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This 1966 documentary tells the story of 734 Polish children who were adopted by New Zealand in 1944 as WWII refugees. Moving interviews, filmed 20 years later, document their harrowing exodus from Poland: via Siberian labour camps, malnutrition and death, to being greeted by Prime Minister Peter Fraser on arrival in NZ. From traumatic beginnings the film chronicles new lives (as builders, doctors, educators, and mothers) and ends with a family beach picnic. This was the last film from pioneering woman filmmaker Kathleen O'Brien.
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My Babcia, mother, uncle and two aunties were part of this contingent. The little girl in the checkered coat on the station when the train arrived at Pahiatua is my late Aunty, Maria Wozniak and the little girl behind her with the flowers is also my late Aunt, Halina Andrews (nee Wozniak).

I think my birth father was one of these children I never knew him

A truly moving story, cheers for publishing.
BTW, it end up on Polish equivalent of redit so expect many visitors. http://www.wykop.pl/link/1308349/historia-700-polskich-dzieci-adoptowanych-przez-rzad-nowej-zelandii-po-ii-ws/
Thank you New Zealand.

God, this is touching. My grandfather Tadouwicz Jankiewicz was on those very ships that came out to New Zealand back in '44. He died when I was just a baby, and I would like to know more about him, If anyone has information about him could you email me at fynn_mcclintock@hotmail.co.nz He worked as a plumber, if that's any help xD
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Television, 2000 (Excerpts)
An episode of Our People, Our Century looking at NZ families' experience of war
Linda Sloper
Posted at 02.53PM - 12.04.2013
My mother Leokadia Glogowska and her sister Zofia and brother Ludwik were children who were taken to Pahiatua Camp. On my mothers side there were three children (including myself), 8 grandchildren and now five great grandchildren.