Address: By Olga Lah
Otvoritev arhiva v Sydneyu - HASA
Opening of the Historical Archives for Slovenian Australians in NSW

Good evening to all our guests and welcome to the official opening of the Historical Archives for Slovenian Australians in NSW known in short as HASA.
Our guests tonight are truly representative of our Slovenian community and we are honoured that you are here to celebrate with us. I would particularly like to welcome:
Mr. Bojan Bertoncelj, Charge D'Affaires of the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia and Mrs. Bertoncelj
Mr. Alfred Brežnik, Honorary Consul General for the Republic of Slovenia for NSW. and Mrs. Brežnik.
Dr. Breda Cebulj Sajko, well known to many of us and tonight representing the Scientific Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts in Ljubljana.
And of course, our beloved Father Valerijan JenkoThe Historical Archives for Slovenian Australians in NSW, was established a little more than a year ago, on the 9th of February 2003. Its establishment was encouraged by the work of Dr. Breda Cebulj Sajko, who is here with us tonight. In this short time, much has been achieved. We hope you will agree with us by the end of the night.




















This night is a night of celebration. We are celebrating many things.
Tonight is an acknowledgement of the hard work of many people, who helped to set up these facilities. Those that contributed financially, For example:
The Slovenian Foreign Affairs Ministry (The office for Slovenians Abroad); The Scientific Research Centre for the Sciences and Arts in Slovenia, who are our co-founders; The Slovenian Ministry of Culture; The Slovenian Embassy, Canberra; The generous financial support of the Slovenian Association Sydney and Panthers Triglav; and benefactors such as Alfred Brežnik, Dušan Lajovic, Ciril Jamšek and the Royal Guardian Mortgage Corporation.
The facilities are also a testament to those that contributed their time and skills in its setting up. For example:
Mark Slatinšek, Emil Kukovec, Uroš Ergaver, Mark Gašperšic, Jože Lah, Karl Lukežic, Mirko Lukežic, Igor Poch, Ivan Koželj, Marta Magajna Tania Smrdel and Mihela Šušteršic.
Of course, many thanks must be expressed to Pater Valerijan Jenko and Pater Filip Rupnik, for their strong moral support and the rooms they have provided for us.? Tonight is also a celebration of the achievements of the Slovenian community for the last 50 years.
This celebration takes the form of this exhibition titled:

Sadovi slovenske dediščine - The Fruits of Our Slovenian Heritage.

The credit for this extensive exhibition must go to the research and compilation of Mihela Šušteršic and Marta Magajna, who have been setting up exhibitions for the community for many years. They were assisted by Tania Smrdel, Jessica Kukovec, Clara Brcar and Maria Grosman. This team has tried to present small snapshots of the life of our community for the last 50 years.
A book by the same title ?Sadovi slovenske dedišcine?? The Fruits of our Slovenian Heritage and published by HASA, will also be launched tonight. This book, is not comprehensive and is only the start of the telling of the Slovenian story . It attempts to complement the exhibition and covers the highlights of the community's history and the achievements of the Slovenian community in NSW, for the last 50 years. Once again I thank you for joining us tonight.

Spoštovani,

Ob uradni otvoritvi HASA (Historical Archives for Slovenian Australians),ki jo bosta zaznamovali svečana predstavitev publikacije ''Sadovi slovenske dediščine'' in odprtje istoimenske razstave, vam želim sporočiti, da s tem opravljate veliko delo, ki je za ohranjanje slovenske kulturne dediščine, promocijo slovenske kulture in ne nazadnje za zgodovino našega naroda izjemnega pomena.
Vsem, ki sodelujete pri tem veličastnem projektu in tudi na ta način
izkazujete svojo pripadnost slovenstvu, iskreno čestitam z željo, da
vaše delo še naprej uspešno razvijate.
Andreja Rihter
Ministrica za kulturo

Govor g. Bojana Bertonclja
Odpravnika poslov
Veleposlaništva Republike Slovenije, Canberra

Spoštovani rojaki, spoštovani organizatorji in sodelavci Zgodovinskega arhiva, spoštovani gostje.Danes prisostvujemo pomembnemu dogodku tako z vidika avstralskih Slovencev ? posebej skupnosti v državi New South Wales ? kot tudi z vidika matične Slovenije. Zgodovinski arhiv avstralskih Slovencev predstavlja odločilen premik v organiziranem in kvalitetnem ohranjanju dediščine slovenske skupnosti v Avstraliji in posredno dediščine Slovencev nasploh. Taksen pristop odraža pomen, ki ga pripisujemo temeljnim vrednotam kulture in tradicije za slovensko nacionalno zivljenje, njegov obstoj in razvoj.Ob tej priložnosti in v enakem duhu z zadovoljstvom sprejemamo v roke knjigo z naslovom Sadovi slovenske dediščine v izdaji Zgodovinskega arhiva, pod vodstvom Olge Lah.
Ob tem seveda ne gre prezreti tudi prispevka vseh sodelujočih v projektu, kot je opozorjeno že v uvodu knjige. Novo delo brez dvoma prispeva izjemen vpogled in hkrati temeljit zgodovinski prerez slovenske skupnosti v tem delu Avstralije.

