For the foundation stone laying ceremony it is  decided to invite Lutheran and Catholic ministers of all Latvian churches, both choirs, leaders of Latvian organisations. The guests of honor will be Federal and State MPs from the local area, Mayors of Burwood and Strathfield, Bank branch managers, District building inspectors and former chairmen of the House Council.

Laivins reads the text of the Act, which will be rewritten in English and Latvian and placed i

a copper pipe made by J. Puisens. Latvian soil will be placed in the pipe, money of the Free State of Latvia, a copy of the Newspaper Australian Latvian. The pipe will be placed under a layer of the grass. As a memento, LNP bricks will be sold (meant to be small, symbolically specially made for this occasion).

The foundation stone of the main hall of the Sydney Latvian House (SLN) was consecrated on June 28, 1959, in the presence of around 400 participants. Guides and Scouts stood by the foundation stone, holding Latvian and Australian flags. The SLB mixed choir led by Voldemars Rullis sang “God, save the Queen”. Then the President of SLB, Martins Silins, addressed the audience and addressed the NSW Member of Parliament B. Doig, Burwood City Elder deputy A.R. Edcock and the Head of the NSW Bank’s Ashfield branch, F. Hear and his wife. The Chair of the SLN Council, P. Laivins, read the act, which will be placed in the foundations of the hall.

One thousand nine hundred and fifty-nine years after the birth of Christ, on the twenty-ninth of June, when Her Royal Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second ruled over the Kingdom of Great Britain, when the special powers of the Free State of Latvia occupied by the Bolesheviks and the envoy accredited to Her Royal Majesty Kārlis Zariņš, when the Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia was R.G. Menzies, when J.J. Cahill was the Prime Minister in New South Wales, when R.J. Heffron was the Minister of Education in his Cabinet, when L.A. Kelly was the Chief Secretary, when H.F. Jensen was the Elder of the city of Sydney, when W. McMahon represented Burwood County in the Federal Parliament and in the State Parliament, B. Doig, when A. A. Harris was the Head of the town of Burwood, when S. N. Hedges was the Head of the town of Strathfield, when the Ashfield branch of the Bank of New South Wales was headed by F. Hear, when the construction affairs in the town were handled by C.F. Dobbin, when the Sydney Ev. The Lutheran congregation was served by Minister Janis Krauklis, when the Latvian Ev. Lutheran Unity Church was served by Minister P. Laivins, when the Peac Church was served by Minister J. Pilmanis, when the Sydney Latvian Catholic church was served by Priest S. Gaidelis, when the Chairman of the Latvian Association in Australia was A. Dukats, when L.A.A. Head of Cultural Foundation was Kārlis Nicis, when the Chairman of the Council of the Latvian House of Sydney was P. Laivins, when the Chairman of the Board of the Latvian Association of Sydney was Martins Silins, when the Head of the Sydney branch of the Daugava Vanag was J. Masulāns, when the head of the Sydney branch of the Latvian Officers’ Association and the Head of the Kalpaks Battalion Society was A. Kripens, when the Senior of the Latvian Student Fraternity Group in Sydney was P. Pakalns, when the Senior of the Student Sorority Group was A. Medne, when the Chairman of the Latvian Student Union of Sydney was G. Bogdanovics, when the Latvian Press Association was represented by A Zarins in Sydney, when I. Sveilis was the Chairman of the board of the Latvian Latvian Theater of Sydney, the SLB mixed choir was led by Vold. Rullis, when the Sydney Latvian Men’s Choir was led by J. Puisens, when A. Bruzgulis was the Head of the Sydney branch of the Latvian Catholic Society, when P. Upenieks was the Chairman of the Youth Education Council and Head of Latvian Cubs, when the Sydney Latvian Youth Group was led by I. Seibelis, when the Sydney Latvian Catholic group was led by J. Svilans, when the Latvian scouts in Sydney were led by J. Liepins and A. Bormane, when the SLB secondary school was led by L. Felsberga-Berzina, when SLB Saturday schools were led by: E. Siliņa in Bankstovn and Strathfield A. Gutmane, when the annual Australian Latvian Culture Days were held in Sydney and these were led by Ed. Smugajs, when J. Katuzans was the Manager of NSW Latviešu Sport and Individual sports groups were led by: “Auseklis” J. Riņgis, “Daugava” E. Sukis, “Olimpija” K. Arglis, “Spars” K. Tiliks, “Vairogs” J Samulis and DV Shooting Section J. Auzins, for the glory of God, thanks to the Australian Government, which gave us shelter, we who lost our homeland, for the glory of our motherland Latvia, for the care, increase and formation of her century-old cultural values, we lay this foundation stone SYDNEY LATVIAN  HOUSE 32/34 Parnell Street, Strathfield, N.S.W., in Australia, built with funds donated by Latvians living in New South Wales, as a project created by R. Zusters and the construction work of which was managed by Indulis Nicis.

After signing, the document was placed in a capsule prepared by Janis Puisens, along with the history of the Latvian House written by Aleksandrs Zarins, the last issue of the newspaper The Australian Latvian, the last two issues of SLB newsletter, the Australian morning newspaper of that day and a brochure about the famous Latvian swimmers Ilze and Janis Kondrads. An small arc with soil from Latvia was wrapped in the Latvian flag to be attached to the document, Latvian silver money was also included in the capsule.

“This House was built by our faith in the future of the Latvian people. May it remain strong and hard like this stone, then we will always be able to raise our eyes with joy to this building when it is ready and we will be able to cultivate our culture in it”. Martins Silins

The author of the building plan of the house was Reinis Zusters, the construction manager Indulis Nicis. The celebration concluded with the Latvian national anthem.

Sidnejas Latviešu nama atklāšana skaņas ieraksts

Dejotāji Austrālijas Latviešu kultūras dienās pie SLN