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In Memoriam
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17th December 2017
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| Gabrielius Žemkalnis - Landsbergis 1929.01.31 – 2017.12.10 |
An Australian Lithuanian Who Was a Leader in the Lithuanian Community Worldwide
Australian Lithuanians and the whole Lithuanian world community have been saddened by recent death in Melbourne of Gabrielius Žemkalnis – Landsbergis, an eminent Australian Lithuanian and a distinguished member of the Lithuanian community worldwide. The President of Lithuania, Dalia Grybauskaitė, has expressed her condolences on his passing.Gabrielius Žemkalnis has served in many posts, including as President of the World Lithuanian Community (WLC), for many years as of the representative of WLC in Lithuania and more recently in 2013-2014 as President of the Federal Executive of the Lithuanian Community in Australia. He has been involved with Australia’s SBS Lithuanian radio program, both as coordinator and as a presenter with eagerly awaited interesting reports from Lithuania. In 1998 he was awarded Lithuania’s Commander Cross of the Order of Gediminas for his efforts in unifying world Lithuanians and in 2009 Lithuania’s Millennium Star for his many years of service to Lithuania. His brother Vytautas Landsbergis was Lithuania’s de-facto President in the years immediately after the restoration of Lithuania’s independence in 1990. One of his grandfathers was the distinguished linguist Jonas Jablonskis, father of the standardised modern Lithuanian language. Gabrielius, we all remember your wonderful and uplifting words. Rest in peace! Further information: https://lt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabrielius_%C5%BDemkalnis-Landsbergis |