mike kusnik

JAROMIR (MIREK) KUSNIK.  (  MIKE  )

Jaromir Kusnik was awarded the ORDER OF AUSTRALIA MEDAL  in 1997 for his outstanding contribution to the Australian ceramic industry.

Mike has been an integral part of the local ceramic community since arriving in Perth, Western Australia in 1959, to be employed as Research and Development Chemist for Brisbane & Wunderlich Ceramic Factory, which became the Bristile industry.

Born the third child of the Kusnik Family, in the small town of Breclav in the Czech Republic, in April 1927, Mike recalls his mother saying “he came out screaming”.
Though he was named Jaromir, the family always called him Mirek, and it was not until he came to Australia where people found it hard to remember how to pronounce his name that he decided he would like to be called ‘Mike’.
With an older sister and brother he spent a happy childhood in Breclav, where his father worked as a tradesman.
Mike was a bright spark at school, always first with the answers- “I was just born like that”. However in such a small community, the teachers favoured the children of the ‘white collar’ sector and Mike was never awarded First Prize, much to his father’s disappointment! Trust in his innate ability and resilience was the lesson learned.
Following very good scholastic achievements, Mike studied for 4 years at The Institute of Chemistry in Brno, Czechoslovakia and graduated as an Industrial Chemist in 1947, going on to the Benes University, in the same town, for a 6 month period, to study ceramic raw materials their testing processes and chemical analysis and usage.
The thorough and expert Training for Industry Mike had received, prepared him,
as a young graduate, to help in the rebuilding of the ceramic industry devastated during World War 2.  It had been responsible for 20% of world ceramic production. Working  in Western Czechoslovakia, with the practice of setting up ceramic factories run from a chemistry base and establishing tests, Mike found that he was working long, hard hours with little guidance, but gained great satisfaction from successful testing and progress. A passion for all things ceramic was born.
In 1949 at the age of 22 Mike had made up his mind to escape to another country where he could talk to interesting and knowledgeable people, to see new ideas, read books and enjoy his free time as he wished. He “wanted to be free of a Communist-dominated Government which forced its political will on the people”. Courageously, he crossed into West Germany illegally and gave himself up to the Boarder Police and was sent to a displaced persons’ camp .
Here he was happy to “help out at meal times serving food to so many people, especially one of them called ‘Vilda‘, who was a rather skinny, middle-aged gentleman and looked pale and sick.” Mike worried about this man and gave him double rations, telling him to eat it all and put on some weight. 
Summer passed in the camp with little to do but play ball games and swim, so Mike became very fit and tanned. Always thinking of how to improve things and hearing from friends who had immigrated to Australia that this was “… the place to be…not just because of the beautiful girls and beaches”, Mike applied to the Australian Consul for a visa. On arriving in Munich for his interview (unaware of the ‘White Australia’ policy) Mike was puzzled at the tone of questions: “Czechs are fair skinned, are either of your parents Italian?… Do you have a relative who belongs to a non-European country?… why are you so dark?” The interview went on and Mike became more uncomfortable thinking that he must have said something that had spoilt his chances to immigrate. He finally told the interpreter “I have had enough, please tell him that my mother is white European and my father is a chimney sweep”, but the interpreter was concerned that the interview would be cancelled. Mike got angry and demanded… “tell him or I walk out now”. A silence followed the interpreters’ words, then the Immigration Officer suddenly jumped to his feet, laughing and said: “Visa granted and get that bastard out of here!”.
Soon he was leaving from Bremerhaven on the Fairsea, sailing for Melbourne in1950. cont page 2