It is with great regret that we have received news of the death of Wladyslawa Polakiewicz

It is with great regret that we inform you that Władysława Polakiewicz, née Baginska, passed away on 25 November 2024 at the age of 93.
In February 1940, she was deported deep into the Soviet Union from her hometown of Przemyślany (today’s Ukraine). After amnesty, she reached Tanzania (then Tanganyika) via Iran, where she lived in camps in Morogoro, Kidugala and Tengeru. She then made her way to Australia, where she spent the rest of her life.
In 2011, she donated her most precious treasure – her Scout uniform from Africa – to the Centre’s archives. It can now be seen in the latest part of our exhibition.
The Archives of the Centre for the Documentation of Displacement, Expulsion and Resettlement contain an interview with Władysława Polakiewicz, conducted by the Centre’s director, Professor Hubert Chudzio, and Dr Anna Hejczyk on 19 September 2011 in Perth.