Macedonian Australian

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Macedonian Australians Македонски Австралци Makedonski Avstralci
Total population
40,655 (by birth, 2006)[1] 83,978 (by ancestry, 2006)[2]
Regions with significant populations
Melbourne, Sydney, Wollongong, Newcastle, Perth
Languages
Predominantly Macedonian
Religions
Predominantly Macedonian Orthodox

Part of a series of articles on Macedonians (ethnic group) Culture Language · Literature · Art Music · Cinema · Folklore Costume · Cuisine · Symbols Religion Macedonian Orthodox Church Roman Catholicism Greek Catholicism Islam · Judaism Protestants · Baptists History National Awakening Ilinden Uprising National Liberation War National Liberation Front Republic of Macedonia By region or country Republic of Macedonia Greece · Albania · Bulgaria Serbia · Slovenia · Croatia Australia · Canada · USA Sweden · Romania Switzerland · Germany Subgroups Aegean Macedonians Torbeš Other Articles List of Macedonians Macedonism · Holidays v • d • e

Macedonian Australians are Australians of ethnic Macedonian descent.

Contents 1 Demography 2 History of ethnic Macedonians in Australia 2.1 Aegean Macedonians 3 Sports 4 Media and Newspapers 5 Language 6 Religion 7 Cultural Organizations 8 List of notable Macedonian Australians 8.1 Artists and media 8.2 Sports 8.3 Politics 8.4 Music 8.5 Media 8.6 Other 9 See also 10 References 11 External links

[edit] Demography

In the 2006 Census, 40,656 Australian residents are listed as having been born in the Republic of Macedonia.^[3]. In addition, 83,978 residents declared their ancestry as Macedonian, either alone or in combination with another ancestry^[4]. Macedonian language is spoken at home by 67,833 residents^[5]. In 2001 the Republic of Macedonia was the 26th most common birthplace in Australia.

Australian cities with the largest Macedonian-born communities are Melbourne (17,286, in particular the outer suburbs), Sydney (11,630, in particular in the Southern) and Wollongong (4,279 - about 1.6% of the Wollongong population).

The Macedonian language was the 10th most common language spoken in Australia besides English. In 2001 71,994 people spoke the Macedonian language at home.

In 2001, 81,898 people claimed Macedonian Ancestry, in 2006 this rose to 83,978 in 2006. Macedonian was the 21st most common Ancestry group. Of the total number who claimed Macedonian ancestry 39,244 or 47.9% were born in the Republic of Macedonia, 35,805 or 43.7% were born in Australia, 2,919 or 3.6% were born in Greece and roughly 5% were born elsewhere. ^[6]

Most Macedonian Australians are of the Orthodox Christian faith, although there is a small number of Muslims and Methodists. 36,749 Macedonian-born Australian residents declared they were Christian, and 2,161 stated they were Muslim. In 2001 there were a total of 53,249 adherants to the Macedonian Orthodox Church. 28,474 or 53.5% of these were born in the Republic of Macedonia, 21,324 or 40% were born in Australia, 1,340 or 2.5% were born in Greece and roughly 4% were born elswhere.^[7]

Major Macedonian Influences in New South Wales are most evident in the Rockdale and Port Kembla areas, in which Macedonian delis and burek shops can be found. Many Macedonians take part in culture and folklore-preserving groups.

Second Generation Macedonians are the most likely to own or to be purchasing a housing according to a ABS study. Of the Second Generation 83% of 25-34 year olds and 91% of 35-44 year olds were in the process of buying a house or already own one, compared to second generation New Zealanders - 53% and 65%, second generation Germans - 63% and 75%.^[8]

Apart from second generation Lebanese, second generation Macedonians were the least likely to co-habit with only 1% of females and 6.5% of males co-habiting (in a couple situation), compared to Germans - 24.2% and 27.3% respectively and Australians - 22% and 29% respectively.^[9]

Second Generation Macedonians also had divorce/separation/widow rates which were nearly half the national average at 20%. Macedonians (10%) were followed by Lebanese 11% and Chinese 11.5%^[10]

[edit] History of ethnic Macedonians in Australia

Macedonians have been arriving in Australia since the late 1880s^{[citation needed]} on Pečalba. Pečalbari (the man in the family) would go and work overseas to earn money then return home with the spoils. This restricted major settlement. The two major waves of early Macedonian migration according to Peter Hill^[11] were when, in 1924 ^[12] America implemented tougher immigration policies and in 1936 when the Ioannis Metaxas regime came into power.After WW2 and the Greek Civil War many Macedonians from Greece came to Australia, these people are known as Aegean Macedonians, they settled in areas including Richmond and Footscray^[13].

