In Australia there is a 120 000-strong Polish community. Polish history` in Australia is amazingly rich and colourful and dates back to the early years of European settlement. Unfortunately, till now there has been little acknowledgment of their achievements. It is hoped that this book goes some way towards redressing that situation.

Marian Kaluski is a well-known Polish-Australian journalist and writer. He arrived in Australia in 1964, and since then he has contributed to both Polish and English-language newspapers and journals in Australia. In the years 1974-77 he was the editor of the Melbourne-based Polish Weekly. One of the founders, he has been since 1977 the chairman of the Polish-Australian Historical Society. He has written several books, published both in Polish and English, including Sir Paul E. Strzelecki: The Man who Climbed and Named Mt. Kosciusko (1981), The Poles in Maitland (1983), and John Paul II: The First Pole to Become Pope, which was published in Melbourne in 1979, and in the USA and Poland in 1980. He is a member of the Australian Journalists’ Association, the Fellowship of Australian Writers and the Royal Australian Historical Society. He was involved in efforts resulting in Australia Post issuing a stamp in September 1983, which commemorates the contribution of Paul E. Strzelecki to the exploration of Australia.