions of Interest (including a CV) should be submitted to the secretary’s email by COB Friday, 10th June, 2022.
Best wishes for the month ahead!
Henry Kurylewski
President
31.5.2022
To stay fully informed about what is happening at “Polonia”, I encourage you to regularly look at our website: www.polonia.org.au
and follow our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/polishclubmilton and/or our Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/miltonpolishclub