Thomas Walker, "Ashfield Polish Club," History Matters, (21 September 2015)

Thomas Walker, "Ashfield Polish Club Update," History Matters, (27 October 2015)

This small documentary centres around the patrons of the Ashfield Polish Club in Sydney. Formed during the 1950s and 1960s, the Ashfield Polish Club has meant many different things to many different people over the years. Initially serving as a meeting point for the first wave of Polish migrants after the Second World War, the Club has undergone numerous challenges and triumphs during its history. This documentary hopes to explore that history and find out what the Club means for people today.

This project began with what seemed to be a simple question, ‘What does it mean for you?’ and delved into something much more complex. It was by chance that my project became focused on the Ashfield Polish Club and I am incredibly glad it did because it has been a phenomenal journey.

I am genuinely honoured to have been privileged to hear and see the things I did and gaining the trust of those around me was an incredible experience. Hearing stories and insights that utterly blew me away is an experience I will not forget. I heard stories of people escaping the German armies as they swept across Poland, I heard about the Berlin wall collapsing. With vigour some of my interviewees recalled being stopped at the borders and the feeling that they would at any moment be taken by the Russian secret police. I listened to the experiences of the Polish migrants as they attempted to integrate into Australian culture.

Unfortunately, not everyone’s story could be included in this documentary. That was one of the hardest aspects of the post-editing process. Editing the footage down to a manageable size was a difficult task but ideally, this project will be my starting point for my eventual contribution to the Club for their 2017 celebrations. I also faced a major challenge when hearing conflicting stories or slanderous comments. History is utterly complex and this experience has been absolutely eye opening.

For the creation of this project I relied on a number of different sources, both primary and secondary. The most significant portion of my documentary centres around oral interviews conducted with past and present members of the Ashfield Polish Club. My Babcia was one of the founding members of the Club so I spent several hours with her discussing the history of the club and her involvement. I also had the opportunity to interview the current Club Manager, Lucian Romanowski. He is an absolute character and an asset to the Club. His hard work and dedication is incredible.

Personally, the most important sources in the documentary for me are the scenes of footage from my Babcia’s wedding and subsequent social gatherings. I chanced upon this footage about a year or so ago, and when this project began I knew it had to play a role.

I filmed the interviews and accompanying footage on a GoPro Hero Silver and edited it on an old copy of iMovie. Editing was a slow process on old equipment and there were times when I had my fingers crossed willing the files to load or copy. I found that the small GoPro was unobtrusive and I was able to be creative with angles and shots. There were some technical difficulties during the filming process with my camera occasionally running out of battery or the lense changing colour, but overall it was very smooth. I learnt a LOT about background noise, lighting and synchronising sound. I hoped to create a professional looking piece but I still wince when I see some of my choppy editing and mismatched sound in the final product. All of the footage is my own, except for the footage of my Babcia’s wedding and the accompanying social gatherings across Sydney. The author of this footage is unknown but I have been told that they have almost surely passed away – to he or she, I am eternally grateful.

So why did I begin this documentary?

Partly for selfish reasons. All my life I had existed on the periphery of the wider Polish-Australian community. All of my experiences of Poland came through my family, and growing up in Newcastle meant that I had very little access to the Polish Club at Ashfield. When this opportunity arose I grabbed it with both hands. Secondly, I wanted to archive the incredible stories told by members of the community. I very much hope I have done their history justice with this small piece.

Partly this documentary was also created to make comment on historical migrations to this country. The current refugee situation is marked by emotion, fear and aggression and I wanted to remind audiences that this has happened before. Migrants have come from across the oceans and the world did not collapse and families were not torn apart. The air of xenophobia threatens to be palpable and Australians need to pause and think. Integration does happen and generations take time. Fear and xenophobia will achieve nothing. Open dialogue with groups is what is necessary. I hope this plays a small role in that discussion.

For some people the Club represented everything that was lost during the War and the subsequent migration. For others it was a place that you had to go to keep up appearances. Culture and connectedness varied from generation to generation and I hope this documentary captures at least a fraction of this fascinating history.

Thank you for taking the time to view this documentary. I would like to thank Dr. Michael McDonnell and Michaela Cameron for their generous time and insightful feedback - this project would not have been possible without you, your feedback has been utterly invaluable.

I would like to thank members of my family; my Babcia and my mum for being interviewed. I would like to thank the Club Manager at Ashfield Polish Club Lucian Romanowski as well as everyone else who agreed to be part of this project. Thank you to club President Richard Borysiewicz, and thanks to Eleonora Patton. 

Huge thanks to Ashfield Polish Club for allowing me to film on their premises and thank you to all those who took part in interviews and conversations.

Dziękuję Ci bardzo!!

— THOMAS WALKER