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As early as 1960, the island had about 150 inhabitants. The island flourished then: many fish hung from hooks, not only sheep grew but also pigs and cows, so many children were born that the archipelago even had a midwife who came to receive babies. But gradually people left: some – to study, the second – to work, the third – to seek the other side.
Ten years ago, the population declined so much that the community on this island was in danger of extinction. The authorities decided to look for ways to attract new residents to the island. Unfortunately, nobody wanted to move to a place where there is a strong wind, where there is not only a cinema, but sometimes electricity. Lithuanian educator Vida, who was already living on the island at that time, offered to place an advertisement in one of the major Lithuanian newspapers with an offer to settle on the endangered island.
“It just came to my attention then. I found in a newspaper:” If you are sociable, communicative, love nature and have a large family, Siorbury Island invites you. “I called the specified phone number, the Lithuanian answered. We talked, and then later From the conversation I decided to try to send our family CV “, says Kornelijus Liutkus in the program” (No) emigrants “.
Life of the Liutka family in Norway
Until then, Cornelius, who worked in the radio, prepared a family CV: described, photographed and sent. Soon the family was invited to the first interview. Up to 400 Lithuanian families expressed their desire to move to a remote island, but Liutka smiled successfully. This search for the population was covered not only by the Lithuanian media but also by the Norwegian media a decade ago. Everyone was waiting to see who would be the brave who would eventually settle on the endangered island.
“There were journalists at every step. They spoke to us, they filmed us, it was strange to everyone how you would want to live here. Here, at the end of the world, the last point to hell,” says the Lithuanian family.
Renata Liutkienė / Stop shot
The life of children on the island is completely different from anywhere else in the world. While metropolitan children spend hours and hours in front of computers or walking with their heads glued to the phone, the island’s little residents grow up in the wild and probably breathe the cleanest air possible. After a longer stay on the island, you get dizzy from the purity of the air.
“Show me the criminal environment here, show me the cars. I let the boy go to school and I know he will come back. He may come back wet because it rains often, but he will come back. I don’t have to think about something happening to the boy. Very good environment of learning, attentive teachers. The school has seven students, three teachers, so each child has time to explain, each child receives attention, “says Liutka about the extraordinary learning process.
The Lute Family
The family is convinced that this is the best place for the children to grow up. The daughter dreams of graduating to go to study where there are more people and the son hopes to spend the rest of his life here. Cornelius likes to talk openly. He says that after being born and raised in Lithuania and then settling abroad, the question still arises of who I am and to whom do I really belong. And you won’t easily get away from that problem.
The last time the family visited Lithuania was in February this year, when COVID-19 had not yet reached Lithuania and Norway, when it seemed like it had flown once and would fly the next time whenever it wanted. Now the situation has changed. Thousands of Lithuanians around the world do not know when they will see their loved ones next time.
But Cornelius says he is an incorrigible optimist who is fine where he is now. He was happy both in Mažeikiai and in the village of Leckava, and now he is happy in a strange and harsh place that he calls his island.
The family will speak about the challenges of emigration on the island on the LRT television program “(No) Emigrantes” on Tuesday at 7.30pm.
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