Stefaniak spells out the case for Kosciuszko

By Chris Uhlmann

The Canberra Times

23 April 1995

Being asked to spell Mount Kosciusko is the stuff of schoolboy nightmares.

And it would appear spelling consonant-rich Polish names is not just a problem for school children because the bureaucrats who first gazetted the mountain's European title also got it wrong.

ACT Education Minister and person of Polish extraction, Bill Stefaniak, has joined the push to return the missing "z" from the spelling of Mount Kosciusko, named by Polish explorer Sir Paul Strzelecki in honour of the 18th Century Polish statesman and freedom fighter Tadeusz Kosciuszko.

"Apparently the 'z' was left out when the name was gazetted in 1840 and it's been missing ever since,", Mr Stefaniak said.

Not only do we spell it incorrectly, the usual Australian pronunciation is also wrong.

It should come out as Kosh-choosh-ko not Kos-e-osk-ko.

Mr Stefaniak has been enlisted to the cause by the Australian Society for the Correct Spelling and Pronunciation of Kosciuszko and he will be approaching the NSW Geographical Names Board to lobby for a change.