Macedonians have been arriving in Australia since the late 1880s as
Pečalba. These 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 immigration, according to Peter Hill, were when in 1924 America implemented tougher immigration policies and in 1936 when the
Ioannis Metaxas regime came into power. By 1921 there were 50 Macedonians in Australia, by 1940 this number had reached over 6,000, the majority of whom were from
Florina,
Kastoria and
Bitola. The general population pre-WWII commonly considered themselves ethnically as
Macedonian Bulgarians or simply as
Bulgarians. However, clear national consciousness existed mostly among a small educated class of people, i.e. intelligentsia, revolutionaries and clergy, while foreign observers described the wider Macedonian population as
anational peasants. Per political scientist
James Jupp, almost all of the early Macedonian settlers in Australia were of peasant background, Before the Second World War, when the Macedonian identity gained popularity, many Macedonians had mainly regional identity. After
World War II and the
Greek Civil War many Macedonians from Greece came to
Australia; these people are known as
Aegean Macedonians, settling in areas including
Richmond and
Footscray. When the Yugoslav policies that encouraged its citizens to work overseas were introduced, many
ethnic Macedonians within Yugoslavia left for Australia. The peak of this emigration 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 Macedonians from Yugoslavia would also settle in isolated parts of Australia such as
Port Hedland. Most of these immigrants were from an agricultural background. Macedonian migration had slowed by the 1980s only to restart in the early 1990s after the
breakup of Yugoslavia. As at the 2006 census 64% of Australian residents born in Macedonia had arrived before 1980. Currently, there are over 40,000 people in Greater Melbourne of Macedonian descent, making up around one percent of the population - the 17th largest ethnicity in the city behind Lebanese but ahead of Croatian. In Victoria, Macedonians established
St. George in Fitzroy, Melbourne during the late 1950s as the first independent Macedonian Orthodox church inside Australia and outside of Macedonia. In Melburnian suburbs with Macedonian communities, other churches were established such as
St. Ilija,
St. Dimitrija,
St. Nikola,
St. George & St. Mary,
St. Mary,
St. Petka, and in Geelong
St. John the Baptist. Macedonian Melburnians also built the first Macedonian Orthodox monastery St. Kliment Ohridski - Chudotvorec in the vicinity of
King Lake. The Macedonian community of Australia views the Macedonian Orthodox Church as a "Guardian" of Macedonian identity, its people and cultural traditions. File:St. George Macedonian Orthodox Church, Fitzroy 9.jpg|St. George Church bell tower, Fitzroy File:St. Prophet Ilija Macedonian Orthodox Church, Seddon 1.jpg|St. Ilija Church, Footscray File:St. Dimitrija Solunski Macedonian Orthodox Church, Springvale 4.jpg|St. Dimitrija Solunski Church, Springvale File:St. Nikola Macedonian Orthodox Church, Preston 8.jpg|St. Nikola Church, Preston File:St. George and St. Mary Mother of God Macedonian Orthodox Church 1.jpg|St. George & St. Mary Church, Epping File:St. Mary's Holy Mother of God Macedonian Orthodox Church, Sydenham 2.jpg|St. Mary Church, Sydenham File:St. Petka Macedonian Orthodox Church, Mill Park 2.jpg|St. Petka Church, Mill Park After
North Macedonia gained independence in 1991 as the Republic of Macedonia, Greek Australians opposed the move through local protests and tense relations developed with Macedonian Australians. Australia recognised Macedonia under its temporary name as "FYROM". In the mid 1990s, Victorian Premier
Jeff Kennett backed the Greek position over the Macedonian question in his attempts to shore up local electoral support. At Kennett's insistence, his state government in 1994 issued its own directive that all its departments refer to the language as "Macedonian (Slavonic)" and to Macedonians as "Slav Macedonians". It was accepted that it would not impact the way Macedonians self identified themselves. The decision upset Macedonians, as they had to use the terms in deliberations with the government or its institutions related to education and public broadcasting. In mid 1995, the Macedonian Community through its organisation, the Australian Macedonian Human Rights Commission challenged the decision on the basis of the
