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Eric Lepionka and Halina Melgies recently celebrate their 52nd wedding anniversary.
They are two of the 733 Polish children who, 70 years ago, arrived in Wellington Harbour as New Zealand’s first official refugees.
While the majority were orphans, 13-month-old Halina, now 71, arrived with her mother, one of the 102 caregivers who joined the children.
Eric, a builder, and Halina met again at a dance at Wellington’s Empress Ballroom in 1960.
Eric said: “She asked if I was Polish and I said, ‘No, I’m Italian,’ because New Zealand girls loved Italian men.”
“Of course, I didn’t realise at the time she was Polish too.”
The couple married in 1962 at Our Lady of the Rosary church in Lower Hutt.
They have since been back to Poland three times, the first time in 2000.
Their daughter, Tereska Lepionka-Carroll, is chairwoman 70th reunion of the Pahiatua children, and director of the Celebrating Everything Polish festival, a project with the Museum of Wellington City & Sea.
The celebrations were held on 1 and 2 November.
Source
- Stuff.co.nz
- Image: Stuff.co.nz
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