Australia
summary
Armenian Community
Armenian migration to Australia, began as early as the 1850's during the time of the Gold Rush. Migration was in small numbers and originated from Calcutta (India) and Singapore, as Armenian communities had established themselves in these areas years before. Migration was originally to cities such as Perth, Adelaide, Sydney & Melbourne, it was to be towards the 1980's that migration was predominantly to the city of Sydney.
The main migration began in the 1960's bringing to the Australian shores, Armenians from Egypt, then Cyprus, followed by Lebanon, Iran and later from Soviet Armenia.
Although the Armenian community is quite small in Sydney (40,000), as well as notably smaller in Melbourne (10,000). The Community has managed to built numerous churches, including the largest being the Armenian Apostolic Church (Echmiadzin)as well as the Armenian Catholic Church, Armenian Evangelical Church and so on.
The community has established organisations such as Homenetmen (H.M.E.M)Sporting Associaiton, A.G.B.U Sporting association as well as scouting associations (H.M.E.M Antranig, H.M.E.M Ararat, H.M.E.M Navasart, H.M.E.M Gamk as well as H.M.E.M Arax in the city of Melbourne).
Armenian schools exist throughout Sydney, with the largest being the Hamazkaine Arshak & Sophie Galstaun College providing bilingual education to young Australian Armenians, being one of the only Armenian schools to cater for both the Western and Eastern dialects (Kindergarden - Year 12). Other schools include St.Gregory's Catholic Armenian School (K-10) and Alexander A.G.B.U Primary school (K-6).
Genocide Recognition
Relations with Armenia
ARMENIAN AND AUSTRALIAN FMS DISCUSSED BILATERAL RELATIONS
Pan Armenian
10.10.2005 12:55 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian departed yesterday for Australia on a formal visit, RA MFA press office reported.
Today the Armenian FM met with the Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Alexander Downer to discuss the prospects of the Armenian-Australian relations and exchange views on the international situation and regional developments. Vartan Oskanian familiarized the interlocutor with the Nagorno Karabakh settlement process and Armenia's relations with the neighbor states. The parties noted the importance of strengthening bilateral relations and activation of trade and economic ties.
The Foreign Ministers also voiced satisfaction with the Armenia-Australia cooperation within international structures. Upon completion of the meeting Minister Oskanian invited his Australian counterpart to Armenia.
Within the visit framework the Armenian FM met with Minister for Vocational and Technical Education Gary Hardgrave, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister, Minister for Human Services Joe Hockey MP, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Trade, Senator Sandy Macdonald and Chairman of the Armenian-Australian parliamentary friendship Maris Pein. Besides, Vartan Oskanian met with leaders of the Armenian community of Australia and attended the liturgy in the Armenian Church of St. Harutyun in Sydney, where he delivered a speech, and also met with the chairman of the Armenian-Australian Chamber of Commerce and the Armenian media.
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Misc
ERDOGAN CHEERED, JEERED IN SYDNEY
NTV MSNBC, Turkey Dec. 9, 2005
The Prime Minister's visit to the mosque was kept secret so as to avoid protests, a security official said.
Guncelleme: 03:33 ET 09 Aralık 2005 CumaSYDNEY - Turkey's Prime Minister received a mixed reception on his first day in the Australian city of Sydney Friday, being mobbed by well wishers when he visited a suburban mosque and jeered by Armenian protestors.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was confronted by about 50 demonstrators as he arrived to address a business forum in central Sydney Friday morning. The protestors called on Turkey to recognise the so-called Armenian genocide.
However, the mood was different later in the day when Erdogan made a surprise visit to the Gallipoli Mosque in the suburb of Auburn to attend mid day prayers.
More than 500 people, many of them members of the local Turkish community, crowded around the Prime Minister as he arrived.
Erdogan had cancelled a planned luncheon address at the Lowy Institute, an international policy think-tank, to attend the prayers at the mosque.
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TURKISH PM MAKES SURPRISE VISIT TO SYDNEY MOSQUE FOR FRIDAY PRAYERS
Mainichi Daily News, Japan Dec. 9, 2005
SYDNEY, Australia -- Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan paid a surprise visit to a Sydney mosque for Friday prayers and was mobbed by up to 500 cheering people.
Erdogan had been scheduled to give a speech at a foreign policy think tank lunch, but instead decided to attend prayers at the Auburn Gallipoli Mosque, named for a Turkish peninsula where Australian troops fought a bloody World War I battle.
Well-wishers who had gathered outside the mosque shook the prime minister's hand when he arrived for the hour-long service.
He held children and posed for photos as a heavy contingent of Australian and Turkish security officials looked on.
Earlier, he got a less friendly reception when protesters from Sydney's Armenian community chanted outside a hotel calling on Erdogan to recognize the massacre of more than a million Armenians by Turkish forces during and after World War I as a genocide.
Earlier this year, the EU assembly issued a resolution also calling on Turkey -- which is seeking EU membership -- to recognize the killing as genocide.
Erdogan and his wife Emine arrived in Sydney earlier Friday as part of their four-day visit to Australia, which was aimed at drumming up trade and discussing issues such as the war on terror with Erdogan's Australian counterpart Prime Minister John Howard.
On Saturday, Erdogan was due to visit Sydney's landmark Opera House before flying back to Turkey on Sunday.
Visiting Canberra on Thursday, Erdogan criticized the coalition military operations in Iraq, saying the country "has become a training ground for terrorism."
"As to whether a solution has been found to the situation in Iraq, we can say that that solution has not been found because tens of people die every day in Iraq, unfortunately," he added.
Erdogan was speaking after talks with Howard, who is one of the staunchest supporters of the coalition effort in Iraq.
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Armenian Churches
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See also
Links
- Hye Hoki - Armenian youth group
- Sydney Armenian Calendar of Events
- Melbourne Armenian Calendar of Events