Race Discrimination Act at the
Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC). After the case was dismissed, the Macedonian community went to the
Federal Court. The new state government lost an appeal challenging the decision and then went to the
High Court of Australia where it was defeated in 2000 after a ruling was made favouring Macedonians in Australia. File:Macedonian Radio in Melbourne.jpg|Macedonian Radio in Melbourne File:Macedonian Social Club in Thomastown.jpg|A Macedonian Social Club, Thomastown File:Goce Delčev statue in Epping 5.jpg|
Goce Delčev statue, Epping File:Macedonian Evangelical United Church, Preston 3.jpg|
Macedonian Evangelical United Church, Preston File:Macedonian burek made in Melbourne.jpg|Macedonian burek (meat and onion, cheese and spinach slices) from a Macedonian pastry shop, Lalor In early 2018, amid efforts by the Republic of Macedonia and Greece to resolve the
Macedonia naming dispute, some Macedonian Orthodox churches and sporting centres in Melbourne were vandalised with racist and violent graffiti causing distress among the Macedonian community. The Macedonian community organised rallies in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth in support of the Macedonian state retaining its name. Macedonian Australians viewed the
name change Macedonian referendum (2018) as a flawed process and a majority of community members expressed that they would boycott the vote. •
Thomastown (10%) •
South Morang (7%) •
Mill Park (7%) •
Lalor (10%) •
Epping (6%) ;Geelong A prominent group of Macedonians has existed in the Geelong area since the 1950s. The first Macedonians, primarily from Aegean Macedonia, arrived in the late 1930s to work in the Industries which surrounded the city. This community, composed mainly of single males, did not establish any form of community or cultural amenities. By the Second World War much of this community had left to seek employment in Melbourne. AftSome suburbs with significant Macedonian populations (percentage with Macedonian ancestry) incer the Second World War the Geelong branch of the Macedonian-Australian People's League had been founded. By 1955 a large group of
Aegean Macedonian refugees had arrived in the city. in 1956 the first Macedonian soccer club had been founded in the area. This group was active in the establishment of the Macedonian Communist in Geelong. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s this group of Macedonians was joined by immigrants from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. A KUD
Biser/Pearl was founded in the area and plans to consecrate a Macedonian Orthodox Church were drawn up. In 1965 the Macedonian-based soccer club "West Geelong" was founded. Eventually as more and more Macedonians immigrated to the area another KUD was founded and the plans for the Macedonian Orthodox Church were realised. The church "St Jovan the Baptist" was built in the suburb of Batesford. The community was soon involved with the Macedonian Cultural Week program throughout the 1980s. During the 1990s the community was able to establish itself in the area while the "Macedonian Orthodox Centre" and organisations such as the "Macedonian Senior Citizens Club" were founded. In the following years the community helped to support the
Federation of Macedonian Cultural Artistic Associations of Victoria. In 1996 there were 1,341 speakers of Macedonian in the Geelong area this fell to 1,167 in 2006. The number of people born in the Republic of Macedonia also fell from 839 in 1996 to 752 in 2006. The number of people claiming Macedonian ancestry in 2006 was 1,415. The largest groups of Macedonians in the Geelong area could be found in Bell Post Hill (6.1%), Norlane (3.5%), North Geelong (1.3%), Hamlyn Heights (2.5%) and Lovely Banks (5.3%). ;Shepparton A community of Macedonians has existed in
Shepparton since the 1930s. It is considered to be one of the original Macedonian settlements in Australia. Early pioneers from
Greek Macedonia (also known as
