Simon Sutchkoff

Russian spelling Семен Сучков
Born 30.12.1880
Place Eremichi, Grodno, Belarus
Ethnic origin Russian / Belarusian
Religion Russian Orthodox
Father Maksim Suchkov (?)
Residence before arrival at Australia Worked in Russia in Education Dept as schoolmaster, in 1907 was sent to Siberia as political prisoner, 1912 escaped Siberia
Arrived at Australia from Russia
on 5.01.1912
per Nikko Maru
disembarked at Townsville
Residence before enlistment Townsville, Chillagoe, Sydney, Friezland (Kuridala), Edith Creek, Tasmania
Occupation 1914 labourer, 1916 farmer, 1922 farmer
Naturalisation 1915
Residence after the war Edith Creek, Tasmania
Died 26.08.1957, Launceston, Tasmania

Service #1

Service number 7339
Enlisted 20.10.1916
Place of enlistment Claremont, Tasmania
Unit 12th Battalion, 47th Battalion
Rank Private
Place Western Front, 1918
Casualties POW 1918
Final fate RTA 18.01.1919
Discharged 13.04.1919

Materials

Blog article

Russian

English

Publications

Елена Говор, Белорусские Анзаки, Białoruskie Zeszyty Historyczne, 2013, no. 40, c. 53-108.

Елена Говор, В поисках ранней русской диаспоры Австралии, Традиционная культура, 2018, т. 19, № 4, с. 44-56, ил.

Newspaper articles

S. Sutchkoff. The elect and the electors. An Ideal worth striving for. - Worker, Brisbane, 1 July 1915, p.16.

S. Sutchkoff. 'Mail facilities'. - World, Hobart, 27 March 1920, p. 6.

S. Sutchkoff. Farmers and government. (To the editor). - World, Hobart, 5 August 1922, p. 2.

S. Sutchkoff. Red tape strangles settlement. - World, Hobart, 4 December 1922, p. 2.

S. Sutchkoff. A word for the underdog. (To the editor). - Advocate, Burnie, Tas., 28 July 1923, p. 13.

S. Sutchkoff. Terra Incognita. The far North-West. Natural Centre for Beet Growing. - Advocate, Burnie, Tas., 7 Aug 1924, p. 6.

S. Sutchkoff. Migration and land settlement. - Advocate, Burnie, Tas., 22 Sept 1924, p. 8.

S. Sutchkoff. Railways and farming. (To the editor). - Examiner, Launceston, 26 Nov 1924, p. 2.

S. Sutchkoff. Our side of the street and the other one. - Advocate, Burnie, Tas., 29 Nov 1924, p. 11.

S. Sutchkoff. Circular Head timber toll. (To the editor). - Advocate, Burnie, Tas., 12 May 1925, p. 5.

S. Sutchkoff. Future of Tasmanian timber. The federal attitude. - Examiner, Launceston, Tas., 20 Jan 1927, p. 7.

S. Sutchkoff. Letters to the editor. Our timber and our forestry. - The Mercury, Hobart, Tas., 4 March 1927, p. 4.

S. Sutchkoff. Farmers and freight. (To the editor). - Examiner, Launceston, Tas., 19 Jan 1928, p. 2.

S. Sutchkoff. Our blundering railways. (To the editor). - Examiner, Launceston, Tas., 6 Feb 1928, p. 6.

S. Sutchkoff. Tobacco growing. - Circular Head Chronicle, Stanley, Tas., 25 July 1928, p. 1.

S. Sutchkoff. What is wrong with our industries? - Advocate, Burnie, Tas., 29 June 1929, p. 13.

S. Sutchkoff. Tasmania's Rip Van Winkle. - Advocate, Burnie, Tas., 17 May 1930, p. 14.

S. Sutchkoff. Butter factories and amalgamation. (To the editor). - Advocate, Burnie, Tas., 26 Sept 1930, p. 6.

S. Sutchkoff. The agricultural bureau. (To the editor). - Advocate, Burnie, Tas., 17 Dec 1930, p. 11.

Tobacco growing. Edith Creek District. Successful Experiments. - The Mercury, Hobart, Tas., 9 May 1936, p. 19.

