Title and statement of responsibility area
Title proper
Stefan Balinski fonds
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- Textual record
- Graphic material
- Moving images
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Fonds
Repository
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Physical description
0.125 m of textual documents
1 folder of graphic materials (photocopies of photographs)
2 photographs
1 VHS tape
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Archival description area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Stefan Baliński was born on August 7, 1927, in Warsaw, Poland, to parents Feliks and Stanisława. When the Second World War broke out, he joined the underground army at the age of 14. In October of 1942, he joined the Polish Home Army and took part in the Warsaw Uprising for its 63 days, first fighting in the Old Town and then in Mokotów, in midtown Warsaw. Following the Uprising, he was a Prisoner of War, escaping from the PoW camp in April of 1945. From there, he was in a transit camp, eventually making his way to Italy, where he served in the Polish II Corps under General Wladyslaw Anders. In 1947, he returned to Warsaw to find his parents, only to find that his family home had been destroyed in the War.
After the War, he hoped to complete a law degree, but having participated in the Warsaw Uprising, encountered difficulties and political resistance under the Communist regime, and was unable to do so. His resistance to the Polish Communist government made it increasingly difficult for him to remain in Poland, and in the late 1960s, he obtained papers to leave the country and made his way to Denmark. From Denmark, he made his way to Canada in 1970, settling in Winnipeg.
In Winnipeg, Baliński launched and led the TV program Polish TV between 1973 and 1976, delivering news from Poland and reporting on local Polish community events in Winnipeg. Next, he became involved in radio, leading the Radio Polonia program hosted by the multi-lingual station CKJS 810 in Winnipeg. He remained at Radio Polonia for 25 years. In that time, he helped develop the Polish program, finding sponsors and supporters. Over the years, under Baliński’s leadership, the program grew in length from a half-hour show to a three-hour show. Radio Polonia delivered content catered to the Polish community in Winnipeg, relaying news, Polish music and cultural content, and information about events in the local Polish community. The program also presented interviews with community members and delivered special programs dedicated to children. Starting in 1987, under Baliński's initiative, Radio Polonia also began to transmit live auditions of Mass from Holy Ghost Church in Winnipeg. Baliński resigned from Radio Polonia in October 1999 following a stroke.
Baliński was a member of the Polish Combatants’ Association Branch #13 (Stowarzyszenie Polskich Kombatantów / SPK #13) and the Canadian Polish Congress, Manitoba Division (Kongres Polonii Kanadyjskiej Okręg Manitoba).
Baliński received a number of military honours for his service, including the Home Army Cross (Krzyż Armii Krajowej), the Warsaw Cross of the Uprising (Warszawski Krzyż Powstańczy), the Pro Memoria Medal, and the Gold Honour from the Polish Combatants’ Association (Stowarzyszenie Polskich Kombatantów Federacja Światowa Złoty Odznak Honorowy) in 1995. He also received an Apostolic Blessing from Pope John Paul II in 1989 for his community service.
Stefan Baliński died in Winnipeg on July 24, 2010.
Custodial history
The records were transferred to Ogniwo Polish Museum [ca. 2010].
Scope and content
The fonds consists of some personal records of Stefan Baliński, including a copy of his birth certificate and baptismal record; records relating to his military service and participation in the Warsaw Uprising; records relating to his receipt of various military medals and other awards and recognitions; some records relating to his work with Radio Polonia on CKJS 810 in Winnipeg; newspaper clippings and various ephemera collected by Stefan Baliński; some correspondence; and a few event programs for events hosted by the Winnipeg branch of the Polish Canadian Congress (Kongres Polonii Kanadyjskiej) from the 1970s. Finally, there is a number of photographs of Stefan Baliński dating back to his time in the Second World War; however, these are only rough copies of the originals, as the originals themselves were not included in the donation.
Notes area
Physical condition
Immediate source of acquisition
Arrangement
Triplicate copies of some of the copies of military records have been removed and destroyed.
Language of material
- English
- Polish
Script of material
Location of originals
Availability of other formats
Restrictions on access
There are no restrictions on access.
Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication
Users and researchers must abide by relevant copyright and privacy legislation.
Finding aids
A finding aid is available.
Uploaded finding aid
Associated materials
Accruals
No further accruals are expected.
General note
The following artefacts were separated from the archival records and placed with Ogniwo's artefact collections:
Emblem patch - SPK. Green maple leaf with Polish flag and SPK.
Emblem patch - Canadian Empire Service League British Legion (black, yellow, red, blue)
Emblem patch - CZAS 1974 - 60 lat tygodnika (red and white)
Emblem patch - Canadian Legion
Polish flag ribbon
Polish flag ribbon
Polish flag ribbon
Polish flag ribbon
Polish flag armband, marked “1944” with Powstanie Warszawskie symbol pinned to it.
Polish flag marked “61 rocznica wybuchu Powstania Warszawskiego.”
Cardboard support holding four medals - 1939-1945 Armia Krajowa, Powstanie Warszawskie 1944, Pro Memoria 8 Maja 2005, Polska Swemu Obrońcy.
Blue plastic box holding two Polish Eagle pins and a pendant marked “1939-1945 Armia Krajowa.”
Blue plastic box holding variety of pins and pendants (6 total.)
Yellow plastic box holding SPK cross on ribbon
Red box holding variety of pins and medals (four total).
Wooden plaque with metal face awarded to Stefan Balinski, Redaktor Naczelny Radio Polonia, from A. Grajewski, Prezes, Polskie Towarzystwo Gimnastyczne SOKOL Nr. 1 w Winnipeg, Nov. 20, 1999.
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Status
Final
Level of detail
Partial
Dates of creation, revision and deletion
The description was created in March 2018 and uploaded in March 2020.
Language of description
- English