Aegean Macedonia) began to come to Shepparton in the 1920s and 1930s. Many of them established Market Gardens. After the
Second World War and the Greek Civil War a large number of Aegean Macedonians emigrated to Shepparton. The Macedonians of Shepparton soon became an active force in the
Macedonian-Australian People's League and a branch was et up in Shepparton in 1946. Picnics, dances and functions were organised by the local branch. Although some Macedonians came to Shepparton in the 1960s and 1970s from
Yugoslavia, the majority of the community were Aegean Macedonians. In the 1970s the St George, Orthodox Church was built although the local congregation was primarily Macedonian. The "Florina Saturday School and Community Centre" was built in 1978 next to the church. The school is still open today and teaches both Greek and Macedonian. Shepparton formed sister city arrangements with the two
Macedonian cities of Resen and Salonica. In 1986 the first annual "Macedonian Cultural Day" was held. A 1966 figures puts the number of Macedonians in Shepparton at 600. In 1996, 322 people were speaking Macedonian at home, by 2006 this number had fallen to 213. In 2006, 254 people claimed Macedonian ancestry, of which 78 were born in the Republic of Macedonia. ;Werribee The city of
Werribee between Melbourne and Geelong was one of the original Macedonian settlements in Australia. The first Macedonians arrived in Werribee in 1924, and had great success growing peas, cauliflowers and tomatoes. Many also took to dairy farming and market-gardening. In 1934 the "Greek Macedonian Community of Werribee South" was founded among the Grecophile Macedonians. By 1940 many more had come to the Werribee area, a Macedonian cafe and restaurant had also been set up. In 1947 a branch of the
Macedonian-Australian People's League opened in Werribee. It took an instrumental role in the Hospital Appeals. The branch went on to establish a local KUD and social group. After the Greek Civil War a large influx of Aegean Macedonians came to the Werribee area. They would form the backbone of the Macedonian community in Werribee. In the 1960s many Macedonians from Yugoslavia also came to Australia. By the 1970s a Macedonian hall had been set up and two more KUD's had been founded in the area. The Macedonians are well established in the Werribee area and have made a lasting contribution to the region. By 1991 there were 565 Macedonian speakers in Werribee, this rose to 964 in 2006. The number of people claiming Macedonian ancestry are 1,154.
New South Wales Many of the first Macedonians came to New South Wales. During the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s many Aegean Macedonians settled in Crabbes Creek, Queanbeyan, Newcastle and Richmond. By the time of the
Macedonian-Australian People's League Macedonians could be found all over the state. Branches were opened in Sydney (
Vesela Makedonija), Queanbeyan (
Alexander the Great), Richmond (
Kotori), Crabbes Creek (
Sloboda), Katoomba, Port Kembla, Forbes, Braidwood, Beechwood (Wauchope), Lithgow, Captains Flat, Newcastle, Bonnyrigg and Griffith. The first Macedonian hall built in Australia was the Macedonian Cultural Hall in Crabbes Creek. From the 1960s thousands of Macedonians from the Bitola, Prespa, Struga and Ohrid regions of Macedonia would come to New South Wales. Many of these immigrants settled in Wollongong, Sydney and Newcastle. Today the Macedonian Community in New South Wales is the second largest in Australia. By 2001, 30,658 people were speaking Macedonian at home with 19,057 of these born in the
North Macedonia. In 2006, 34,316 people claimed Macedonian ancestry but community spokesperson claim that in New South Wales there are over 70,000 Macedonians. ;Sydney Sydney is home to one of the largest concentrations of Macedonians in Australia and in the
diaspora. The first Macedonians came to Sydney in the early 1920s before making their way to the coal fields of the Illawarra or Hunter Valley, the heavy industrial centres of Port Kembla and Newcastle, or heading inland to places like Broken Hill and Richmond. The first Macedonian to settle in Rockdale was Risto Belcheff from the village
Capari in 1945. By 1946 a branch of the
Macedonian-Australian People's League was opened in Sydney, it was known as
