Jerzy "George" B. Zubrzycki AO

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

MBE (Military) (12 January 192020 May 2009) was a

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...

-born

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

n sociologist, widely regarded as the "Father of Australian Multiculturalism". He was born in

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

. He escaped from Nazi rule in World War II, and joined the Free Polish forces in the United Kingdom. For his services there he was made a Member of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(Military Division) by the UK Government.James Jupp, "An advocate for multiculturalism"
''

Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper i ...

'', 26 May 2009. Retrieved 10 November 2017 In 1956 he was appointed to a post at the

Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies and ...

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

, where he remained for the rest of his life. He chaired the Australian Ethnic Affairs Council 1977–81, served on the council of the Institute of Multicultural Affairs 1980–86, and on the interim council of the

National Museum of Australia The National Museum of Australia, in the national capital Canberra, preserves and interprets Australia's social history, exploring the key issues, people and events that have shaped the nation. It was formally established by the ''National Muse ...

. He travelled widely with members of the Fraser Government to help explain their multiculturalism policies. He was a member of the

Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences The Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences ( la, Pontificia Academia Scientiarum Socialium, or PASS) is a pontifical academy established on 1 January 1994 by Pope John Paul II and is headquartered in the Casina Pio IV in Vatican City. It operate ...

, and he was also honoured by Poland and the United States. He died in Canberra on 20 May 2009, aged 89.

Honours

In 1967 Zubrzycki was elected Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia. For his work promoting multiculturalism in Australia, Zubrzycki was appointed a Commander of the

(CBE) in 1978, and an Officer of the

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

(AO) in 1984.It's an Honour: AO
Retrieved 10 November 2017

Bibliography

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Notes

External links

1920 births 2009 deaths Australian sociologists Australian Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Australian Members of the Order of the British Empire Officers of the Order of Australia Members of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences Polish emigrants to Australia Quadrant (magazine) people People associated with the magazine "Kultura" {{Australia-sociologist-stub