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The Serbian Community in Australia Arrival Before the Second World War, very few migrants from Serbia landed on AUSTRALIA's shores. It"s unlikely that the numbers of people of Serbian origin would have reached 100 at any census prior to Federation in 1901. Before 1939 there were small numbers of arrivals from regions such as Lika, Dalmatia and Montenegro. They settled in Western Australia and Broken Hill, in New South Wales. But since the Second World War, the story's been very different. Yugoslavia was occupied by the Axis powers and temporarily dismantled during World War II, causing large numbers of people to flee. Then, after the war, Serb numbers took off when the Australian government conferred preferred status on them, as it did with migrants from POLAND. Settlement The story of Serbian settlement in Australia is closely associated with the Serbian Orthodox faith. According to Cosmopolitan Sydney, written by Jock Collins and Antonia Castillo, the founder of the first parish was Archpriest S. Sekulic, who established a church in Sydney's northern suburbs in the late 1940s. The 1960s saw many new Serbian migrants arrive. It is estimated the Serbian population in Australia numbers more than 50,000 based on 1993 figures. There have been many more recent arrivals who are refugees from the war in the Balkans. By 2006 the number had risen to more than 95-thousand. It's estimated that today there are about 100-thousand Serbian speakers in Melbourne and Sydney and about 20-thousand in the rest of Australia. From small beginnings, the Serbian community is now well-serviced with a network of churches and monasteries, Serbian welfare, social services, health, immigration, language schools at all levels and other. Acceptance of the Serbs is perhaps most apparent in the fact they are among the few migrant groups admitted as members of AUSTRALIA's Returned Services League. From as far back as 1955, former Serbian soldiers have been taking part in ANZAC Day marches on April 25 around the country in memory of war dead. Community Contacts Federation of Ethnic Communities' Councils of Australia PO Box 344 Curtin, ACT 2605 Phone:02 6282 5755 Fax: 02 6282 5734 Serbian National Federation in Australia PO Box 121, Cabramatta NSW 2166 Tel. 02 9755 5861. Fax 2 9755 5863 Serbian National Defence Council 56-58 Bareena St., Canley Vale Phone 02 9728 6767 Serbian Orthodox Welfare Association of NSW Cnr. Railway Parade and McBurney Road., Cabramatta 2166 02 9727 9817 Serbian Community Association of Australia (Former Serbian Welfare Association of Victoria) 186 Foster St East Dandenong VIC 3175 PO BOX 7501 03 9701 7308 Montenegrin Cultural and Arts Society PO Box 123 Cabramatta NSW 2166 Special Events Calendar SBS Radio's Serbian Language Program present special coverage of the following events throughout the year. January 7 Serbian Orthodox Christmas January 14 Serbian New Year January 27 Saint Sava's Day. Serbia's patron saint April 11 Serbian Orthodox Easter (1999) April 25 Anzac Day - The Serbian Connection June 28 Commemoration of the Battle of Kosovo or Vidovdan September 21 Independence Day November 11 Remembrance Day Recommended Websites www.serbianunity.net Serbian Unity Congress www.glassrbije.org Glas Srbije, Medjunarodni radio Srbija |
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