Kazimiera Machniak

Kazimiera (nee Szumska) Machniak was born in Poland, the eldest daughter in her family, on 23 September 1920. Her mother died while she was a child, leaving her with two younger sisters, Felka and Halina, to look after.

During the Second World War, the Szumski family was among thousands of Polish citizens who spent time in Siberian work camps. Her family managed the long trek across Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Persia before they found refuge in Africa. In the wartime Polish resettlement camp at Tengeru, Tanganyika Kazimiera, her sisters, and her father spent the next few years. Her sisters and Kazimiera would often reminisce and share their vivid stories of their time spent against the backdrop of snow topped Kilimanjaro.

Contrary to today’s refugee camps around the world, the Polish refugee camps were equipped with schools – elementary, middle school, high school, and a technical school; a YMCA with sports and recreational facilities and a reasonable library; a cinema covered by a roof on stilts but without walls; and an open-air theatre. There was a co-op bakery, and a co-op store sold a modest supply of sundries along with foodstuffs from the settlement’s impressive farm. Established in order to make the settlement as self-sufficient as possible, the farm accomplished this with great success, combining crops native to Africa as well as – climate permitting – old favourites from Poland.

After thw war, Kazimiera and her family continued their journey to England. Here they were reunited with her brothers Antoni and Mietek who had both served in the military. While in England, Kazimiera met and married her husband Jan who had also served with the military during the war. Their son, Kazimierz was born during their stay in England.

Kazimiera and Jan decided that Canada would be their new home and emigrated to Winnipeg, Manitoba, where they raised their children.

Kazimiera passed away on 5 May 2009, at the age of 89 years.