Mother’s Day: a Family Affair at Mercy Place Mont Clare

A grandmother who was born in Poland and immigrated to Perth by herself when she was only 17 years old says she couldn’t be prouder of the family she is now the matriarch of at the grand age of 89 years old.

Mercy Place Mont Clare resident Krystyna Marzec was born in Poland on 2 February 1933 and was only seven years old when the Russians took her and her family away during World War II.

Along with her sister, who was only 15 years old at the time, she was then separated from her parents and put in an orphanage, never to see them again.

But the brave teenager made it to safety in Tanzania and then was given a choice of countries where she could settle. Out of Canada, England, Argentina and Australia, she chose to emigrate ‘down under’ to Australia.

“I arrived in Fremantle when I was just 17 years old and I couldn’t speak a word of English,” says the mother of two and grandmother of four.  “I was very frightened.”

“But I got a job working in a hotel kitchen and slowly started to pick up English. I worked really hard, and I can honestly say I’ve worked really hard all my life, I’ve only ever had one holiday.”

Krystyna went on to meet her Polish husband in Perth and they were married for 70 years before he died late last year, when he was 97 years old.

“We were always a very close family, I stayed at home to bring up my two children Richard and Mirek, and I loved looking after my four grandchildren too - they really kept me young at heart,” she says.

Krystyna is set to enjoy the company of her children and grandchildren later on this week, on Australia’s special day for mothers - Sunday 8 May.

Mercy Place Mont Clare General Manager, Amanda Page, says staff will be making sure that Krystyna  and all the mums at Mercy Place Mont Clare in Claremont are made to feel very special at the weekend.

“Mother’s Day is a wonderful opportunity for us to recognise the special bond between mums and their children, and also to appreciate the selfless dedication, love and care they have for their grandchildren and great-grandchildren,” she says.

Click here to find out more about Mercy Health