TRAVEL REPORT The Hon. Michael Atkinson MP Attorney-General ...

CROATIANS IN SOUTH AUSTRALIADemographyThe 2001 ABS Census indicates that there are 3557 Croatian-born in SouthAustralia, up from 2,891 in 1996 .A total of 6,603 indicated that they had Croatian ancestry and 3977 said thatthey spoke Croatian at home . The Croatian community estimates that thereare some 12,000 people of Croatian origin living in the State . Most CroatianSouth Australians live in metropolitan Adelaide whilst others have establishedCroatian centres in Port Lincoln, Whyalla, Coober Pedy and Mount Gambier .Brief HistoryProbably the first Croatians to settle in South Australia were sailors whoarrived in 1854, including Christopher Dabovic who was among the first toundertake commercial fishing in South Australia . In the 1890s a number ofCroatians from the Dalmatian Islands arrived and found work in Port Pirie andBroken Hill . Other groups arrived between 1910-13 and in 1922 . By 1930 asmall community worked in the local fruit industry in Berri .The most significant wave of Croatians, who emigrated to escapeYugoslavia's communist regime, arrived after the Second World War .further substantial wave arrived during the 1960s and 1970s .ACroatian South Australians became particularly prominent as shipbuilders inAdelaide, Whyalla and Port Lincoln e.g . Samarzia-Samar Boats andFranov-Kali Shipyard . Croatian South Australians have also been prominent inthe manufacturing and building industries in the metropolitan area, steelworksin Whyalla, fishing and processing industries in Port Lincoln, forestry in MountGambier, fruit growing in the Riverland and have had considerable success asopal miners at Coober Pedy, Mintabie and Andamooka .Other OrganisationsThere are 23 Croatian community organisations in South Australia . The mainorganisation in Adelaide is the Croatian Club of Adelaide Inc . The CroatianCommunity Council of South Australia, an umbrella organisation whichrepresents the interests of all Croatian community organisations in SouthAustralia, was formed in 1997 .Croatian Club Adelaide Inc .The first Croatian Club in Australia in the post-war years was founded inAdelaide in 1950 . It was established chiefly to provide settlement assistancefor new arrivals and organise social gatherings . Dr Beovich, the CatholicArchbishop of Adelaide, gave the community support and assistance . TheClub initially met at Sacred Heart Church Hall on Port Road, Hindmarsh .Today the Croatian Club of Adelaide is in Brompton . It has a cultural school, afolk dance group, art and craft association, senior citizens group, eight balland bocce teams . Mr Kruno Batrac is the current President .Travel Report, Hon. Michael Atkinson, M.P. and Ms. Vini Ciccarello M.P., August, 2004 35