Tom Raudonikis was the son of immigrant parents who arrived in Australia by boat in 1950. His father, Vladas Raudonikis, was from Lithuania and his mother, Margrit Kunz, was born in Switzerland. The new arrivals came to Australia with high hopes but with little more than a battered suitcase containing their belongings.
Margrit Raudonikis was pregnant when she arrived in Australia and soon after, her son Thomas was born at the Bathurst Migrant Camp. The family was soon relocated to the Cowra Migrant Camp while Tom was still an infant.
The family resided at the Cowra migrant camp in the central west of NSW before the camp was closed in 1952. The camp housed about 3,000 migrants during its existence. The Raudonikis family remained at Cowra where they found housing and employment.
Young Tom was educated at the Cowra Convent Primary School where he first learned to play rugby league. After leaving school, Tom joined the Royal Australian Air Force and was posted to the Riverina town of Wagga Wagga.
It was here that his football talent was discovered. He soon found himself in Sydney playing for Wests and then going on to achieve the highest honours in the game.
Throughout his life he touched many people and was universally loved. He could be a larrikin, humorous and politically incorrect at times. However his work ethic, loyalty and honesty with his views and opinions could never be questioned.
In an interview with his former coach and journalist Roy Masters, the following quote was recorded which sums up the way he lived his life.