Vesela Makedonija. The
Vesela Makedonija branch founded the Ilinden Soccer Club in the same year. In 1983 ties with SR Macedonia were strengthened as Bitola and Rockdale became sister cities. In 1985 the Macedonian-language newspaper "
Makedonski Vesnik was first printed in Rockdale, New South Wales, while
The Australian Macedonian Weekly was another Macedonian-language newspaper that was printed in Victoria. The First Macedonian Cultural Day was held in Rockdale in 1986. By 1987 two more ethnic schools had opened in
Arncliffe and
Rockdale. By 1989 nearly 20 additional KUD's were operating in Sydney they were; KUD Tanec, KUD Orce Nikolov, KUD
Mirče Acev, KUD
Dame Gruev, KUD Sv Naum, KUD Kiril I Metodij, KUD Kitka, KUD
Karpoš, KUD Makedonka, KUD Makedonski Orel, KUD Egejska Makedonija, and KUD Gerdan. The "Australian-Macedonian Mountaineering Association" was established by Dimitar Illievski. After the
Breakup of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s many more Macedonians began to immigrate to Sydney. Much of the second generation began to migrate westwards to Fairfield and Liverpool as they gained affluence. It soon emerged that there were three major concentrations of Macedonians in Sydney, the Rockdale-Hurstville Area, Bankstown-Yagoona and Bonnyrigg-Fairfield. Today around 12 Radio programs service the Macedonian community in Sydney. Another church Света Богородица Пречиста/
Holy Mother of God in Liverpool has also opened and Macedonian is now taught at
Macquarie University. ] By the 1990s the Macedonian Community had constructed numerous halls the largest is the "Ilinden Centre" in Rockdale. Burek Shops, Kafani and Macedonian Associations have been the most prominent impact that Macedonian immigrants have had on the local community. The "Australian-Macedonian Mountaineering Association" operates from Holsworthy. Many pensioner groups and youth associations have been set up to cater for a diverse demographic. The most notable Macedonian soccer team in Sydney are the
Rockdale City Suns otherwise known as
Rockdale Ilinden. The total number of Macedonian speakers reached a peak in 2001 with 19,980 speakers, this fell to 19,033 speakers in 2006. The number of Macedonian born has fallen to 11,630 while the total number of people claiming Macedonian ancestry is 22,068. Community spokespersons claim that over 30,000 Macedonians reside in Sydney. ;Richmond
Richmond was one of the original Macedonian Settlements in Australia. The first Macedonian to come to Richmond was Steve Pandu, from the village Kotori in Lerin, Macedonia (
Florina, Greece) in 1927. He was joined by many other Macedonians and by 1938 they had established many farms and market-gardens. Soon more Macedonians came to establish orchard's in the
Agnes Banks area. Many family members were brought out from Yugoslavia and Greece. in 1946 a chapter of the
Macedonian-Australian People's League opened in Richmond. The Macedonians in Richmond were an integral part in Macedonian-Australian society. By 1950 a large concentration of Aegean Macedonians from the village Kotori was present. After the
Macedonian-Australian People's League decentralized the
Richmond Macedonian Association was founded in 1961. Later still in 1980, this organisation split half, forming the
Aegean Macedonian Social and Cultural Society and the
Macedonian Cultural and Art Society, Pelister. The
Aegean Macedonian Social and Cultural Society went on to raise over $100,000 to build their own cultural centre which was opened on 26 December 1983, the Macedonian Hall, Kotori. Today both groups still operate independently although talks of re-unification have been fruitless. In Richmond two KUDs were set up, KUD Pelister and KUD Kotori. Community spokespersons claim that there are over 700 Macedonians in the Richmond Area. The 1996 census recorded 267 Macedonian speakers; this fell to 218 in 2006. The total number of people claiming Macedonian ancestry in the Richmond area in 2001 was 291. The community frequent the local Catholic church or the other Macedonian Churches in Sydney. Many Macedonians have large amounts of real-estate in the Richmond area. Macedonians have played an important part in shaping the history of Richmond. ;Illawarra The first Macedonian to arrive in the Illawarra was Riste Sazdanov in 1924. He initially arrived to work in the
Port Kembla Steelworks. It is estimated only a few hundred Macedonians immigrated to the Illawarra region in the pre-World War Two period. Despite this the first Macedonian cafe was founded in 1943 by Trajan Rakovitis from the Lerin village of Rakovo. in 1946 a branch of the
Macedonian-Australian People's League opened in Port Kembla. Most of the Macedonians in Wollongong are post-war migrants from the
Socialist Republic of Macedonia. From 1960 onwards thousands of Macedonians were employed in the
Port Kembla Steelworks, they primarily settled in the nearby suburbs of
Cringila,
Warrawong and
Coniston. In 1971 the first
Sredselo was introduced to Lake Heights by Lambe Nestoroski, Trajan Ristanovski and Sergija Sekuloski, it soon spread to Cringila. The first
Macedonian Orthodox Church, Свети Димитрија Солунски/
Saint Dimitrija of Solun of Wollongong was built in 1972. The Macedonians founded many soccer clubs such as, Wollongong United or
Wollongong Makedonija, Warrawong United, Lake Heights Junior Soccer Club, Cringila Lions Soccer Club, Coniston Macedonia Soccer Club, Shellharbour Barbarians and Pelister Illawarra Soccer Club. A friendly rivalry exists between Wollongong United whose fans base is primarily from Bitola, Cringila Lions Soccer Club whose fan base is primarily from Struga and Warrawong United whose supporters are primarily from the Mariovo area. A Macedonian Theatre was established in Cringila in the late 1970s, The "Macedonian theatre of the Illawarra" produced many notable performances and was later renamed after its patron,
Bill Neskovski. By the 1970s an estimated 85% of Cringila and 55% of Port Kembla, 35% of Coniston and Warrawong were Macedonians. The second church built was, Свети Климент Охридски/
Saint Kliment of Ohrid of Port Kembla, was consecrated in 1989. By 1986 an estimate 4% of the total Illawarra region was Macedonian. During the 1980s many Macedonians migrated to more affluent suburbs in the Illwarra and to Canberra. A branch of the
VMRO political party was also founded in Wollongong. Many Macedonian "Cultural and Folkloric Groups" () such as; KUD Makedonija, KUD 11ti Oktomvri, KUD Biljana, KUD Nikola Karev, KUD Mlada Makedonka and KUD Makedonski Biseri were founded. By 2001 only 32% of Cringila and 21% of Port Kembla were Macedonians, while 11% of Blackbutt and 7% of Barrack Height were Macedonian. In 2006 there were 8,111 Macedonians in the Illawarra and 7,420 speakers of Macedonian. The custom of
Sredselo still continues in Cringila today and is the highlight of the Macedonian Social Year. The first Macedonian Orthodox monastery in NSW, Света Петка/
Saint Petka, was built in
Kembla Grange in 2006. Two Macedonian-language radio stations service the community along with a range of support services, the community has a quarterly journal called "KOMPAS". ;Newcastle Many of the first Macedonians would often go to work at the
Newcastle Steelworks. By the early 1930s various "Kafani" had been established. As whole families began to immigrate many social and cultural amenities were established. In 1946 the Newcastle branch of the
Macedonian-Australian People's League From the 1960s many Macedonians from the
Socialist Republic of Macedonia came to Newcastle. A KUD was established and the
Macedonian-Australian People's League helped to engage the Macedonian Novacastrians with the rest of the Macedonian Australian community. Many would attend dances in the Trades Hall, Sydney. The first time Macedonian was broadcast in Australia occurred in Newcastle in 1949 as the local branch of the
MAPL held a commemorative Ilinden broadcast. After the decentralization of the
Macedonian-Australian People's League the Greek orientated, "
Pavlos Melas" society was founded. This in turn was replaced by the "Macedonian Community of Newcastle". In 1970 the community built the Света Богородица/
Holy Mother of God Macedonian Orthodox Church in Adamstown. The soccer clubs of Red Star, Newcastle-Macedonia, The Macedonian junior soccer club and
Broadmeadow Magic were all founded by Macedonians. Another 3 KUD's, KUD Ilinden, KUD Bitola and KUD "Stiv Naumov" were all founded, the latter which still operates today. A
