A special medal was presented to Mrs Zofia Turowicz, aged 89, Poland's former pilot officer, who has been living in Karachi since 1949, to acknowledge services rendered by her to Poland's victory in the World War II against the forces of fascism.
Polish Minister for Combatants conferred medal on her, which was presented at a ceremony by Poland Consul General Ireneusz Makles on Thursday at her home in Karachi as she is not feeling well.
Mrs Turowicz, born in 1916 at Warsaw is wife of Air Commodore Wladyslaw Turowicz, who made great contributions in establishing Pakistan Air Force adopted Pakistan as his home country.
After the World War II, Mr and Mrs Turowicz were reluctant to return to Poland ruled by communists. In 1948 Wladyslaw left job as test pilot at Farnborough in UK and joined Pakistan Air Force, along with 30 other Polish air force officers and technicians.
Mrs Zofia and her two little daughters joined Wladyslaw at Karachi in 1949, where a third daughter was born.
Between 1950 and 1954, Mrs Zofia taught gliding to Shaheed Air cadets in Karachi and Rawalpindi. Her Husband Air Commodore Turowicz loved Pakistan, had many friends and in 1961 both obtained Pakistani citizenship.
She also taught at Karachi American School. In 1991, the then President Lech Walesa awarded her Gold Service Medal of Republic of Poland.
In the past ten years, she had a series of strokes and is now physically frail, but is still fiercely independent. She keeps in touch with friends of all ages through e-mail and Internet.
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