Australian International Research Institute

Mieczysław (Mietek) Zapaśnik
1916 - 2005

Born on the estate of Tyszkiewicz in the western part of the Imperial Russia. As a result of the 1917 October Revolution, his family was forced to resettle to Harbin in Manchuria. Upon the 1932 Japanese invasion, Mietek moved with his mother to Yokohama, then, to Tokyo where he started working at the Polish Embassy. It got closed after the Japanese 1941 attack on Pearl Harbour and the personnel with their families were evacuated to Mozambique in Africa. Mietek volunteered to join the Polish Army, having left for England where he completed his cadetship. Commandeered to the First Polish Army division under the command of General Stanisław Maczek, he was severely wounded during the 1944 invasion of Normandy. After being hospitalised in England, he migrated to Australia and was demobilised in Sydney as a Lieutenant. He was awarded with several military distinctions. From 1948 to 1960 he worked on his mother’s farm near Windsor. In 1960 Mietek moved to live in Sydney. Upon completion of the management & administration course, he took a job with the American firm, Parker until his retirement in 1981.

Mietek's war time distinctions

Brotherhood-in-Arms

Jeffrey Grey, author of the highly acclaimed book A Military History of Australia, Cambridge University Press, Port Melbourne, 2008, has noted on p 137, a participation of some forty Australians in the Communist, International Brigades in Spain in 1936. However, on describing the battle for Tobruk in 1941 on p 163, he made no reference to the Polish Self-Dependent Brigade of the Carpathian Riflemen under command of General Stanisław Kopański.

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Courtesy of Australian War Memorial

Click on a picture to enlarge

Brian John Downey Page
A.O. C.B.E. KM BA. LLB FAIM
1912 - 2008

(In the middle, on a wheelchair)

Brian's life was characterised by self-determination, decisiveness and responsibility. He studied Arts Law at Sydney University and, then, joined the law firm Freehill and Hollingdale & Co. Upon becoming its partner, he joined numerous prestigious clubs and expanded his professional profile. During the Second World War, he was assigned to the Administrative and Special Duties Division in New Guinea. Subsequently, sent to Washington to serve with the Australian Air Mission to Combined Chiefs of Staff. He was demobbed as a Squadron Leader in 1946. Back in Sydney, Brian started Freehill, Hollingdale and Page which exists until the present. He advanced the law firm by joining many of Australia's great corporations as chairman or director of their boards. Brian distinguished himself by becoming the leader in the evolution of a class of independent, properly qualified and well experienced company directors. As a legal practitioner he proved to become "a man ahead of his time" by encouraging women to join the profession. He became an original Sydney Knight of Malta and a member of the Third Order of St Francis. Retiring in 1988, Brian still radiated with an extraordinary zest for life, profound wisdom and delightful sense of humour. His basic goodness and decency was expressed in generosity in thought and deed.

Quest for the 1532 Spanish Armada Inca Gold

Gold and silver treasures were shipped to the Spanish Kingdom during three centuries. Initially gold objects from Inca temples were melted down and brought to Spain. Later the Spaniards modernised the mining industry andminted gold, silver and copper coins on site before shipping. The first leg was the Peru–Panama route, followed by a land transportation to the Caribbean Gulf and, then, entering another sea leg to Spain. Up to 25 per cent of all ships capsized, heavily loaded with valuables. Detailed documents are still in archives in Seville, Spain keeping record of all cargo, except for what was smuggled by sea captains. Notably, the smuggled goods were often as valuable as the official royal cargo.

North of Guayaquil, Ecuador on Santa Elena´s promontory, known as Mare Bravo (rough sea), has always been a dangerous obstacle for maritime navigation. Several wrecks are located on this coast strip. The ships sailed close to the coast in depths of only 15 meters with reefs and rocks. At the time ships were wrecked, some of the crew often could swim or otherwise rescue themselves bringing whatever valuables they could. If the whole crew drowned, mostly the wreckage was observed by the natives.

Diving conditions are there extremely difficult due to:
- The Pacific Ocean has depths of more than 4000 meters grounding up close to the coast and creating
enormous waves what makes scanning of the bottom from a ship very difficult.
- Strong forces of waves and currents on the sea floor swipe divers dangerously away, and make the poor
sight conditions near the sandy bottom.
- Sand covering the treasures by two meters where the keel is today.
- Scanning and rescue equipment must be developed and custom made.

Still, there are daring adventurers who would not hesitate to come across the globe, risking their fortune and lives with the aim to reach the mysterious sunken treasures.

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