When the Yugoslav policies that encouraged its citizens to work overseas was started many Ethnic Macedonians within Yugoslavia left for Australia. The peak of this migration was in the early 1970s. They settled in mainly industrial districts, particularly in Wollongong and Newcastle, in the Melbourne suburb of Thomastown and the Sydney suburb of Rockdale. Many Ethnic Macedonians from Yugoslavia would also settle in isolated parts of Australia such as Port Hedland. Most of these immigrants were from a agricultural background. Macedonian migration sharply stopped by the 1980s only to restart in the early 1990s after the breakup of Yugoslavia.

In 1994 the Victorian state premier Jeff Kennett ordered government departments and agencies to use the term 'Slav Macedonian' to describe such people. Some analysts considered the measure was an effort to shore up electoral support from Victoria's large Greek Australian community^[14]. A court eventually repealed the decision in 1998 and since then the prefix "slavo-" has been dropped, on the basis of racial discrimination.^[15]

[edit] Aegean Macedonians

The Aegean Macedonian people have had a long history with Australia. In 19th Century pečalba, working away from home, was a widespread Macedonian custom.^[16] The first Aegean Macedonian was Stojan Kenkov who came to Australian in 1914. Pre-World War Two migration occurred in two waves: the first, in 1924, when the USA imposed heavy immigration restrictions and the second, after 1936, when the fascist regime of Ioanis Metaxas in Greece took power.^[17] The third wave occurred after the Greek Civil War when many ethnic Macedonians fled Greece. Charles Price estimates that by 1940 there were 670 Ethnic Macedonians from Florina and 370 from Kastoria resident in Australia.^[18] Charles Price also claims that by 1989 an estimated 21,140 could claim ethnic Macedonian ancestry from Greece.^[19] Peter Hill also estimates a figure of 50,000 Aegean Macedonians (including second generation and excluding the aegean Macedonians who identify as Greeks).^[20] 2.5% of adherents to the Macedonian Orthodox Church in Australia were born in Greece^[21] while 3,152 speakers of the Macedonian language were born in Greece and 2,919 people born in Greece claimed ethnic Macedonian ancestry or roughly 3.6% of the total population group.^[22]

Aegean Macedonians were essential in the establishment of the Macedonian Australia People league (Macedonian: Makedono-Avstraliski Naroden Sâjuz) which dominated ethnic Macedonian life throughout the 1940s and 1950s. They then went on to establish organizations and events such as Macedonian Cultural Week, Preston Makedonija, Makedonska Iskra, Macedonian Community of S.A, Nova Makedonija and many others.^[23]. There are Aegean Macedonian minorities in Richmond, Melbourne, Manjimup^[24], Shepparton, Wanneroo and Queanbeyan.^[25] The Church of St George and the Florina Community Centre and Day Care center was built in Shepparton the Aegean Macedonian hall - Kotori was built by 32 families from the village Kotori in Richmond. Another Church was established by Aegean Macedonians in Queanbeyan and a hall erected in Manjimup. Other Aegean Macedonians oragnizations include the "Macedonian Aegean Association of Australia" and the "Richmond Aegean Macedonian Cultural and Sporting Association.

[edit] Sports

Many Macedonians in Australia are involved with Soccer and other sports.Macedonian Australians have helped to make soccer one of the most popular sports in Australia. Some of the various clubs they have helped to establish are:

New South Wales

Sydney

• Bankstown City Lions or Sydney Macedonia
• Arncliffe Macedonia Soccer Club
• Yagoona Lions Soccer Club.

Illawarra

• Wollongong United or Wollongong Makedonija
• Warrawong United
• Lake Heights Junior Soccer Club
• Cringila Lions Soccer Club
• Coniston Macedonia Soccer Club
• Pelister Illawarra Soccer Club

Newcastle

• Broadmeadow Magic or Newcastle Macedonia soccer Club
• Macedonia Junior Soccer Club

Queayanbeyan

• Macedonian-Queanbeyan Soccer Club

Victoria

• Preston Lions FC or Preston Makedonija (originally "the Makedonija Soccer Club")
• Altona Magic or Altona Vardar

Western Australia

• West Perth or Macedonia United
• East Perth or The Vardar Club

In Sydney the "Australian-Macedonian Mountaineering Association" was established by Dimitar Illievski.

[edit] Media and Newspapers

Macedonian Newspapers have been a common sight in many Australian Newsagencies for close to thirty years. Notable Newspapers are:

• Australian Macedonian Weekly
• Denes
• Makedonska Iskra
• Kompas
• Makedonija

There are many Macedonian Radio stations throughout Sydney, Melbourne, Wollongong, Newcastle, New South Wales, Perth, Adelaide and Canberra.

