Krystyna Skwarko worked as a teacher her entire life. But the happy family life she shared with her husband Stanisław, a district judge, and their two children, Staś and Krysia, was torn apart by the war. First off all came the Soviets, who arrested her husband, shipping him off to a labour camp; the rest of the family they later deported to Siberia (to Krasnoyarsk). From 1942, she directed Polish educational institutions—firstly in Isfahan, Iran, later in Pahiatua, New Zealand. Although her descendants forever remained in “Kiwi country,” the family’s former home in Sokółka stands as a constant reminder, preserving their memory.
A radio feature by Dominika Dębska from the Polish Radio Białystok Documentary and Reportage Studio relates the story of the fate of this Sokółka family which—although residing on the other side of the planet— carries Poland constantly in its heart. The radio premiere was broadcast on 14 September 2025 at 18:05 on the swiatsybiru.pl portal and on the airwaves of Polish Radio Białystok.
Materials for the feature report were gathered, from among other sources, during two expeditions to New Zealand made by Sybir Memorial Museum staff, organised by the Widok Cultural Education Association as part of projects of the Polish Institute of Cultural Heritage Abroad (Polonika), and co-funded by the city of Białystok.
The reportage ‘Letters from a Lost Paradise’ won first prize in the traditional media category in the 20th edition of the Senate Marshal’s Award Competition for Polish and Polish diaspora journalists in 2025.