Irena Jaworski

Irena Jaworski was elected President of the PAC Ladies’ Circles’ Central Board at the XV Ladies’ Circles’ Delegates’ General Assembly in 1969 for one term.

She was part of the Zakrzewski family, which in 1933 had moved from the Poznan area to Pinsko on Polesie, where her father worked as a civil servant.  After the attack of the Soviet Army on Poland, the entire family was expatriated to the depths of Russia in the Arkhangelsk region.

As a result of the agreement between Stalin and General W. Sikorski, Irena’s family travelled by freight train to Taszkient, where her oldest brother and sister entered the ranks of the forming Polish Army, while her parents and the remaining children went to Massindi, Uganda. There, Irena finished high school and was a scout.

After World War II, Irena’s family went to High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England, as part of the program to unite families. There, Irena Zakrzewska met Zbigniew Jaworski, a soldier of the “Karpaty” Third Riflemen Division, and married him. Together, they decided to immigrate to Canada.

In October 1951, they arrived in Toronto but moved to Galt (today’s Cambridge). Irena continued to live in Cambridge, Ontario until her passing on January 30, 2015.

Irena Jaworski joined the ranks of PAC Branch 27, after it was established on May 3, 1953. In 1957, PAC Branch 27’s Ladies’ Circle was formed by the initiative of Anastazja Kozlowska; Irena Jaworska filled many positions within the Circle, including that of President for many years.

In 1969, she was elected President of the Ladies’ Circles’ Central Board for one term. She was forced to resign from this position due to health and family reasons, but as she often underlined, the term brought her many unforgettable experiences, pleasant meetings, and many proofs of kindness from all of the organization’s members. She continued to be interested by the volunteer work of her successors and was a member of PAC Branch 6-27’s Ladies’ Circle in Cambridge.