Basilius Suosaari | |
|---|---|
 Basilius Suosaari in 1907 | |
| Member of the Finnish Parliament for Vyborg East | |
| In office 22 May 1907 – 31 July 1908 | |
| In office 1 June 1909 – 28 February 1910 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 4 April 1861 Impilahti, Grand Duchy of Finland |
| Died | 4 July 1939 (aged 78) Bli Bli, Queensland |
| Nationality | Finnish, Australian |
| Political party | Social Democratic |
Basilius Suosaari (born Vasili Tichanoff, 4 April 1861 - 4 July 1939) was a Finnish-Australian politician and farmer. He was a Member of the Parliament of Finland for the Social Democratic Party in 1907-1908 and 1909-1910.[1]
Suosaari was born to a poor peasant family in Karelia, next to the Russian border. He was sold in a child auction for 13 years and worked later as a carpenter and a miner.[1] In 1911, Suosaari emigrated to Australia where he settled Bli Bli, Queensland and ran a sugarcane farm. He was also active in a local utopian socialist community founded by the followers of Matti Kurikka.[2]
Suosaari died in Bli Bli at the age of 78 in July 1939. He was buried to the Nambour Old Cemetery.[3]
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.[4][5]
References
- ^ a b "Vasili Suosaari" (in Finnish). Parliament of Finland. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
- ^ Koivukangas, Olavi (2005). "Suomalaiset Australiassa" [The Finns in Australia] (in Finnish). Migration Institute of Finland. pp. 3–4. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
- ^ "Inscription 15638677 – Basilius Suosaari". Australian Cemeteries Index. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
- ^ Devlin, Ralph (1 January 2016). "Roaring '20s Heralds Start of Surf Club's Golden Era". The Courier Mail. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
- ^ "Backward Glance – Bli Bli, a Settlement on the Maroochy River, Part 2". Sunshine Coast Regional Council. 31 October 2018. Archived from the original on 26 October 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
This page was last edited on 27 September 2023, at 22:53