FAMILY and friends often come into focus at Christmas, as we give thanks for connections and blessings over the past year and beyond.
It was with distant admiration that the name and person of Theresa Lauf (nee Drazek) came to mind as God’s Holy Spirit prompted a conversation which inevitably led to this telling of elements of her extraordinary three decades since we graduated from Mount Alvernia College, Kedron, in 1990.
“I’ve just come through what I think has been the busiest time of my life,” Theresa told The Catholic Leader, between appointments, days after her youngest daughter had completed high schooling and her eldest daughter graduated from university.
As Honorary Consul for the Republic of Poland in Queensland, Director of Equity for Queensland University of Technology (QUT), wife to dentist, Dr Christopher Lauf, and mother to Isabella, 20, and Gabriella, 17, Theresa’s commitment to service is no surprise, given the unequivocally diligent person she was three decades ago.
“I’ve always had a bit of a ‘social justice bent’,” she said.
“(As a lawyer) I worked in Law before being at QUT – first in Criminal Law and then Construction Law because everybody told me women can’t do that.
“Then I shifted into insurance litigation … (and) I worked in GST transition and all the Y2K parameters, when we thought the world was going to end.”
Having married Christopher in December 1995 at Our Lady of Victories, Bowen Hills, the Brisbane church holds great significance to the couple who met in the adjacent parish hall.
“Our Lady of Victories is very significant to me and the Polish community,” Theresa said.
“I was baptised there, as was my mother and my children. My parents were married there … (and) we’ve had several family funerals there.
“(Faith and the Church) are central to our lives – the beginning, the middle and the end.
“Having Mass in our language is most important.
“Poland is a very Catholic country and the bonds between religion and culture run deep and kept Poles going during times of great oppression.”
It was connection to community groups within the Polish community at Bowen Hills that buoyed Theresa’s faith and continues to inspire her family.
“I attended Polish Scouts for years, which meet there every Friday night, and we continue to be friends with the now-adults who bring their own children,” she said.
“My great-uncle and parents were Scout leaders, and my mother also played the church organ for many years as a child and adult.
“She remembers well the visit by the man who would become Pope John Paul II. He left a lasting impression on everyone he met.”
With a hope of raising their family within a rural postcode, the Laufs decided to move away from Brisbane, all the while upholding the city ties, with frequent visits.
“At the time I thought, ‘I’m not going to have kids and hand them over to nannies and day care’,” Theresa said. “I remember I had a conversation with Chris and said, ‘Why don’t we buy a country practice, and I will run the business?’ So, we did that.”
The community of Biloela, in Central Queensland, were the beneficiaries of a new dentist in town and the expanding Lauf family.
“We spent eight years out there (in Biloela) and it was lovely to be able to raise our family there,” Theresa said.
“I was on lots of committees like the Regional Arts Development Fund and Arts Council to help bring events out there so people had things to look forward to in the drought, as we had it then.
“The whole family really enjoyed living in Biloela, but we came back to Brisbane as Chris’ parents were getting on in age and his father was diagnosed with leukaemia.
“We’re still in contact with a lot of people from Biloela.”
It was in May 2019 that Theresa accepted the Honorary Consul role, a voluntary commitment that sees her represent the Polish Ambassador Michal Kolodziejski, and be in constant communication with Poles, locally, nationally and abroad.
It’s a commitment Theresa “couldn’t do without the support of family”, the quartet recently attending a November 11 Mass and traditional celebration at Our Lady of Victories to mark Polish Independence Day “when Poland came back onto the world map after 123 years”.
“(On November 11) we started with Mass … followed by performances at the Polish Club by Polish Scouts, one of the dance groups was ‘Obertas’,” she said.
“Polish school students (who are taught by the Missionary Sisters of Christ the King) recited poems too.”
Theresa spoke affectionately of the Polish Club in Milton and of her intrinsic drive to help others.
“I’m one of those people who volunteer for things,” she said.
“Worried relatives in Poland contact the embassy in Canberra, who then contact me and ask me to check in on them.
“It can be anything from domestic violence or an accident. All sorts of things go wrong. It’s always a privilege to represent the ambassador and to help.”
Asked how she manages a range of challenges, including COVID-19 realities of separation and loss in families, Theresa admitted to being emotionally “affected”, with faith in God her cornerstone.
“Prayer is fundamentally the core of who I am,” she said. “I’m very private about my personal beliefs but hope that people can see my faith in the way I live my life and the way I treat others.
“This job (Honorary Consul) doesn’t come with an instruction manual, but I am good under pressure and can deal with things ‘on the fly’ without much information.
“Fundamentally, I like people.”
Federation of Polish Organisations in Queensland media advisor Eliza Hess described Theresa as bringing the gifts of “charitable service, leadership, wise counsel, generosity, kindness and humility to her various roles”.
“Theresa is someone who displays Catholic values in action,” Ms Hess said.
“She is driven by a desire to be of service to others and make a positive impact in the world.”
Theresa’s father Stanislaw Drazek grew up near the German/Czech border and her mother Janina Drazek (nee Muzyk) was born in Brisbane to post-Second World War refugees “who came from Germany where they were in labour camps”.
“Dad’s parents returned from Germany, back to Poland post German labour camps and migrated to Australia under family reunification,” Theresa said.
“Dad and his parents came in 1965 when he was eighteen, around my daughter’s age.
“My parents didn’t have the (English) language and there weren’t support services for migrants like we have now.”
Both parents went on to receive teaching scholarships through the University of Queensland and now, in her role as director of equity, Theresa allocates scholarships to the marginalised.
“It’s nice that my actions now are for people who didn’t have opportunity or money to start off with,” she said.
“I’m giving scholarships to people like my parents and others.
“I go into schools and deliver a message of hope that you can make it to university or TAFE, especially people in disadvantaged families.
“We help them find pathways.
“I have also pushed help out to the regions as it wasn’t done before.
“That’s because I spent time in the country, as a child and adult.”
Asked how her parents felt about her voluntary and paid work, Theresa said they were “quietly proud” about the role that “builds connections”, with more than 100 staff under her supervision at QUT.
“The way I treat my staff and how they treat others is paramount to what we do,” Theresa said.
“The thing you walk past is the standard you set.”
Shereen Metry, who works as director of student services at QUT, said she had found an ally in faith in how Theresa “loves and serves everybody”.
“Theresa lives her life in leading by example,” Ms Metry said.
As Christmas approached, Theresa hoped to “make sure staff have time off” before booking her own.
The Laufs will host a traditional Polish 12-course meal at home on Christmas Eve, with family, including Theresa’s 95-year-old paternal grandmother, or “Babcia”, then attending Midnight Mass at Bowen Hills and enjoying singing Polish and English carols.
While three decades have passed, the local Polish community of Brisbane, and beyond, are evermore blessed by Theresa’s commitment, as is our rekindled friendship.
