was born in the winter of 1942 (one of twins) in the village of Krakių, Mosėdis Valsčius, Kretinga County (now Skuodas District). Parents: Pranas and Eugenija (Zūbaitė) Šimkai.
He spent his childhood in Oldenburg and other refugee camps in Germany. In 1949 he came to Australia with his parents and older brother Algirdas. After a few months in the migrant camp at Bonegilla, the Australian government assigned Pranas Šimkus to work in a sawmill at Peechelba East. In 1952, the Šimkus family moved to Geelong (Victoria) where a Lithuanian colony was being established. Lidija graduated from primary school, grammar school and tertiary education at the Gordon Institute of Technology, 1959 - 1961. After a year of practice, she qualified as a dietician at Perth Hospital in Western Australia in 1962 and as a nutritionist in 1963. After working for a year, she moved to Adelaide, South Australia. Lydia established the dietetic departments at the Royal Adelaide Hospital and later the Repatriation General Hospital (RGH, Daw Park); Lydia Pocius is included in Dr Peter M, Last's OAM "A biography of Repatriation General Hospital (Daw Park) and a History of Repatriation General Services in South Australia". She has published articles on topics in her specialty. Continued his professional work with minor interruptions (1964-2001). Worked not only in the hospital's general and outpatient clinics but also in specialty clinics, diabetes, psychiatry, hospice, AIDS and other departments; supervised students and lectured.
Lidija married Romualdas Pociaus in 1966. She has a son Linas, a daughter Daniela and three grandchildren, Aida and Ginta Pocius, Mia Allegra Jarvis.
Lidija Šimkutė was attracted to the arts from a young age. She began to sing as a child, learning to play the piano
and danced ballet. Lidija was successful in sports - in 1978 she won a bronze medal in field tennis at the World Lithuanian Sports Festival in Chicago (USA). She played basketball for many years (she was captain) at the sports club, "Vytis" in Geelong and for the Lithuanian Australian women's national team. She was invited to play for the Australian state basketball teams of Victoria and Western Australia. Withdrew due to studies.
1973-78m. Lidija studied Lithuanian language, history and folklore part-time at the Lithuanian Language Institute in Chicago. In 1977 and 1987 she attended Lithuanian language courses at Vilnius University.
She started writing in Lithuanian. He made his debut with the book "Metmenys 33" in 1977. Only later did he start writing in English. His debut in English, Aspect, Vol.5/4, 1982 (first published under the name Lydia Simkus).
Currently she works in both Lithuanian and English and translates her Lithuanian works into English and vice versa.