A Strange Outcome - John Roy-Wojciechowski

John Roy-Wojciechowski (Jan) was five years old in 1940. Along with his mother, three sisters and two brothers, he was rounded up by the conquering Russians and sent by train to a camp in the Arctic. This was the fate of millions of Polish people that the Russians decided were 'unworthy'. Millions died on the journey and during the years they spent in labour camps, including little Jan's mother. But the children survived, miraculously, enduring the unbelievable cold, lack of food and hardship. This is the story of a barely known holocaust that brought young Jan to New Zealand, as one of the 'Pahiatua' children, in the 1940s; at its heart is the story of a family who refused to be crushed by the terrifying force of Stalinism. A Strange Outcome also gives a fascinating glimpse into the fledgling beginnings of big business in New Zealand and the influences that put Jan on the pathway to a happy and enormously successful life. John Roy-Wojciechowski became a well-known businessman, and he appears on the NBR rich list.