Obituaries

In loving memory of Jerzy Nawrocki who sadly passed away on 2nd September 2022

Loved and loving husband of Maria (dec) Devoted father of Natalie, Penelope & Zygmunt Respected father-in-law to Jim, Pierre & Mary Adored grandfather to Katrina, Christina, Evalina, Jessie, Emily, Julian, Daniel & Matthew Re-united with Mum. Forever in our Hearts

Funeral Prayers for the Repose of the Soul of Jerzy Nawrocki, will be offered at St Augustine's Catholic Parish Church, 71 Somerville Road Yarraville on THURSDAY (September 8, 2022) at 11:30am Following the Service the cortage will proceed to Keilor Cemetery for the burial. Late Lunch afterwards at 23 Stanley Street, West Footscray.

Donations in lieu of Flowers in Memory of Jerzy to Fred Hollows Foundation. See below for link (copy & paste) https://www.hollows.org/au/donate-ab-1?mrasn=881218.1097618.9Ws1LxV7

Eurlogy...

Jerzy Nawrocki, otherwise known as George, Dad, Papou, Duddy & Jurek. Born in Lipno, Poland on 4th of August 1923, he was the eldest of 5 children. He had a stern upbringing, & being the eldest, his father insisted he start working at a young age. In 1939, he successfully passed an entrance exam to an Engineering school. Unfortunately, World War II broke out at the same time & so he never started. Struggling for basic supplies & food, he worked harder than ever, being the main driver for his father & uncle’s businesses. He then went on to live at his uncle’s farm where he worked repairing farming equipment & vehicles, with food & board as his only payment. In 1942 his Aunty & Mother arranged for Dad to move in with a German couple & help them with maintaining their Timber factory. They figured this was a safe place for him to be as he was rejected from the Army due to having “flat feet”. They loved having Dad there, especially after having lost their own son in the war. At the end of 1944, with the rumors of Russians invading Poland, the German couple had to leave Poland. Their only means of escaping, was to have Dad drive them across the border to Germany. He had to say a quick goodbye to his family & couldn’t let them know that he was leaving the country, that was the last time he would see his mother & siblings. He had a few of close calls during the war. The first when he had to drive German soldiers to their destination. On the way back he was stopped by Partisan soldiers pointing guns at him, forcing him to drive them to their hideout which was miles away. He didn’t think he was going to be able to leave, & thought they’d shoot him when they got there, but luckily, they were grateful for his help & let him go. Another time was when he worked as a mechanic in Germany, he was listening to English radio which was prohibited. His work mates quickly disbursed when a German Officer came in the garage to get his car fixed. Our dad didn’t know what was happening until he felt a gun pointed at his head. The Officer’s driver said, "don’t shoot him, we need someone to fix the car!” After Dad got the car going, the driver rushed the officer to leave. His work mates came back in after hiding all that time, & asked him what happened, he said “I think they forgot to shoot me!” Dad had so many more stories, how I wish I had the forethought of recording him, but they’re now instilled in our memories. 99 years of stories that we can share amongst ourselves. The war finally ended, & many looked at migrating to other countries to start a new life. He had a choice, Canada or Australia. Interestingly he based his decision on the weather. Dad hates the cold, so chose Melbourne, Australia… A Wise decision. Beginning the process in 1948, Dad arrived in Australia in late 1950. Initially living in an Immigration camp in Bonegilla, Victoria, he was given his first job working for the Victorian Railways in Newport. From there he went on to get trained as a Diesel mechanic & had spent all his working life in that profession. In 1961, living with mates in Footscray, he admired a woman that frequently walked pass his house… our Mum. He made a bet with his mates for 1000 pounds, that he would marry her. His friend, Gerhard who’s wife Marianna worked with Mum, organized a chaperoned meeting with Mum together with her friends Harry & Soula, they translated for Mum as she didn’t speak English. The wedding was organized & they were married on 23rd June, 1962. And, Yes, he won the bet. Exactly 11 months later, Natalie was born, a year after that, I came along & not really thinking of having any more children, 3 years went by & Zyg was born… Dad was over the moon finally a boy!! His family was complete. Dad devoted the rest of his life to his wife, his children & then his 8 Grandchildren, Katrina, Christina, Evalina, Jessie, Emily, Julian, Daniel & Matthew. He encouraged & supported us all with our studies, our sport & our careers. He was strict, but also kind. He taught us to help others, be honest & honourable in everything we do. He also encouraged us to fix things ourselves. He said no matter what you need to do around the house, or with our cars, always give it a go yourself before hiring someone to do it for you. You know what? He’s right! Dad did everything himself, rarely hired a tradie… he was our mechanic, our electrician, our plumber, our gardener, our handyman…. Our Superman! Dad made sure he took our mum (& us) to church every Sunday, although he never understood a word at the Greek church service, he always stood by mum’s side. Equally, mum made sure we went along to Polish Catholic mass at this church on special days for Dad. We were very lucky to have been able to celebrate Dad’s 99th Birthday last month where he made his first speech EVER! It was such a beautiful day, a day we will all never forget. We knew he wouldn’t live forever, sadly he passed away on Friday, 2nd of September, he was surrounded by family throughout the day & at approximately 8pm, with me on his right, Zyg on his left & Jessie holding his hand, he opened his eyes wide, glanced at me & took his last breath. Dad, we love you & miss you, but we know you’re at Peace now with Mum. Thank you so much for giving us life! Give Mum a huge hug & kiss for us!