Srebrni Jubilej, V Zavetju Vseh Svetnikov Silver ... - Glas Slovenije

Settlement of the Slovenians in the Wollongong Region
Post World War II Australia accepted many of the refugees from
Europe. Slovenians were among them and Wollongong was one
of the cities that offered jobs and new beginnings to the refugees.
It was very hard to start a new life in a foreign country without
the knowledge of the language and to adopt a new way of life. To
overcome the barriers that the immigrants faced, Slovenians
established the Slovenian Association Danica (Morning-star,
Venus) where they could meet and exchange their stories. The
first Slovenian Choir in Wollongong was established in 1954.
Their Choirmaster was Viktor Brodnik. The most prominent
organisers of the Slovenians at the beginning of the Slovenian
settlement in this region were Anton Dermota and Pavel Arhar.
Anton Dermota founded the first Slovenian association “Danica”
in 1958 and he was the first president of this association. He was
followed by Jože Iskra, Andrej Obleščak and Toni Pirnar. After
the death of Mr Dermota, the most active member of the
Association Danica was Pavel Arhar. He was responsible for the
organisation of the visit of bishop Jenko and bishop Lenič,
organising the arrival of St Nicholas for the children and playing
the part of St Nicholas.
In 1973 Pavel Arhar was killed in a car accident. With his death,
the Association Danica ceased to operate. From this time
onwards, Father Valerijan Jenko became the main organiser in
order to ensure that we still had a St. Nicholas concert every
year. He also organised any other church visit from Slovenia.
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