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The inaugural meeting of PAC Branch 43 took place on November 20, 1960, in the parish hall of Lady of Grace Catholic Church in Angus. The following representatives of the PAC Head Executive Board were present at this meeting: President S.F. Konopka, General Secretary S. Leszczynski, and Organizers W. Terlikowski and W. Woloszczak.
During this first meeting that took place in a very friendly atmosphere and that had a very constructive character, 12 residents of Barrie-Angus filled out membership declarations. The Branch’s first board was elected and consisted of the following individuals: Ludwik Stachura – President; Michal Lewko – Vice-president; Stanislaw Osko – Recording Secretary; Edward Wysoglad – Financial Secretary; Stanislaw Tobiasz – Treasurer; and Witold Zietara – Organizer.
After the official portion and the elections, a social meeting took place in the home of Lotte and Tadeusz Kokoszka, at which the calendar of coming events was determined, and included St. Nicolaus Day, “Gwiazdka,” and New Year’s Eve. During the next few years, Branch meetings were mainly held in private homes of its members or larger, rented rooms when picnics, patriotic events, historical recitations or theatrical productions were organized.
Every year, many new members joined the Alliance’s ranks. Members helped each other in various difficult life situations and offered charitable help to those in need. They funded many charitable causes with money they had collected.
They initiated new, interesting culturally-educational undertakings. In such a well-developing Alliance situation, the construction of the Branch’s own Alliance Hall was just a matter of time. In 1964, the Building Committee was established, consisted of Alojzy Isbrant, Stanislaw Tobiasz and Karol Baskiewicz, and began its fundraising work through interest-free loans, requests for help from other institutions, etc.
Of course, the Branch’s members and the Ladies’ Circle’s women helped by giving out loans and donations. The agreeable, professional, very effective and charitable work of the Alliance’s members was invaluable.
May 15, 1976, will always remain in the memories of everyone who attended the ceremonious opening of the Alliance Hall. Representatives of the PAC Head Executive Board, representatives of Barrie’s municipal government, representatives of many Polish organizations, and Branch 43’s members and their families attended the event.
After the singing of Polish and Canadian national anthems and religious songs, a priest from Barrie dedicated the Hall – the Polish Alliance Hall was given over to the Polish community, while PAC Branch 43 took over its ownership.
Owning their own Alliance Hall was a beautiful way to honour the many-year-old and unceasing work and effort of all of Branch 43’s and Ladies’ Circle’s members. Rented rooms and private homes were no longer needed. Ownership of the Hall opened the Branch to new kinds of organizational work.
The Polish school began its work. Polish language and history lessons were first taught by Karol Tobiasz and, later, by Karol Baskiewicz, who organized a Polish language school on Saturdays. A special committee oversaw this school and consisted of Adam Lewko, Tadeusz Kokoszka, and Maria Sienkiewicz.
Branch 43 and parents funded the school, with help from The Millennium and The W. Reymont Foundations in Toronto. The school existed for many years and was later taken over by the municipal board of education as part of the Heritage Language Program. PAC Branch 43 was very involved in wide-ranging cultural work, such as the organization of anniversary academia, picnics and fundraising parties.
The mayor of Barrie awarded the Branch with a medal for its very good community work and registered it in the Book of Honour. Branch 43’s members wonderfully hosted the PAC General Assembly in 1999. An important event in the Branch’s life was the establishment of its own Ladies’ Circle.
The women organized themselves very quickly and, within a year on November 26, 1961, created their own organization. From the first moments of its existence, the Ladies’ Circle supported and was very involved in the Branch’s work. No event could have been organized without the input of the Circle, whose help the Branch’s members could always count on. The women supported all charitable causes and, along with the Branch’s members, collected funds for the reconstruction of the Royal Castle in Warsaw, for the construction of the Katyn Martyrs’ Monument, for help for orphanages in Poland, and for the construction of the Pilgrim’s Hall in Rome. The list of organizations and institutions that have received financial aid is very long. The Ladies’ Circle’s presidents have been the following women: Jadwiga Malinowska, Zofia Stachura, Stanislawa Szyperska, Greta Zietara, and Danuta Jazwinska.
In 1995, a Youth Alliance was established by PAC Branch 43 and began organizing the annual Miss Polonia Barrie Pageant. Interestingly, Jola Kolasa was crowned the first Miss Polonia. Soccer tournaments that continue today, campfire gatherings, and other youthful forms of entertainment were very popular. Many kinds of artistic performances were organized by the youths for the Branch’s older members.
In the 1990’s, a large wave of new Polish immigrants arrived in the Barrie area. Most of these Poles joined PAC Branch 43 they comprise the majority of this organization. In 1997, the Alliance Hall’s room was modernized. A new stage was built to serve as a chapel for the conduction of Holy Mass during picnics, which are often organized there.
A new structure was erected near the entrance to the Hall and serves as a coatroom. The bathroom and kitchen facilities were modernized. All work was done by the Branch’s members free of charge; the building materials were purchased by members and individuals who gave donations for this purchase. As a result, PAC Barrie – Branch 43’s members continue the outstanding work of their predecessors, who were the founders of the Alliance organization in Simcoe county.
The following people have been presidents of PAC Barrie Branch 43:
