Early Polish settlers to NZ recorded

LEGACY: Victor Domanski, of Masterton, has written his first book A New Tomorrow - the story of a Polish-Kiwi family who arrived in New Zealand during the 1940s.PHOTO/FILE

Witold (Vic) Domanski and his wife were among the refugees who put down roots in New Zealand, after fleeing his home at just 9 years old.

His family was forced to flee their eastern Poland farm at the beginning of World War II and were sent to Soviet labour camps.

Five years later, after arriving in Iran, he and his two sisters, aged 16 and 18, were shipped to New Zealand.

When the group arrived, the children coped with the change in culture better than the adults, the 83-year-old said.

"When you're young everything is new and exciting."

Mr Domanski and his wife Anna, also a Polish refugee, have three children and six grandchildren.

He worked for insurance companies London Assurance and NZI and worked his way up the corporate ladder.

When Mr Domanski retired from insurance he and his wife bought a Wairarapa lifestyle block where he grew olive trees and kept bees.

"It was idyllic."

The couple are now retired in Masterton, and Mr Domanski has written a book about his life.

Mr Domanski's son Rob, a strategic account manager for Wellington currency management company ACM, said his parents felt because of the trauma of the war they felt they had lost "a big chunk" of their childhood.

"So I think the first generation immigrants, generally ... are so grateful they've got a shot at building a new life and making sure their kids could enjoy things that they might not necessarily have had.

"They were keen to succeed in life here and their kids had every opportunity to succeed as well."

- APNZ