sredselo was established as another church was constructed. In 1986 the first Macedonian Cultural Day was held and the "
Goce Delcev" ethnic school was founded. The first non-English language Newspaper in Newcastle was the Macedonian paper "Kopnež" which was launched in 1984 by the "Macedonian Community of Newcastle". After the
Breakup of Yugoslavia a number of Macedonians came to the Newcastle region. In the early 1990s a branch of the
VMRO party was set up. A Macedonian welfare centre was built on the site of the Macedonian Orthodox Church. Peter Hill estimates that there are 3,600 Macedonians in the Newcastle region. In 1996, 2,095 people spoke Macedonian at home compared with the 1,863 in 2006. In 2006 the number of people with Macedonian ancestry in the Newcastle area was 2,424 of whom Aegean Macedonians comprise 20%. ;Canberra/Queanbeyan The first Macedonians to arrive in the
Queanbeyan area were Aegean Macedonians from the Florina and Kastoria regions. They established market-gardens or became Eucalypt cutters near
Braidwood. By 1920 an estimated 250 Macedonian had come to the Queanbeyan area. After the Second World War and the Greek Civil War many Aegean Macedonians came to the Queanbeyan region. In 1946 a chapter of the
Macedonian-Australian People's League was founded, it was called
Mladi Goce after the name of the commander of the
First Aegean Partisan Brigade which operated in Macedonia in 1944/1945. After the collapse of the
Macedonian-Australian People's League a split occurred in the community between pro-Greek and pro-Macedonian factions. The Greek-orientated "Society of Kastorians and Florinians" was set up in Queanbeyan. The Greek Orthodox Community in Queanbeyan is dominated by Macedonians. In 1969 the Macedonian Orthodox Church, Свети Илија/
Saint Ilija of Queanbeyan was consecrated. In 1983 the foundation stone for the Macedonian Orthodox Cathedral, Свети Климент Охридски/
Saint Kliment of Ohrid in Red Hill was laid. The cathedral was designed by Macedonian Australian,
Vlase Nikoleski. As part of
Macedonian Cultural Week a performance is traditionally held in Canberra. The
Department of Immigration and Ethnic Affairs estimated that there are 3,000 Macedonians in the Canberra/Queanbeyan region, of whom two-thirds are Aegean Macedonians. Two Cultural and Folkloric Groups,
KUD Egejska Makedonija and
KUD Razigrana Makedonka were founded in Queanbeyan, along with the Soccer Club,
The Wolverines. The Bitola social club or "Tumbe Kafe" was founded in Canberra. A third church was built in Canberra, Свети Климент Охридски/
Saint Kliment of Ohrid in Narrabundah along with a Macedonian Ethnic School. Another Macedonian ethnic school, "Goce Delčev", operates in Queanbeyan. The number of Macedonian speakers in the Queanbeyan/Canberra region fell from 1,761 in 1996 to 1,550 in 2006. The total number of Macedonians in the Queanbeyan/Canberra region was 1,991 in 2006 of these only 927 were born in the
Republic of Macedonia.
Western Australia Western Australia has traditionally had one of the largest Macedonian Australian communities in Australia. Thousands of pre-war immigrants came to the state in search of riches. Here they set up the Macedonian "villages" of Wanneroo and Upper Wanneroo. The Western Australian branches of the
Macedonian-Australian People's League were the driving force behind the movement's inception. By this time the migrants had scattered to Manjimup, Geraldton and Kalgoorlie. The immigrants were joined by post war Aegean Macedonians and Yugoslav migrants. Many then headed north to Port Hedland and Broome. After the breakup of Yugoslavia another wave of Macedonians came to Western Australia. By 2001 there 6,184 Macedonian speakers in Western Australia with 8,043 people claiming Macedonian Ancestry. The Macedonians of Western Australia have helped drive the state into the 21st century. ;Perth One of Australia's oldest Macedonian communities can be found in Perth. It is said Boris Šmagranov arrived in Perth in 1908, the first Macedonian to do so. A steady wave of Macedonians began to arrive in Perth after the
First World War. Many of these were Aegean Macedonians from the
Florina,
Kastoria and
Edessa regions. Many Macedonians left Perth for other areas where Macedonians had settled such as
