Obituary to Kazimierz Urbanik
At the Easter weekend Kazik died, our dear Husband, Dad and Grampa, so missed by all. He died at Batemans Bay Hospital after becoming progressively more frail in the previous few months, at the age of eighty five.
After living in Sydney for a decade Long Beach has been his home for the past 30 years, in a house which he built with his own hands. Living pioneer style he attempted a short-lived hobby farm. It was his real sea-change.
He was born in Poland, and as a teenager fled his war-torn country on a bicycle, travelling to France where, as a soldier, he helped fight the Nazis.
He chose England as his new home, married Jeanette, and had six children, who remember him single-handedly renovating each of our serial houses, installing coal-fired central heating, a radiator in each room. Some of them also remember the wonder of seeing the factories where he worked as an industrial chemist. We lived in Finchley, the setting for the fabulous Goon Show, a love for which he spread among us.
Seeing the opportunity of emigrating to Australia, he persuaded his family, who travelled with him on the Fairstar to the land of the vast blue sky, where his last child was born.
The great music of Mozart, Beethoven and others echoed through the house at great volume when he could focus on it and enjoy it. He read avidly; we had no need of any encyclopedia with Dad present.
By inviting his children to set up house on the acres at Long Beach, he ensured that he lived his last decades surrounded by his loving family.
Despite all the years away from there he still preferred Polish food — potatoes, cabbage, all sorts of sausage, pickles, apples. He was attached to Poland, and fortunately he was able to return several times where he could see his family there and tuck into that food.
Kazik was very active in the community, a member of many associations: Probus, Alliance Francaise, U3A, where he also conducted a course in musical appreciation, Amici d'Italia, Parkinson's Support Group, Bridge groups and Carpet Bowls Club, all of which he attended regularly. He led a rich and full life and there is a big space where he once was. He is at peace now, and will be missed and remembered by all the people who knew him.
Article in Bay Post, 16 April 2008, page 56
The article in the Bay Post has a few gratuitous changes, but Gonzalo certainly feels like a brother to me.
Thank you note in the Bay Post
My mother Jeanette also put this thank you notice into the 16 April 2008 edition of the Bay Post. It appears on page 63.
