Krzysztof Wojtkowski and Fr Wieslaw (Tony) Slowik SJ

Spending time fasting and in solitude is a tradition with a long history. Jesus spent 40 days and 40 nights in the desert preparing for his ministry. With the next season of Alone Australia airing this week, we joined season 2 winner Krzysztof Wojtkowski and Fr Wieslaw (Tony) Slowik SJ, a long-serving migrant chaplain to the Polish community in Victoria, at a barbecue on the weekend to talk about their new venture, POLOZ, their relationship spanning more than 30 years and what brought them together.

Fr Tony

I have known Krzysztof his whole life. I baptised him at Sacred Heart in Oakleigh in 1983. His family was one of the many Polish families I ministered to there as a chaplain to the Polish community. I arrived [in Australia] in October 1970, and Jurek, Krzysztof’s father, was already here. Two of us—Jesuits, theology students—were asked to help at a Polish summer youth camp at Polana in Healesville. There I met Jurek. He was involved in Harcerstwo, the Polish scouting movement here in Australia, and after my ordination I became its chaplain, so we kept in touch over the years in many different places through that.

As a child, Krzysztof would from time to time attend the Polish Mass at St Ignatius’ in Richmond with his family. His father was quite pleased to see his son involved in scouting too, so that is how I saw Krzysztof growing up—mostly at scout meetings. He was very polite, very calm, easy, but at the same time he didn’t speak much. He was sort of peaceful, helpful and open to others in a way that he doesn’t say much but sees everything. Spiritually, he listens a lot. He doesn’t speak much. A very gentle man.

Krzysztof doesn’t say much but sees everything. Spiritually, he listens a lot ... St Ignatius would love the way he deals with others: listening, not speaking too much, not putting himself in the front.

His soul is open to God in many ways, and God to him is not a judge but a creator and how you love and care. It’s what I like about him as well. St Ignatius would love the way he deals with others: listening, not speaking too much, not putting himself in the front.

For a while there he kind of disappeared in a way. I would notice him here and there. Whenever I saw him, it was ‘hi’ or czuwaj’ [a Polish scout greeting]. It was very occasional. I was more involved with his father through the Polish Community Council of Victoria (PCCV), where he was treasurer.

Over time, the focus of PCCV shifted from a community focus to more of a social services focus, leaving a gap when it came to connecting second and third generation Polish Australians with their culture, their history, their traditions. So we created POLOZ. It’s not so much for those involved in the Polish scouts and dance groups already. It’s for those who are not involved but would like to discover their roots.

We have 62,000 people claiming Polish ancestry in Victoria. Only about 10,000 speak Polish at home. Only about a third of the 50,000 or so who attend the Polish Festival at Federation Square each year are Polish. That means about half of those who claim Polish ancestry are not connected at all with their Polish heritage, with the Polish community.

Krzysztof’s father was involved with POLOZ in the beginning, inviting younger ones to help develop how we might do it. I said to him, ‘We are looking for a president. How about your Krzysztof? He could be helpful. He has a business. He is doing quite well. He has some time.’ That is how he became president.

We have been around for just over one year. We have incorporated, have a committee, a basic website, and Krzysztof and a few others are our ‘face’. Krzysztof started with little things, like a pierogi-making lesson in Glen Waverley. It was quite successful. The next event will be in the west. Today we have the barbecue.

We didn’t realise he had taken part [in Alone Australia] until he had won it. The committee of POLOZ said, ‘Bloody hell! He is our president!’

I am a person of great hope. I am very convinced that the Holy Spirit is really working in this world. Even if we see the Church without priests and in huge crises, this is a real sign of something new, something beautiful emerging very visibly, very slowly, but also very surely. I notice it in many areas. So I am full of hope that God’s love and the work of the Holy Spirit is with us and is very, very active. Through crisis comes growth.

My hope is that POLOZ will, slowly, be taken over by the second and third generation completely and I won’t be needed any more.

Krzysztof was very shy, and we didn’t realise he was trying to take part in Alone Australia. He didn’t talk about it. We didn’t realise he had taken part until he had won it. The committee of POLOZ said, ‘Bloody hell! He is our president!’ When he came back, we congratulated him and said, ‘We are proud of you.’

He was always very keen on challenge—always—especially Trzy Pióra [a traditional challenge in Polish scouting focusing on physical, mental and moral endurance]. Krzysztof was first in anything that required some sort of difficulty or challenge, organising others, also being a role-model for the younger ones.

I admire those guys [the contestants on Alone Australia], but I don’t watch much television. When I heard the news that it was Krzysztof who had won, I wasn’t surprised. I was proud of him, very much so. Of everyone I know from the scouting movement over the past 50 years, I would say he would be the one who could do it.

Krzysztof

I met Fr Tony when I was probably 10 or 11 years old, when I first joined scouts. He was the chaplain of Harcerstwo, and he would always come in and run the Masses for us because Catholicism is a very integral part of Polish scouts. At first, as a child, this man would seem a little bit unapproachable, but over time I warmed to him and we became better friends and started sharing stories, and that’s how our friendship developed.

Mostly our relationship evolved through scouts, and he has conducted weddings and things for some of my friends. It’s become a lot more friendly, more open. And it was that that got me into the whole POLOZ thing. I was invited along to a meeting. I sat down. Everyone was super friendly. They needed to fill the position, so I decided to put my hand up for it.

Fr Tony has done much for the Polish Community, been a great leader, yet I think he is quite humble. That’s what I admire most about him.

Some of the things Fr Tony and I have in common are that we are both Polish. We are both Catholic. We’ve both done scouts. I wasn’t a reality TV person when I first met him, so I think it’s completely natural that we would become friends over time. He has done much for the Polish Community, been a great leader, yet I think he is quite humble. That’s what I admire most about him.

My relationship with Fr Tony and the Polish community, scouts and being raised in the Catholic faith have very much influenced who I am. Because of the scouting, I’ve always had the affinity with the outdoors. I have so many Polish friends, so many Polish Catholic friends. For the longest time when I would go to Mass, it was to a Polish Mass rather than an English Mass. Being Polish, being Catholic, it has been a huge part of my life, including during the filming of season 2 of Alone Australia.

When you have faith, you are never alone. So I always have the power of prayer to help in the dark times. I didn’t have moments of doubt so much, just moments of difficulty. And if you ask, God will help.

You can’t grow if you are comfortable. You need to be comfortable in being uncomfortable in order to grow.

I said ‘yes’ to being a contestant on Alone Australia and to being a leader in POLOZ because you can’t grow if you are comfortable. You need to be comfortable in being uncomfortable in order to grow.

My hopes for POLOZ are that, ideally, I would love to link more people with their Polish ancestry and with people interested in Polish culture and bring them together. Because there are so many people that I speak to who have a language barrier, so they don’t know what’s happening, don’t feel comfortable going to a ‘Polish House’, and feel like they are the odd one out. So this way, they get together with like-minded people, do it in English, and grow their culture and learn about the culture.

I think hope is good, but faith is stronger.