Tobacco culture on coast. Promising experimental area at Smithton. - Advocate, Burnie, Tas., 23 Jan 1937, p. 4.

S. Sutchkoff. Area school in Circular Head. (To the editor). - Advocate, Burnie, Tas., 31 July 1937, p. 11.

S. Sutchkoff. To the editor. - Advocate, Burnie, Tas., 3 Aug 1937, p. 9.

S. Sutchkoff. Would abolish 'public opinion' column. (To the editor). - Advocate, Burnie, Tas., 26 Oct 1942, p. 2.

S. Sutchkoff. Meat rationing. (Public opinion). - Advocate, Burnie, Tas., 28 Jan 1944, p. 2.

S. Sutchkoff. Beef market. (Public opinion). - Advocate, Burnie, Tas., 18 Feb 1944, p. 3.

S. Sutchkoff. Polish settlement: A White Russian's views. (Public opinion). - Advocate, Burnie, Tas., 10 March 1945, p. 7.

S. Sutchkoff. Polish settlement. (Public opinion). - Advocate, Burnie, Tas., 24 March 1945, p. 7.

S. Sutchkoff. In self-defence and concerning freedom. (Public opinion). - Advocate, Burnie, Tas., 14 Apr 1945, p. 6.

S. Sutchkoff. Gumboot mystery. (Public opinion). - Advocate, Burnie, Tas., 17 Aug 1946, p. 4.

S. Sutchkoff. Rabbit disease. (Public opinion). - Advocate, Burnie, Tas., 1 Aug 1951, p. 4.

Round the town. By "Bungle". - Circular Head Chronicle, Stanley, Tas., 14 April 1954, p. 6.

From Russian Anzacs in Australian History:

Australian archival documents may often reveal more about some of these Russians and their involvement in the revolutionary movement than their descendants can. Thus, we learn about Simon Sutchkoff, for instance, that in Russia he 'held a position in the Education Department as school-master. In 1907 he was sent to Siberia as a political refugee [that is, as a prisoner], and in 1912 he got away from Siberia and came to Australia.' Later, in 1922, the Australian authorities required Sutchkoff to formally renounce his Russian nationality, which he did, bitterly adding this telling remark: 'What to the renouncement of my former nationality, I can say only that I have renounced it long time ago in spirit, and it will make no difficulty to renounce it in writing'.

[...] The political refugee Simon Sutchkoff, who had been taken prisoner in the German offensive of March 1918, took up land at Circular Head, on the far northwest coast of Tasmania. He settled on new land there at Edith Creek and, in any spare time he had from clearing and cultivating the land, Sutchkoff would try his hand at writing -- two of his manuscripts have survived, 'Spud Murphy' and 'The potato king'.

From Елена Говор, В поисках ранней русской диаспоры Австралии

Вот мы и подошли к вопросу об идентичности: что же произошло с Семеном, прожившим сорок лет в тасманийской сельской глуши, -- ассимиляция, аккультурация, интеграция? А может быть, это просто жизнь без заумных -аций, след на земле, который всё еще остается и через 60 лет после смерти Семена? Он не участвовал в жизни русской диаспоры Австралии, он не играл на балалайке, он не построил храм и не делал пожертвований на содержание священников, окормлявших общину, но он отнюдь не перестал от этого быть русским, да и храм, возведенный им, стоит -- среди проселочных дорог, одна из которых когда-то была известна как дорога Сучкова, под высокими эвкалиптами. И храм этот возведен в душах людей, которые благодаря их русскому соседу выросли без ксенофобии к чужакам, с пониманием того, что не все русские шпионы и «красные», что человека ценят по его поступкам, а не по этническому происхождению, причем всё это было достигнуто не через диаспорные институты, стремящиеся пропагандировать априорный положительный образ России, а через соседство с одним-единственным «хорошим» русским.

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