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 Local councillor and Polish Honorary Consul Mike Oborski died last Sunday. George Matlock looks at his life and introduces an exclusive interview Mike gave Radio ORLA in November 2006 in which Mike speaks candidly about his life. This interview has never before been broadcast and was prepared in view of Mike's long-term poor health. The programme is at 7pm on Sunday February 18. Mike's wife Fran writes: "Mike has, as all his friends would have expected, planned his own funeral which will take place at St. Ambrose RC Church on Friday March 2nd at 12 noon followed by a Reception at the Polish Ex-Combatants Club in St George's Terrace and then by Internment at Kidderminster Cemetery.
"As far as Mike was concerned, in politics it was Kidderminster first, then Wyre Forest then the County!! The service will be a full Civic Requiem Mass led by the Charter Trustees and Charles Talbot, Town Clerk is co-ordinating everything. Both Mike and Fran hope that his many friends, from across the Religious and Political spectrum, will attend the service and that there will be plenty of what Mike always called "the real people" there as well as dignitaries." To read more about Mike, please READ MORE below.
Michael Maciek George Oborski, Born 18 August 1946 Glasgow died 11 February 2007 Priory Hospital Birmingham
Father; Czeslaw Maciek Oborski ( born in Warsaw,died 1996 Surrey) Mother Florence (Floss born London now living in Camberley Surrey).
Mike's Grandfather was a Colonel in the Polish Army and, at the outbreak of war in 1939 the family got Mike's father (then aged 15) out via Romania, he eventually ended up in Scotland with Polish Troops and completed his education there.Mike's Grandmother and aunt returned to Warsaw where they were involved with the Polish Underground. His Grandfather was captured and spent the war in Murnau POW Camp.
Mike spent part of his childhood in Kenya during the Mau Mau uprising where at the age of seven he was taught to use a pistol and slept with it under his pillow if his parents were out.
On the families return to UK he was educated at Northwood Hills Secondary School and St. Nicholas Grammar School, Middlesex before going to the then Worcester College of Education in 1965.
Mike and Fran met at Worcester and became engaged there.
Whilst a student Mike was a founder member of the Liberal Society and was the first student ever to stand for local election, standing as a Liberal in the St Clements Ward in the 1968 Worcester City Council Elections.
Mike and Fran were married at St Basil's Church Bassaleg, Gwent on 26-08-68 and both started their teaching careers at The Abraham Darby School, Telford in Sept 1968. They lived in Much Wenlock for the first three years of marriage, moving to their current home in Kidderminster in August 1971.
Mike was elected in 1973 to the "new" Hereford and Worcester County Council whilst Fran was elected at the same time to Wyre Forest District Council.
Early on Mike realised that his County Council career effectively put a clamp on his teaching career and having been appointed to a Head of Department post at Cherrywood School Birmingham in 1970 he sought no further career progression and eventually transferred, happily, to Birmingham Primary Permanent Supply Staff, taking early retirement, on an offer he said only a fool would reject.
 Mike had dual Polish-British Nationality and, in view of his Political Involvement it was not considered particularly safe for him to travel to Communist Poland. Once Martial Law was declared, Mike became Midlands Office Director of Solidarity with Solidarity and Chairman of Wyre Forest polish Solidarity Campaign. Following the fall of Communism in 1989 mike and fran were both awarded the Gold Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland. Mike was later to be Honoured with both the Officers and Knight's Crosses of the same order.
Mike and Fran visited Poland together for the first time in 1989 and were actually present when the final Communist government collapsed. That visit was the first of many and Mike's cousin Wojtek became his dearest friend, Mike becoming Godfather to Wojtek's younger son Michal.In 1996 Mike became Honorary Polish Consul for the West Midlands.
Mike is a past member of the Committee of the Federation of Poles in the UK and was the organiser of "Poland Comes Home" which was the UK co-ordinating committee which campaign for Poland's EU and Nato Membership.
He was the Organiser of Father Bernard's Children's Fund which raised thousands of pounds for a specialist facility for disabled children in Silesia.
Mike was the author of "Bigos and Chips"- the perils of an Anglo-Polish life.
At the time of his death Mike was actively workng on two new projects: Wyre Forest No Barriers whch he was establishing to praise those local businesses and organisations which made access "Barrier free" for all people with any form of disability and for the Kidderminster Polish Saturday School which is promoting Polish culture and language work with the new generation of young Polish Children who are here with their families. |
