Basilius Suosaari (born Vasili Tichanoff, 4 April 1861 - 4 July 1939) was a Finnish-Australian

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

and

farmer A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer m ...

. He was a Member of the

Parliament of Finland The Parliament of Finland ( ; ) is the unicameral and supreme legislature of Finland, founded on 9 May 1906. In accordance with the Constitution of Finland, sovereignty belongs to the people, and that power is vested in the Parliament. The ...

for the

Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties Fo ...

in 1907-1908 and 1909-1910. Suosaari was born to a poor peasant family in Karelia, next to the

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

n border. He was sold in a

child auction Child auction ( sv, Barnauktion, fi, Huutolaisuus) was a historical practice in Sweden and Finland during the 19th and early 20th centuries, in which orphan and poor children were boarded out in auctions. The name "auction" however does not refe ...

for 13 years and worked later as a carpenter and a miner. In 1911, Suosaari emigrated to Australia where he settled

Bli Bli, Queensland Bli Bli () is a rural town and locality in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Bli Bli had a population of 7,801 people. Geography A few kilometres inland from the Maroochydore urban area, Bli Bli rises above the wetlan ...

and ran a sugarcane farm. He was also active in a local

utopian socialist Utopian socialism is the term often used to describe the first current of modern socialism and socialist thought as exemplified by the work of Henri de Saint-Simon, Charles Fourier, Étienne Cabet, and Robert Owen. Utopian socialism is often de ...

community founded by the followers of

Matti Kurikka Matti Kurikka (January 24, 1863 Maloye Karlino, Tsarskoselsky Uyezd, Saint Petersburg Governorate, historical Ingria – October 4, 1915 Westerly, Rhode Island, United States) was a Finnish journalist, theosophist, and utopian socialist. Kuri ...

. Suosaari died in Bli Bli at the age of 78 in July 1939. He was buried to the

Nambour Nambour is a rural town and locality in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Nambour had a population of 11,187 people. Geography Nambour is north of the state capital, Brisbane. The town lies in the sub ...

Old Cemetery. Basilius Suosaari was married to Anna Brita Nupponen (1869-1958) with 11 children. Their son Axel Suosaari (1908-1934) was a talented swimmer who was the Australian Champion of 100 yards freestyle swimming in 1930-1931. The Finnish Olympic Committee asked him to compete in the 1928 Summer Olympics, but Suosaari refused as he wanted to swim for Australia.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Perttilä, Emil 1861 births 1939 deaths Social Democratic Party of Finland politicians Members of the Parliament of Finland (1907–08) Members of the Parliament of Finland (1909–10) Australian people of Finnish descent Emigrants from the Russian Empire Immigrants to Australia