[edit] Language

Macedonian was the 10th most common language spoken in Australia besides English in 2001. In 2001 the one-third of Macedonian speakers were aged over 65, 25.9% were aged from 55-64, 31.8% were aged from 25-54, 1.2% were aged from 13-24 and 7.7% were aged from 0-12. 53.2% or 38,826 speakers were born in the Republic of Macedonia, 37.6% or 27,051 speakers were born in Australia, 4.4% or 3,152 speakers were born in Greece and a further 1.3% or 908 speakers were born in Yugoslavia.

Most Australian Macedonians use the Macedonian language at home (71,994 out of 83,983). The most significant populations of Macedonian speakers as of 2001 were Melbourne - 30083, Sydney - 19980, Wollongong - 7420, Perth - 5772, Newcastle - 1993, Geelong - 1300, Queanbeyan - 1105.

Some suburbs where the Macedonian language is spoken are:

• Sydney

Rockdale (10.3%) , Kogarah (10.1%) , Banksia (16.1%) , Yagoona (5.3%) , Bankstown (3.9%)

• Melbourne

Thomastown (16.7%) , Lalor (14.8%) , Preston (4.1%), Mill Park (7.8%)

• Illawarra

Cringila (32.8%) , Port Kembla (20.9%) , Warrawong (12.1%), Blackbutt (10.9%), Coniston (15.9%)

• Newcastle

Adamstown (2.5%), Broadmeadow (4.3%)

• Perth

Dianella (1.9%), Balga (2.6%), Balcatta (6.3%)

• Geelong

Norlane (3.5%)

In 2001 Cringila was the "most Macedonian" suburb in all of Australia with 32.8% of the population speaking Macedonian at home.

[edit] Religion

Most Macedonians in Australia are followers of the Macedonian Orthodox Church. Although there are many Macedonian Muslims and people who follow other branches of Christianity. In 1996 there were 53,152 followers of the Macedonian Orthodox Church, in 2001 there were 53,244 adherents. ^[26] in 2006 this number had fallen to 48,084 people. There is a diocese of the Macedonian Orthodox Church for Australia and New Zealand. The Macedonian Orthodox Church is often shortened to MPC.

There are over 40 Macedonian Orthodox Churches in Operation throughout Australia, 3 monasteries and two Cathedrals. Most of them fall under the jurisdiction of the Macedonian Orthodox Church - Diocese for Australia and New Zealand. The monasteries are MPM- Свети Прохор Пчински/Saint Prohor Pcinski of Donnybrook, MPM- Свети Наум Охридски/Saint Naum of Ohrid of Kinglake and MPCO- Света Петка/Saint Petka of Kembla Grange. The Cathedrals are Macedonian Orthodox Cathedral- Свети Климент Охридски/Saint Kliment of Ohrid of Red Hill and Macedonian Orthodox Cathedral- Свети Кирил и Методиј/Saints Cyril and Methodius of Roseberry (autocephalous).

Although Most Macedonians are adherents of the Macedonian Orthodox Church many follow a different faith. In Melbourne there are two Macedonian Protestant Churches; the Macedonian Church in East Preston (Uniting Church) and Macedonian Baptist Community of Regent. There is another Macedonian Baptist Church in Sydney. Another Macedonian Methodist Community was established in Melbourne.

[edit] Cultural Organizations

Many Macedonian Cultural Organisations have been set up in Australia. They rang from Poetry Groups, Cultural and Folkore Organisations and Ethnic Theatres.

There are two Macedonian Theatres in Australia "Macedonian Theatre "Bill Neskovski" is based in Port Kembla and the "Australian Macedonian Drama Group" in Melbourne. The "Macedonian Theatre "Bill Neskovski" has won many awards for their plays such as "Pečalbari" and "Much ado about Nothing".^[27]

The Macedonian Literary sociey of "Gligor Prličev" was founded in Sydney in 1978. The Society releases a quarterly journal called Povod. The Society keeps a Macedonian langauge library. The society organises competitions for literature. And in 1985 the society published a volume of poems called Vidici (Vistas) with poems from 31 Australian Macedonian poets, this was done with the help of the Australia Council. Members of the Society have been invited to the prestigious Struga Poetry Evenings.^[28]

[edit] List of notable Macedonian Australians

This article does not cite any references or sources. (April 2008) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

[edit] Artists and media

name	Born - Died	Notable for	Connection with Australia	Connection with Macedonia
Toni Matičevski	1977-	Fashion designer	born Australia	Matičevski's parents migrated from Macedonia[29]
Bill Neskovski	1964-1989	Playwright	migrated to Australia in 1974	born in Macedonia; wrote in both English and Macedonian
Vlase Nikoleski		Sculptor and Artist	migrated to Australia

