On the 26th of March, we celebrated the life of Halina Czernuszyn Robinson at St Matthew’s Hall on the Corso at Manly. Halina’s children, Vitek and Joanna, other family members and some 20 of her friends attended the ceremony. Halina departed in January last year aged 94.

Halina was a very special person.

She was born in a Jewish family in pre-WW2 Poland and locked up in the Warsaw ghetto during the German occupation. She was the only person in her family surviving the war. Halina was smuggled out of the ghetto by the Polish underground and placed with catholic nuns. After the war, she experienced communist Poland, then moved to Israel and finally settled in Australia.

Halina was a tough and the ultimate survivor. She was full of life and on a mission to create a better world. She was involved in Australia with Polish and Jewish communities and played a major role in multicultural organisations in NSW. She was a proud Jew, Pole and Australian. It was a pleasure to invite her to lecture at Western Sydney Uni. Her book ‘Cork on the waves’ is a must reading for all.

The ‘Farewelling Halina’ meeting was very moving. Vitek welcomed the participants and told us a little about Halina. Joanna’s eldest daughter, Angela, and Vitek’s eldest son, Sebastian, spoke about their Grandmother. Diana, a friend of Halina, and some other participants added a few words. It was fun to be with Halina again and enjoy her life. The speeches were followed by morning tea, with a chance to greet one another and continue our talk about Halina.

For Polish speakers, you might also like to listen in to the SBS Polish program eulogy given by Marianna Lacek on https://www.sbs.com.au/language/polish/audio/halina-czernuszyn-robinson-wspomnienie

Halina Czernuszyn Robinson