Nina Tomaszyk is the granddaughter of Krystyna Skwarko, who was deported with her family from Sokółka near Białystok. Krystyna was a pre-war teacher, who after the conclusion of the the Sikorski-Mayski Agreement (1941) organized help for Polish orphans – first in Iran, and from the autumn of 1944 in Pahiatua, New Zealand. Today Nina heads the Auckland Polish Association. Also about the fate of Nina Tomaszyk’s family read here: https://swiatsybiru.pl/en/kristina-tomaszyk/

The interview was conducted as part of the project “Bolesław Augustis and Sybiracy in New Zealand. Query and digitisation of selected archives’ was co-financed by the National Institute of Polish Cultural Heritage Abroad ‘Polonica’ and the budget of the City of Białystok.

The project lasted from 1 June to 16 November 2023. It was implemented by the Widok Cultural Education Association, in partnership with the Sybir Memorial Museum and Polish organisations in New Zealand.