Yes it is......

Toma Polic

Description

This book is a record in the lives of the Polich – Katavich families who struggled with a meagre existence in Yugoslavia before migrating to Australia.
It details their lives in Australia and the struggles that most migrant families endured in the period before and immediately after the Second World War
There is also a brief history of the country of their birth and its progress in the world after the defeat of the Austro – Hungarian and Nazi empires. It details also the extreme hardships of living in an occupied country.
The later part of the book describes the life of the author and his family and relations and the achievements attained as intended by their parents when they decided to migrate.
The title was derived from the answer to a question that the authors Grandmother posed to her daughter. Is the grass greener on the other side?

Sujets

• Personal Memoirs
• Biography
• Memoir
• Autobiography

Informations

• Publié par: Balboa Press AU
• Date de parution: 22 mai 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781982297367
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 3 Mo

Extrait

Yes it is......
 
 
 
 
 
 
TOMA POLIĆ
 
 
 
 

 
Copyright © 2023 Toma Polić.
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
 
 
 
Balboa Press
A Division of Hay House
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.balboapress.com.au
AU TFN: 1 800 844 925 (Toll Free inside Australia)
AU Local: [phone] ([phone] from outside Australia)
 
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
 
 
 
ISBN: 978-1-9822-9735-0 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-9822-9736-7 (e)
 
Balboa Press rev. date:  08/10/2023
 
 
 
 
 
 
This book is dedicated to my Father and Mother, my Brother Ivan (Jack) and my Sister Joyce. Also my late wife Valerie, my children Jamie, Duncan and Stuart who were the main focus of the story
All others of family are also recognised for their contribution to this record of the Polić family.
The good people of the former Jugoslavia and modern day Croatia will always be remembered for their fortitude and never-say- die attitude towards their lives and ambitions to make a better life in Australia
CONTENTS
Introduction
Acknowledgements
 
Chapter 1       A brief overview of Croatian history
Chapter 2       History of Split, Vrgorac and Orah
Chapter 3       The history of the Woodline
Chapter 4       The origins of the Polic’s and Katavic’s
Chapter 5       Toma Polic’s family after the First World War
Chapter 6       Ante starts his journey to Australia
Chapter 7       The Katavic’s
Chapter 8       Iva’s arrival in Australia
Chapter 9       Leaving the Woodlines
Chapter 10     A place of their own at last
Chapter 11     The Children are growing up
Chapter 12     The children become teenagers
Chapter 13     Independence on the horizon
Chapter 14     Toma’s life changes to that of a married man
Chapter 15     Toma and Val settle down to married life
Chapter 16     Getting involved in Community activities
Chapter 17     Toma and Val’s children are growing up fast
Chapter 18     Gugeri Road Development
Chapter 19     World travels
 
APPENDICES
 
Appendix 1       Interpretations of one of Ante’s Diaries
Appendix 2       Iva Katavic
Appendix 3       Toma’s cousins Drago and Manda interviewed in 2008
Appendix 4       Interview with Mrs Neda Prnic
Appendix 5       Marija Jelavic – Tom’s first cousin
Appendix 6       Recollections of some Woodline residents
Appendix 7       Marija Jujnovic
Appendix 8       Olga Bondi
Appendix 9       Ljubica Grbavac
Appendix 10     Mary Radic
Appendix 11     Iko Katavic – Iva’s cousin
Appendix 12     Stanko Katavic – Iva’s brother
Appendix 13     Toma’s thoughts in 2006
Appendix 14     (New interview with Marija – Stanko’s daughter who was by chance visiting her father at this time)
Appendix 15     Second interview with Stanko - 2008
Appendix 16      Alison’s memories of her and Ivan – 1972 – 2008
Appendix 17     Common Croatian names in and around Vrgorac and Orah
Appendix 18     Notations of marriages between families of the surname of either Katavic or Polic
Appendix 19     The world according to Val
Appendix 20     List of alleged collaborators in and around Vrgorac who were executed after the end of the war.
Appendix 21     Baba’s recipes
Appendix 22     Granddaughter Sandra and her thoughts
Appendix 23     Donna Jefferson
Appendix 24     Transcription of Ante’s first diary
Appendix 25     Memories of Val by Sue Beebie
Appendix 26     Karen Gillings memoirs
Appendix 27     Memories of Val by her sister
Appendix 28     Memories of Iva and Ante’s granddaughter – Kate
INTRODUCTION
Australia’s population growth has almost exclusively relied on immigration ever since 1788 when European settlers began arriving after Captain Cook’s discovery of the “Great South Land”.
The potential of this “Great Southern Land” became a world-wide phenonemum when its riches were slowly discovered and immigrants came to Australia to search for their fortunes.
There have been numerous books written about the experiences of various immigrants over the 200 years plus since the permanent European population became established.
Each of these immigrant waves have added to the rich culture that is now Australia. Immigrants from almost every continent and country in the world have added their customs and features which now combine to make Australia the most acknowledged multi-cultural society in the world.
This is a perfect example to the rest of the world on how various races and cultures can combine to develop a harmonious community. Sure, there have been differences and some conflicts along the way but with the encouragement of assimilation these differences now fade into the annals of history as a mere occurrence.
The account of a migrant family featured in this book is probably in the same mould and format of other similar essays, but it adds a little more to the understanding of the community on how some of the immigrants faired in a new environment. This was often in extremely harsh conditions and many barriers to advancement and how they eventually overcame all of these obstacles and succeeded.
It was at the constant request of my three sons that I finally consented to put into a few words, some of the experiences of my Father and Mother. They had to endure many hardships in their journey in life in establishing themselves firmly as a start and then foremost for their children, a future and lifestyle which was better than the one they experienced.
This book endeavours to provide an account of the history of their birth country, now called Croatia, which was the background for their upbringing in the early 20 th century.
There is an attempt to describe the most difficult living conditions in this country, which at the time, could easily have been described as a third world country. This country has had a horrid history of invasions and many attempts to establish some sovereignty. This history has been recorded over several millennia before Christ.
Like many of their countrymen and countrywomen, their arrival in Australia was not anywhere near ideal. In fact it was the opposite.
Work could only be found in labour intensive industries and this for many was a very difficult situation to face.
I concentrated on the plight of my parents and their fellow countrymen and women on the area just south of Boulder and Kalgoorlie in Western Australia
These areas were the providers of both green and dry timber for the deep mines of Kalgoorlie and Boulder. Some of the timber was also used by the electric power company prior to switching over to diesel powered engines.
The principal timber provider was the Lakewood Firewood Company, which employed the timber cutters and haulers and has its own railway lines.
While the modern day Croatia in the distant past may have been considered as a country without, the then modern technology, nevertheless their record keeping was better than most countries that experienced similar history and experiences.
The Polic family had been traced back to the mid- 18 th century while the Katavic family could be traced back to the mid-17 th century. For those records I am grateful for the information provided by the Catholic Church in Croatia.
I am also deeply indebted to Davor Jelavic, a resident of the town of Vrgorac, who made a magnificent study of the origins of the various families in the region. Davor also provided detailed information about the village of Orah, a location nearby to Vrgorac.
I have also tried to provide some details about both families of mine, and my siblings, origins and there is some information about both families – Polic’s and Katavic’s.
For the majority of their lives Ante and Iva Polic spent their days living and working in the Swan Valley, which was initially an equally difficult task without a home and land of their own and three children to raise. After all, the welfare of their future children was the reason both Ante and Iva came to Western Australia.
There is a short description on the development of their children and grandchildren, up to a point where, I would sincerely hope they could add further chapters to this story.
I was privileged to have obtained some voice recordings of various peop