Visiting siblings and Polish Hill

I've spent the last week focusing on my living relatives in South Australia rather than my ancestors or those who have passed away. It's been a pleasure to be in their company and catch up on their news as we all get older. 

On the side, there's always room for a little genealogy and history. 

Last Saturday, one of my sisters and I went to the Polish Hill Church Museum, which is not far from Sevenhill. 

Yes, there is a connection along the way to one of those Polish Catholic families who had migrated to Australia from the 1850s on. The community became known as Polish Hill where a small church was erected and the families gathered. The small church and museum have been carefully restored by the Polish community in South Australia and an excellent exhibition has been curated therein.

A report in the Northern Argus in 1893 recalls:

 Some years ago the country known as the head of Hill River, which lies between Sevenhills and Mintaro, was chiefly occupied by Polish farmers. These men did herculean work, clearing their holdings of much of the heavy timber, and utilising the land by cereal culture. Owing to the uneven nature of the country it was not well adapted for profitable wheat growing, and one after another sold out and went to fresh fields 1.

Another wave of Polish settlers arrived in South Australia after World War II and thanks to the descendants of those and the descendants of the earlier settlers this small building has been restored and  maintained.

A very large, heavy wooden set of Rosary beads
hang on the pew at the front of the chapel.

The site of the village now houses the premises of Hill River Estate Winery.

1.  1893 'No title', Northern Argus (Clare, SA : 1869 - 1954), 22 December, p. 2. , viewed 22 Mar 2023, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article97323395

This post first appeared on earlieryears.blogspot.com by CRGalvin