Raznolikost vidikov, ki jih obravnava delo ? socialni, izobraževalni, kulturni, jezikovni, literarni, medijski in nenazadnje družabni ? vse to odraža bogato življensko zgodbo Slovencev v zadnjega pol stoletja tu v Avstraliji. Pravim v Avstraliji kot celoti, saj se ob državi New South Wales in Australian Capital Territory ni mogoče izogniti podobnosti z dogajanji po drugih delih Avstralije. Tudi v tem je knjiga, recimo, prvenec in delovni model. V knjigi zajeta življenska pot je vpeta v razumevanje, da prehojena pot ni bila vedno preprosta ali lahka. Nasprotno. In v tem je knjiga veliko priznanje Slovencem tu ter obenem posrednik razumevanja o izseljenski zgodbi vsem v domovini in drugod. Dodatno k temu pa je zgodba tudi opomnik prispevka, ki so ga Slovenci vložili v izgradnji avstralske multikulturne druzbe. Ocene tudi slovenskega prispevka so v Avstraliji nedeljeno pozitivne. In to navdaja s ponosom in zaupanjem v prihodnost.Gre za potrditev trdnosti slovenske nacionalne identitete, ki kot taka ostaja bistven element v ? uradno od jutri ? tudi širši Evropi, oziroma Evropski uniji, katere enakopraven član je postala Slovenija.Da pa nam je prav na predvečer tega zgodovinskega koraka za Slovenijo in vse Slovence dovoljeno ob javnem uvodu te imenitne knjige pregledati še razstavo z enakim imenom, je skorajda simbolično.

Razstava je tako dodaten element opravljenega dela in oprijemljiv pomnik. Upajmo, da bo informacija, ki jo prinaša v zanimanje in interes širši skupnosti. Prav gotovo pri tem računamo tudi na tukajšnji slovenski medijski glas. Naj bo povedanega dovolj. Z zadovoljstvom se bomo prepustili pripovedi razstave. Dovolite mi torej, da tudi uradno odprem razstavo Sadovi slovenske dediščine.

Govor častnega
generalnega konzula za
NSW g. Alfreda Brežnika

Hvala - Olga. What a great honour to be asked to open such an important institution, the HISTORICAL ARCHIVES FOR SLOVENIAN AUSTRALIANS in NSW or HASA, as we usually refer to it. This is indeed a historical occasion, so fittingly coinciding with the celebration of Slovenia?s entry in EU.Father Valerijan, distinguished guests ? dragi rojaki!Not only are we witnessing here tonight, at St. Raphael?s Slovene Centre, the official opening of the premises of an important Slovenian institution, we are also witnessing the launching of a book titled: ?Sadovi Slovenske Dediscine? or ?The Fruits of our Slovenian Heritage?, which covers almost half a century of the history of Slovenian community in NSW, and its contribution to Australia. And we have here in this hall an exhibition of photographs, publications and other documents depicting all facets of community activities during this rather long period, as well.One would hardly believe that all this is as a result of a meeting held just over a year ago, here in Merrylands, where a very enthusiastic cross-section of our Slovenian community in the state of NSW participated

.We were lucky that Dr. Breda Cebulj from the Institute of Slovene Emigration Research in Ljubljana, happened to be in Sydney at the time.

Thanks to her, the Institute became the co-founder and thus a considerable financial contributor to the newly formed HASA. The common concern shared was, and continues to be, how to preserve our heritage before it is too late? An enormous task, really. Thanks to the enthusiasm and genuine concern of all the members that so much has been achieved in this relatively short time. Of course, as in all voluntary organizations, it is always the core of people, the committee, who works the hardest and produces results. We all may encourage and support them, one way or the other, but it is the hard work and long hours that these people have put into it, that count. Just look around. How did they do it, one may ask? It is mind boggling. It is unbelievable. All this in just a year? Who are these people? I wouldn?t dare to mention any names, as it would be an unforgivable sin, to leave someone out. We all know who they are. They have been mentioned tonight and will be again.

Thank you HASA team and congratulations on your achievement. The Slovenian community is so much richer as from today. We are grateful to you all and appreciate what you have done for the preservation of our heritage in the state of NSW. We are very proud of you all. But we are also aware that all this would not have been achieved without the enormous help by Dr Breda Cebulj. Therefore it is appropriate and it is my great pleasure to invite her to the stage, so we can together perform this honourable duty, in symbolically opening HASA by unveiling the plaque.


WE DECLARE THE HISTORICAL ARCHIVES OF SLOVENIAN AUSTRALIANS NSW OPEN!
Merrylands, 30th April, 2004