Honour for Toitū OSM curator

Dunedin (Thursday, 19 November 2015) – Toitū Otago Settlers Museum Curator Seán Brosnahan will receive one of Poland’s highest honours this Saturday, the Polish Gold Cross of Merit. 

The Chairperson of the Polish Heritage of Otago and Southland Charitable Trust (POHOS), Cecylia Klobukowska, says Mr Brosnahan will be acknowledged for the wonderful work he has done researching the history of Polish heritage in New Zealand, and in the Otago and Southland regions in particular. 

“In 2004, Seán curated Poland to Pahiatua: Remembering the Refugee Children of 1944 and in 2006 Our Southern Poles: Otago’s Polish heritage 1872-2006.  Other exhibitions have included Our Southern Poles: our Polish Heritage (2008), which was shown with the international exhibition from Poland Joseph Conrad: Twixt Land and Sea.

“These exhibitions have explored the history of the first Polish settlers arriving in Otago and Southland in the19th century and those who arrived in New Zealand during and after World War 2. The exhibitions have allowed everyone to learn more about Poland’s history and culture.”

The exhibition Our Southern Poles also went to Poland and was exhibited in Warsaw, Gdansk, Starogard Gdanski, Krakow and Lublin.

Mr Brosnahan says “I am full of admiration for the Poles, who have a rich and at times tragic history.  It has been a pleasure to discover these stories, work with this community and to see the way the local Polish community have reanimated their traditions in New Zealand and passed them on to their children and our community.”

The other recipients of the Polish Gold Cross of Merit are all from Otago. They are: Margaret Ann Howard, artist (Dunedin), Carolina Meikle, POHOS Board member (Dunedin) and Czeslawa Panek, POHOS founding member (Oamaru).

All the recipients will be awarded their honours by the Polish Ambassador, H.E. Zbigniew Gniatkowski, at a function at the Museum for invited guests on Saturday evening.

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