Gerroa author David Kerr will join Nowra identity Peter Jirgens to launch Peter’s memoir, ‘Out of Latvia’ at Riga Central Library in Latvia on July 3.
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The release of the book last year has created an interest for a number of Shoalhaven cyclists to undertake a six-day cycling tour of Latvia.
Their visit will coincide with the Latvian Song and Dance Festival, which transforms Riga and the countryside into an amazing cultural celebration every five years.
A number of Australian Latvian choirs are travelling to join the festivities including The Melbourne Latvian Male Choir, who will perform at the book launch.
Sandra Birze, artistic director and conductor said.
“I wish to provide some insight into how I believe our music can reflect the sentiments in your book, about Peter’s inner strength, courage and determination, along with his longing to meet his family in Latvia,” artistic director and conductor Sandra Birze said.
David Kerr, the author said it was a privilege to have such a highly regarded choir perform at the launch.
“It is a meeting and celebration of Australian and Latvian cultures,” he said.
Peter Jirgens is well-known in the Shoalhaven.
As a younger man he made headlines as an extremely talented footballer and cricketer. He was also a long-serving engineer with Shoalhaven City Council.
Out of Latvia is Peter’s amazing story.
It is the story of two men, a generation apart, one growing up in the shadow of the other.
It is the story of Peter’s youth as the son of Arnold Jirgens, a Latvian immigrant, who struggled against discrimination and deceit to establish his family in Nowra.
It is also the story of how a migrant's son wrestled with belonging to two places - the land of his birth and the land of his ancestors.
He shares the stories his father told him of the hardship of life under Soviet rule, his escape from Europe after World War II and the early days of his new life as an immigrant in a land far from home.
Fiercely Latvian, Arnold Jirgens instilled in his son a love for a country and people he had never seen.
Arnold longed to return home, to see his homeland once more and find out if his remaining family had survived the war.
But returning as a Latvian could see him, and any son of his, incarcerated, drafted into the Soviet army or sent to Siberia.
Over the years, Arnold’s longing becomes Peter’s dream.
Though his father was prepared to wait until the Soviets no longer controlled his country, Peter was not.
Prejudice and risk-taking marked Peter’s early years, from which he developed an ability to live on the edge and make the most of every situation.
In 1980, against the wishes of his parents and the advice of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs, 27-year-old Peter entered Soviet communist-controlled territory.
His thirst for adventure almost costs him his life.
Peter also reflects on the early days of his life in Nowra; his engineering career with Shoalhaven Council and his love for cricket and rugby league.