First Macedonian Newspaper in Australia Reprinted Online
By Victor Bivell
printable
version
The first Macedonian newspaper published in Australia, Makedonska
Iskra or Macedonian Spark, is now being reprinted and made available
online in a major historical project by Pollitecon Publications.
Makedonska Iskra was published from 1946 to 1957. A monthly with national
distribution, it commenced in Perth and later moved to Melbourne and
Sydney.
Victor Bivell, publisher with Pollitecon Publications, said the newspaper
was published at a time of great historical significance for the Macedonian
people as the future Republic of Macedonia had been formed within Yugoslavia
and the Greek Civil War had begun.
The newspaper is now a record of key international events that shaped
the Macedonian nation and of the many people and events within the Macedonian
community in Australia. The more than 100 editions of the newspaper
contain the names of thousands of immigrant Macedonians, many of them
recorded as part of the news of the day and many others in numerous
long lists of people who donated to significant Macedonian fund raising
events.
The reprinting of the newspaper online provides a massive new and
free resource for the Macedonian community in Australia and internationally,
and should be of interest to Macedonians wishing to learn more about
their families and friends as well as to historians and students.
The newspaper is accessible to most Macedonians including those unfamiliar
with the Cyrillic alphabet as it is written in Latinitsa and has numerous
English sections.
Among many stories, the first edition has an update on the civil war
and independence movement in Greece, fund raising for a much-needed
hospital in Skopje, and the first Conference of the Macedonian National
Council of Australia.
One of the founders of the newspaper, well known Macedonian community
leader Michael Veloskey, said the newspaper was founded by Edinstvo
(Unity) and the Macedonian Peoples League of Australia with the assistance
of many people, among them: in Perth the editor Laurie Malco and Kiro
Angelkoff and assistants Mr Veloskey himself, Stojan Sarbinoff and Naum
Sharin; and in Melbourne Risto Altin and Stojche Stojcheff. Many other
people also made a big contribution over the years, said Mr Veloskey.
Mr Veloskey said the launch of the newspaper was at a very exciting
time for the Macedonian community in Australia. The newspaper provided
the immigrants, who at that stage were mostly from Aegean Macedonia,
with news from the home country and the war, and there was a great expectation
among the Macedonian people that they would finally achieve a free homeland.
The newspaper also provided much needed reading material in the Macedonian
and English languages.
Mr Bivell said Pollitecon Publications is proud to begin reprinting
Makedonska Iskra. The first two editions, October and November 1946
are now available online at www.pollitecon.com
and then under Reprints.
Further editions will be uploaded regularly, but with about 100 editions
this is a long term project, said Mr Bivell.
The only missing editions are September and October 1950, January
1953, and June and December 1955. If anyone has copies of these editions,
please contact Pollitecon Publications by email.
Published in Australian Macedonian Weekly June 7, 2005
Source: www.pollitecon.com
© Copyright, June 2005