[edit] Sports

name	Born - Died	Notable for	Connection with Australia	Connection with Macedonia
John Markovski	1970-	Former Socceroo	Born in Australia	Parents from Macedonia[citation needed]
Sasho Petrovski	1975-	Socceroo	Born in Australia	Macedonian ancestry[citation needed]
Mile Sterjovski	1979-	Socceroo (member of 2006 World Cup squad)	Born in Australia	Parents from Macedonia[citation needed]
Spase Dilevski	1985-	Olympic Socceroo	Born in Australia	Parents from Macedonia
Billy Celeski	1985-	Olympic Socceroo	Migrated to Australia	Born in Ohrid, Macedonia
Alex Temelkov		Retired Australian professional boxer
David Micevski	1986-	Olympic Socceroo	Born in Australia	Parents from Macedonia
Zlatko Nastevski	1957-	1989 NSL Player of the year	Migrated to Australia	Born in Macedonia
Sasa Ognenovski	1979-	A-League player	Born in Australia	Parents from Macedonia
Spase Dilevski	1985-	Olyroo	Born in Australia	Parents from Macedonia
Cane Despotovski		Illawarra soccer player of the year
Naum Sekulovski	1982-	A-League player	Born in Australia	Parents from Macedonia
Vlado Bozinovski	1964-	Soccer Player	Migrated to Australia	Born in Ohrid, Macedonia
Ivan Necevski	1980-	Sydney FC	Born in Australia	Parents from Macedonia
Zoran Petrevski	1979-	Queensland Roar	Born in Australia	Parents from Macedonia
John Sapazovski	1978-	Preston Lions	Migrated to Australia	Born in Bitola, Macedonia
Peter Daicos		AFL player[30]	Born in Australia	Parents from Greek Macedonia
Alex Marcou		AFL player[31]	Born in Australia	Parents from Greek Macedonia
Žarko Odžakov		Former Soceroo
Deni Gorevski		Warilla Wanderers
Vlade Srbinovski		Wollongong Wolves		Parents from Macedonia
Nick Malceski	1984-	Sydney Swans (AFL)	Born in Australia	Parents from Macedonia
Goran Lozanovski	1984-	Soccer Player	Born in Australia	Parents from Macedonia
Ilija Prenzoski		Wollongong Wolves
Steven Božinovski		Bonnyrigg White Eagles
Richard Tuntevski		Sydney Macedonia
Len Pascoe	1950-	Cricketer	Born in Australia	Parents from Macedonia[32]

[edit] Politics

name	Born - Died	Notable for	Connection with Australia	Connection with Macedonia
Kiril Jonovski		Former Deputy Lord Mayor of Wollongong	Emigrated to Australia	Born in Macedonia
Bill Saravinovski		Lord Mayor of Rockdale City	Migrated to Australia	Born in Macedonia
Con Goulopoulos		Member of the Australian delegation to the U.N.	Migrated to Australia	Born in Greek Macedonia[33]
Steve Taškoski		Alderman, Queanbeyan City Council	Emigrated to Australia	Born in Macedonia
Dragi Bogoevski		Alderman, Wollongong City Council

[edit] Music

name	Born - Died	Notable for	Connection with Australia	Connection with Macedonia
Chris Joannou	1979-	Guitarist from the band, Silverchair	Born in Australia	Parents from Greek Macedonia
Volk Makedonski		MC from the act, Curse Ov Dialect

[edit] Media

name	Born - Died	Notable for	Connection with Australia	Connection with Macedonia
Zoran Vidinovski	1984-	Big Brother 2007 Housemate	Born in Australia	Parents from Macedonia

[edit] Other

name	Born - Died	Notable for	Connection with Australia	Connection with Macedonia
Paul Delianis	1929-	Former Victorian Police Comissioner	Born in Australia	Parents from Greek Macedonia[34]
Micheal Radis		Ethnic Affairs Commissioner of South Australia	Born in Australia	Parents from Greek Macedonia[35]

[edit] See also

• Macedonians
• Republic of Macedonia
• United Macedonian Diaspora

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• www.migrationheritage.nsw.gov.au - Migration Heritage
• http://www.macedonianhr.org.au/ - Macedonian Human Rights Committee - Australia
• Macedonian Embassy in Australia
• www.australianmacedonianweekly.com - Australian Macedonian Weekly, the Macedonian Newspaper for Macedonian Australians.
• http://www.makbiz.com.au/ -Australian Macedonian Business Directory.
• http://www.mpceanz.org.au/ - Macedonian Orthodox Church - Australia and New Zealand.

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