Manjimup,
Balcatta,
Geraldton and
Kalgoorlie. In the early 1920s the
"Makedonski Dom" (Macedonian Home) was founded in Perth. This soon became the heart of the Macedonian community in Perth. Attempts to found a branch of the
Macedonian Patriotic Organization were unsuccessful. A concentration of Macedonians had been set up in the
Wanneroo area and soon it was declared a Macedonian village. The mainstay of the village was Market Gardening and small-scale farming. Through
chain migration Perth soon became the largest centre of Macedonian immigration to Australia. The first genuine Macedonian settlement with wives and families in Australia was Wanneroo. By the 1930s there were over 150 Macedonians in the Wanneroo area. Another Macedonian village was soon founded at Upper Wanneroo or 27 Mile. Although the area was a swamp it was soon made suitable for farming. In 1939 the
"Edinstvo" group was founded which would dominated Macedonian social life for the next two decades. The "Edinstvo" group soon began to organise socials, functions and gatherings. The group's motto soon became
"Слободна, Независна, Еднокупна Македонија" (Free, Independent and United Macedonia), referring to the irredentist concept of a
United Macedonia. The group founded the
"Edinstvo Perth Soccer Club" in the early 1940s. Community and youth groups were also founded. The first president of Edinstvo was George Dženev. On 18 September 1941, Naume Sharin was elected president with Mick Veloskey and Pavle Bozhinov as secretaries. During
World War II many members of the Edinstvo group were called up to fight for their new mother country. After World War Two attempts by Edinstvo were made to create a unified Macedonian Australian Organisation. The Edinstvo group started radio sessions and eventually the group founded the "Makedonska Iskra" newspaper which went on to national distribution. On 24 and 25 August 1946 the Edinstvo group held an inaugural conference for all the Macedonian organisations in Australian. It was decided that the
Macedonian-Australian People's League should be founded. The Edinstvo group was soon incorporated as a branch of the new organisation. The returned members would go on to found the
Macedonian Australian Ex-Servicemen's League in 1947. After the creation of the
People's Republic of Macedonia many Macedonians left to help rebuild the devastated country, while thousands of Aegean Macedonian refugees came to Australia, of which a large proportion settled in Perth. During the years of the
Macedonian-Australian People's League the Perth group was by far the most influential branch of the organisation. The group helped organise the "Miss Macedonia" competition and other events to raise money for the
Macedonian Hospital Appeals. During the first appeal the West Australian branches managed to raise over £5,500 for the Macedonian hospitals. In 1948 the Makedonska Iskra newspaper was moved to Sydney. The
"Macedonian Soccer Club" which was disbanded during World War Two was eventually replaced by
"Makedonija" in 1947,
"Alexander" in 1954 and finally
"Olympic" in 1956. In 1948 the organisation took the initiative to build a Macedonian Hall in Perth. The contributed drive was to come from the
"Macedonian Ladies Section" of the group. On 23 May 1948 Mrs Diana Pappas was elected as President of the group. At this meeting it was agreed that a hall was needed for the
"Edinstvo" group,
"Macedonian Soccer Club" and the
"Macedonian Ladies Section". In 1949 the group purchased a hall in Leederville with a deposit of £80. However, there was friction within the group and the Hall was sold. The profits were put into buying a block of land in Church Street, Perth. At the General Meeting of "Edinstvo" on 17 October 1954 in the Trades Hall the group passed the following resolutions: • 1.
that a Macedonian centre be erected in Perth for the Macedonian Migrants • 2.
that an amount of £10 be donated by each migrant from the age of 16 years without difference of men or women and be paid within a period of one year • 3. ''that the Hall and property be registered under the name of the Macedonian-Australian People's League, Branch "Edinstvo", Perth, W.A and that the hall be called the "Macedonian Hall"'' • 4.
