35th Seniors’ Day in Ardeer

On 14 October 2026, nearly 300 Polish seniors gathered at the welcoming St John Paul II Polish House in Ardeer to attend the 35th Seniors’ Day.

The event was organised by the Polish Community Council of Victoria (PCCV) and Polish Community Care Services 'PolCare', in cooperation with the hosts, members of the Polish Charitable Association in Sunshine. The organisers beautifully decorated the hall and prepared refreshments, as well as a programme of musical and poetry performances.

The gathering commenced at 11 am with the national anthems of Poland and Australia. Joanna Czuchajew, the event’s MC, welcomed participants who had travelled from various parts of metropolitan Melbourne and Geelong, along with special guests. These included Andrzej Soszyński, Honorary Consul General of the Republic of Poland in Melbourne, accompanied by his wife Urszula; Sarah Connolly MP, Member of the Victorian Parliament representing the electorate of Laverton; and City of Brimbank councillors Cr Daniel Kruk and Cr Victoria Borg.

Speeches were delivered by Sarah Connolly MP, Cr Victoria Borg, Honorary Consul Andrzej Soszyński, Krystyna Popczyk, Vice-President of the Polish Charitable Association in Sunshine, and Dr Sylwia Gręda-Bogusz OAM, President of 'PolCare'.

Bożena Iwanowski OAM, Director of PolCare, and Elżbieta Dziedzic, President of the PCCV, assisted by competition coordinator Lidia Witko, presented awards to the winners and commendation recipients of the 28th Polish Seniors’ Poetry Competition.

This year’s competition was won by Jadwiga Wawrzyńczak for her poems Świecie Nasz and Akt własności. Ewa Kierzkowska took second place for Stare fotografie and UFO, while Kazimiera Zebracki came third with her poem Maki. The judging panel also awarded three commendations: to Maria Zboińska for GSS Rowville, Barbara Rybarczyk for Kot, and Janina Styczeń for Wiejska sielanka.

Those attending the gathering had the opportunity to listen to Świecie Nasz, performed by its author, Jadwiga Wawrzyńczak.

The artistic programme featured performances by several groups: GSS Ardeer (Polskie Dziewczyny, Walercia and Głowisia), GSS Doncaster (Jola Kowalski and the Wspomnienia group), and CCBR Highett 1 (Przez życie z modą i piosenką). Also taking the stage were Marek Szulikowski from the Albion Seniors’ Club and Grażyna Krajewski from CCBR Highett 1, accompanied on the piano by Tomasz Bartczak.

A particularly special moment was the recognition of Grażyna Krajewska for her 45 years of artistic work. A commemorative statuette was presented by representatives of the PCCV and PolCare: Dr Sylwia Gręda-Bogusz OAM, Elżbieta Dziedzic and Bożena Iwanowski OAM.

Before lunch, a prayer was led by Fr Tomasz Nowak SChr, chaplain to the Polish community in Ardeer, Geelong and St Albans. During lunch, guests enjoyed accordion music performed by Ryszard Stacewicz of the Srebrne Echo ensemble. Sr Elżbieta Cieślarczyk MChR led the communal celebration, creating a warm and convivial atmosphere.

The event concluded with a raffle, giving participants the chance to win a range of prizes.

Text by Justyna Tarnowska
Photos by Jacek Laskowski
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