For Frank Smolen, Anzac Day holds a different kind of significance.
Mr Smolen, who will be 100 in October, is a survivor of Auschwitz, the German concentration camp which was the largest mass murder site in human history.
At 21 he joined the Polish resistance when Nazi Germany occupied his country. He spent three years at Auschwitz after the Gestapo discovered his allegiance to the resistance.
Following the war, Mr Smolen moved to Australia. He met his wife, Hedwig, on the boat trip over and the two shared a happy life in Footscray before she died in 2011.
Mr Smolen said he admires the way Australia commemorates those who have served the country in war.
“Australians do it well. No other country in the world recognises their returned soldiers and Diggers like that. They haven’t forgotten,” he said.
Today, Mr Smolen lives at aged care residence, St Bernadette’s in Sunshine. While Anzac Day commemorations aren’t something he’s taken part in previously, Mr Smolen was moved when he was asked to be part of St Bernadette’s service last year.
Mr Smolen’s daughter-in-law, Ina, said the occasion proved to be a cathartic experience.
“St Bernadette’s asked him to lay the wreath for their Anzac Day service because he was the oldest one in the centre,” she said. “He was so emotional. I really think that is the closest he’s ever come to somebody acknowledging what he’s been through.”
Ina said the family hopes to record Mr Smolen’s experiences during World War II to ensure that his memories and his important story isn’t lost.
“We have asked him why he did it. Why he was part of the underground?
“He said, ‘I did it for Poland. I did it for the love of my country.’ That’s exactly how we look at our Anzacs and what they have been through at Gallipoli. They just do it because it’s for their country,” she said.