that every Macedonian migrant settled in Western Australia who has paid his or her nominated £10 had rights in the hall In 1969 the "Olympic" soccer team broke with the Macedonian community and established its club-rooms and grounds in Kingsway. Another Macedonian soccer club
"Macedonia United" (West Perth) was founded in 1970 under the auspices of the "Macedonian Community of Western Australia", which was the first United Macedonian club in Western Australia. The Community also went on to found a Basketball club and cricket club. In 1969 the first Macedonian Church in Western Australia was founded. The
Macedonian Orthodox Church Свети Никола/
Saint Nicholas was consecrated on 6 April 1969. In 1969 the "Macedonian Community of Western Australia" founded the "Goce Delčev Macedonian Choir" and the KUD-Goce Delčev. The Vestnik/
Newspaper was founded in 1971. It began as Mesečni Novini/
Monthly News and then became "Newsletter of the Macedonian Communities in Australia". It printed mainly news from Western Australia in English and Macedonian. In 1976
"The Macedonian Club" was founded on the site of the Macedonian Community Centre. Ever since its foundation it has been the centre of the Macedonian community in Perth. During 1977 a split within the Saint Nicholas church community led some parishioners to leave the original church and purchase another church just 500 metres from the original "Saint Nicholas" church. This new church was also named the
Macedonian Orthodox Church of Свети Никола/
Saint Nicholas. This church founded the KUD-Ilinden and other social groups. By 1983 the Vardar Club had acquired premises in North Perth. From here they are able organise socials, dances and picnics. They also founded the KUD-Vardar group along with other social events such as "Miss Macedonia (W.A)". In 1985 the "Macedonian Community of Western Australia" acquired 10 hectares of land in
Balcatta. The development known as "Macedonia Park" was to include a nursing home, C grade hospital, a chapel, rectory, halls, bars and a wide range of sporting amenities. On 22 May 1986 the sporting complex was officially opened by West Australian premier, Brian Burke. In 1985 the community had over 2,000 full or social members. Perth now has over 5 Macedonian clubs. The number of Macedonian born has traditionally been low denoting the presence of Aegean Macedonians in Manjimup. The community was recently visited by the Macedonian Ambassador to Australia, which shows that Macedonians are still present in the Manjimup area The Macedonians have left a lasting imprint on the Manjimup community.
South Australia South Australia is home to a small but compact Macedonian community. The first Macedonians immigrants were scrub clearers in
Ceduna and grape harvesters in the
Riverland region. Permanent immigrants established market gardens in
Fulham Gardens,
Flinders Park and later in
Virginia. Soon a community of Aegean Macedonians had established themselves in South Australia, most notably in
Fulham Gardens. Coffee Shops, were established by Macedonians and they soon became the original meeting place for the Macedonian community. In 1947 a chapter of the
Macedonian-Australian People's League known as "
Alexander the Great" opened in South Australia. In 1947, the group raised over £350 for the Macedonian Hospital Appeal. After the decantralization of the
Macedonian-Australian People's League the "Macedonian Orthodox Community of South Australia" was founded in 1957. In 1967, the Macedonian Orthodox Community of South Australia constructed the Macedonian Hall which became the centre of Macedonian social activities in Adelaide. While the 1976 census recorded 676 Macedonian speakers in 1976. By 1996 this number had risen to 923 falling to 705 in 2006. In 2006 there were only 400 Macedonian born people living in South Australia while 1,424 people claimed Macedonian Ancestry. In the census of 2011, across South Australia, 727 respondents reported speaking Macedonian at home, the highest concentration of this group (14%) was in the 5024 postal area (Fulham Gardens, Fulham and West Beach).
Queensland There has traditionally been a small Macedonian community in Queensland. Relatively few immigrants arrived before the Second World War. In the late 1940s the Brisbane Branch of the
Macedonian-Australian People's League was founded. After Crabbes Creek was devastated by a cyclone in the 1960s more Macedonians came to Brisbane.
Aegean Macedonians The Aegean Macedonian people have had a long history in Australia. In 19th Century pečalba, working away from home, was a widespread Macedonian custom. 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
4 August Regime of General
Ioannis Metaxas took power in Greece. 2.5% of adherents to the Macedonian Orthodox Church in Australia were born in Greece
Shepparton,
Wanneroo and
Queanbeyan. The Church of St George and the Florina Community Centre and Day Care centre 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 organisations include the "Macedonian Aegean Association of Australia" and the "Richmond Aegean Macedonian Cultural and Sporting Association. == Sports ==