History of Polish Community in Brantford

This was already a sizeable community. It warranted in 1905 the existence of a little grocery store on Sydenham Street, just a few doors from Pearl Street. The proud owner of that store was a Mr. Korbut.

And so it was in Brantford. Through the efforts of the Rev. E.M. Brady, vicar at St. Basil's church of Brantford, the services of the Rev. L.M. Dogorski, a Polish priest from Pennsylvania, U.S.A., were obtained for the Polish community in 1916. He took up his residence at the church of St. Basil's, using the old chapel, and later the old parish hall, for his services.

The membership of the Polish Mutual Benefit and Friendly Society increased steadily and in October, 1927 a Young People's Group was added to the organization. A Polish language school was established and, with other social activities, was conducted in rented halls through the city.

In the meantime, in October, 1931, The Polish Mutual Benefit and Friendly Society purchased property at 152 and 154 Pearl Street for future development as a Polish Hall. The existing building at 154 Pearl Street became the temporary location for the meetings of the Society and its Polish school. In May, 1932, a Provincial charter as a Mutual Benefit Society was obtained with the valuable assistance of Mr. W. Ross Macdonald, popular local lawyer and future M.P. and Senator. Seventy-five members qualified for the available sick and death benefit insurance. This number, of course, did not include the other social members, as well as the Young Peoples Group.

On November 25, 1934, the new Polish Hall was officially opened by the Polish Consul General, Dr. Adamkiewicz, who came from Ottawa for the occasion. The building was blessed by a priest from St. Basil's church in the presence of its president, Michael Gielarowski, the Polish Vice-consul J. Pawlica of Winnipeg, the Rev. Dr. T. Tarasiuk of Hamilton, and some 350 members of the Polish community. The opening ceremonies featured a parade to the cenotaph, where eight veterans in Polish cavalry uniforms joined with police officers under Chief Stanley as a guard of honour, while the Consul General placed a wreath. The banquet that evening was attended by many local dignitaries and out-of-town guests, as well as several hundred members of the local Polish community.

Due to the zeal of its members, the Society grew steadily, despite the difficult economic conditions of the mid-thirties. Key events held at that time in the new Polish  Hall included a memorial service following the death of Poland's popular Marshal Joseph Pilsudski in 1935, and the burning of the mortgage in March, 1937.

Besides regular gifts from the Society to members of the Armed Forces, various campaigns between 1939 and 1946 provided funds in excess of $25,000 to such needy groups as the Polish Army, prisoners of war, the Red Cross, the victims of the Battle of Britain, as well as the Greek and Chinese refugees. Following the war another $5,000 was sent to aid the needy in Poland.

In the Fifties and the sixties, the Polish Mutual Benefit and Friendly Society continued to take an active part in the local support of Polish culture and traditions. Scholarship funds were set aside for the education of the sons and daughters of its members. In 1958 the members decided to enlarge and modernize their hall at a cost of $65,000 and the project was completed in October, 1960. On the occasion of the burning of the mortgage in October, 1964, a donation of $1500 was pledged to the Community Civic Arena Fund. In 1966 active support was given to the committee responsible for the commemoration of Poland's Millennium of Christianity and similar enthusiasm during Canadian Centennial Year. The Polish Mutual Benefit and Friendly Society was truly shown itself to be a responsible element in the Polish community of Brantford. Mr. Philip Kolodziejak was the President of the Society.