The Initiative of the “Svetoch” Association – СВЕТОЧ

The Initiative of the “Svetoch” Association

Published 11 February 2025 • (1541 views)

The first International Literary and Art Competition named after N. A. Baikov—a Russian writer and naturalist who spent his final years in Brisbane, passing away in 1958—concluded in an unusual and heart-warming way. On Sunday, 2 February, contestants and supporters gathered for a friendly picnic in Macintosh Park on the Gold Coast.

Indeed, why hide away in the shade of a conference room when the summer weather is so magnificent? It is far more pleasant to congratulate the awardees, discuss current matters, and simply enjoy each other's company outdoors without any formality.

The closing of the competition became an opportunity for live communication—something increasingly scarce nowadays. Yet this communication also served a deeper purpose: to preserve our cultural heritage, to develop it, and perhaps to contribute something new of our own. This shared intention united everyone present. Among the guests, it was a pleasure to see not only local residents but also visitors from Brisbane: the public figure and columnist K. V. Drozdovsky, the long-standing head of the Slavic Festival V. I. Kosse, and writer Svetlana Kuchavo.

N. A. Baikov is one of the most significant writers of the Russian émigré community, though regrettably little-known to today’s generation. When the International Association for the Support and Development of Culture "Svetoch" announced the competition in February 2024, it knowingly took a risk. Public attention normally gravitates toward big names and anniversaries. Professional writers and artists are more often drawn by prize money than by free participation. Yet here, the competition bore the name of a half-forgotten emigrant writer, and no financial reward was offered. The aim, however, was to attract lovers of literature and art—and this decision proved successful.

We must acknowledge the support of Archpriest Gabriel Makarov, Dean of Queensland, and of the writer’s grandson, the publicist and researcher of Russian émigré history N. I. Dmitrovsky-Baikov, both of whom joined the organizing committee. Nikolai Ivanovich has spent many years studying his grandfather’s legacy. Through collaboration with him, the Pacific publishing house “Rubezh” (directed and edited by Vladimir Kolosov) released the first three volumes of N. A. Baikov’s six-volume collected works at the very beginning of 2025—an excellent addition to the organizers’ efforts.

The call for entries drew responses from adults and children alike—poets, prose writers, researchers, journalists, painters, and photographers. The geographic spread was impressive: from Cyprus to New Zealand, including Australia, Russia, and Ukraine.

The topics of the entries, submitted across twelve categories, were equally diverse: from the origins of the Cossacks to modern events; the 120-year anniversary of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–05; the history of gold mining in the Russian Far East; natural phenomena; geographical discoveries; lyric poetry; genre fiction; and historical documentary research.

Prose

First place went to St. Petersburg writer Lyudmila Lazebnaya, who submitted an excerpt from her historical novel The Batitskys. The Scorched Tree, recounting the forgotten heroism of Russian soldiers during the months-long defence of the Osovets Fortress in World War I—a fortress the Germans never succeeded in capturing.

Second place was unanimously awarded to Svetlana Kuchavo for a chapter from her book Australian Notes—Australia and Me, or Life Upside Down.

Third place went to Armenian playwright Musheg Mkhitaryan for his philosophical play Am I Dead? No, I Am Not!

A special diploma was awarded to Konstantin Drozdovsky, a senior member of Brisbane’s Russian community, for his artistic memoir cycle Postcards from the Past.

Poetry

The poetry category was topped by retired submarine officer V. A. Kartashev from Vladivostok, with a cycle of military-historical poems. For several years, he led the search-and-research diving unit “Iskra” of the Pacific Fleet, which discovered the sunken cruiser Rurik in the Korea Strait—the ship that fought an unequal battle against the Japanese squadron in August 1904. The legendary vessel, having lost steering control, held out for five hours before the crew scuttled it, raising the flag “I perish but do not surrender.” The Japanese fleet was astonished by the courage of the Russian sailors. A memorial to this feat is now planned in Vladivostok.
It is known that descendants of the Rurik, Gromoboi, and Rossiya crews live in Australia. The “Svetoch” Association invites them to come forward and share their family histories.

Second place in poetry went to Nikolai Menzhinsky from the village of Magdagachi (Amur Region) for his cycle The Amur Cossacks.

Third place was awarded to Zhanna Bezkorsaya from Dnipro, Ukraine.

A special diploma went to Elena Filatova of the Gold Coast—poet, composer, performer, painter, art photographer, and video artist.

Youth Entries

Children and teenagers delighted the judges with their compositions, essays, and artistic recitations. It is gratifying that our teachers nurture in them a sense of connection to great national history and culture. The jury awarded commemorative diplomas to:

– A. V. Belousova, deputy principal of “Romashka” School (Gold Coast);
– Teachers E. P. Ovsyannikova, L. V. Shish, Ya. N. Tereshkina, V. S. Golenkova (Vladivostok), and L. V. Makhan’kova (Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk);
– Director of the children’s studio “Svetoch” (Gold Coast) Svetlana Gordeeva;
– Parent-mentors Olga Draganova, Elena Filatova, and Svetlana Andreeva.

Just before New Year, Secondary School No. 14 in Vladivostok held a ceremony honoring its winners and laureates, who took home most awards in the youth categories of Prose, Poetry, and Documentary Writing. The main prize—three volumes of a rare gift edition of N. A. Baikov’s works—will enrich the school library.

Cossack Participation

A remarkable surprise was the involvement of representatives of the Don, Ural, Trans-Baikal, Terek, Amur, and Ussuri Cossack Hosts. They submitted poetry and historical research, some written in traditional Cossack dialects—hutor and balachka—in which Russia publishes the “National Cossack Library” series.

Recognition and Future Prospects

Talented individuals of many backgrounds received a unique opportunity to publicly showcase their abilities and have their work professionally evaluated. The list of winners and finalists is extensive and may be found on the association’s website (https://svetoch.pro/). More than a dozen participants from Brisbane and the Gold Coast were among them—half of them children—who excelled especially in the “Artistic Video Recitation” category. This demonstrates that the skills of our bilingual children here are fully comparable to those in Russia. Their work was evaluated by writers and artists from international professional unions.

A special diploma was awarded to Anna Belousova (Gold Coast) for her research on an innovative methodology: Creating Artistic Works in Several Languages Simultaneously as a Method of Forming Multicultural Identity, Global Thinking, and Strengthening Multicultural Connections in Bilingual Children.

All winners and finalists received commemorative diplomas. And the picnic guests enjoyed a special shared prize—a signature “Svetoch” cake.

Much discussion was devoted to the continuity of generations, led by the seasoned K. V. Drozdovsky—one of the few representatives of the older wave of Australian Russian writers who took part. Since the “first pancake did NOT turn out lumpy,” the organizers are hopeful that the project will draw more of our respected veterans in the future, especially the “Harbinites,” who have much wisdom and history to share.

The N. A. Baikov Competition will now become an annual event. In mid-March, the Organizing Committee will publish and circulate the guidelines for the new year. Several universities and schools, both Russian and international, as well as Russian-speaking writers and poets from various countries, have already expressed interest in participating—attracted by the opportunity to present their work on a non-commercial basis. Everyone is welcome!

The picnic-style award ceremony was a great success. It seems the organizers may have to make it a yearly tradition.

Alexander Semchenko, Gold Coast
Tatyana Zimich, Vladivostok