Polish Orphans Celebrate 60 Years In New Zealand

PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
December 13, 2004

Polish orphans celebrate 60 years in New Zealand

Triangle Television is to screen a documentary made to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the arrival of 700 Polish children from war-torn Europe.

'Poles Apart', scheduled to screen on Friday, December 17 at 8.30pm, tells of the trials, tribulations and joys of the group of orphaned children who arrived in New Zealand in November 1944 in the company of 200 staff and caregivers.

Their first home was a special children's camp set up at Pahiatua where they were to have lived until they returned to their homeland after the war. When World War II eventually ended, however, they had no homes to return to and the New Zealand government agreed that they should stay.

Today, many of these individuals who suffered so much personal loss as children are grandparents themselves. They are survivors who have dispersed throughout the country, though most have remained in the North Island.

Poles Apart tells the story of the orphans as they have grown through adolescence to adulthood. It highlights the valuable cultural and personal contributions they have made to New Zealand, the country which they adopted - and which adopted them.

The one-hour programme is a community co-production by CTV and the Polish Association of Christchurch. It was shot on location in the lower North Island and Christchurch.

Triangle Television is Auckland's only regional, non-commercial television station and has operated as a public broadcaster to Greater Auckland since August 1, 1998. The channel screens a mix of regional-access television with international news and information programmes. It is non-profit making and operates with no funding from NZ on Air. Triangle broadcasts 24 hours daily from UHF channel 41 and, in Remuera and surrounding suburbs, from UHF channel 52.

ENDS

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