Basilius Suosaari
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]
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 |
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
- "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.