ERIKA ŽIŽEK
NSW Slovenian Australian Awards 2008
Outstanding Volunteer of the Year
Presented on 21 June 2009

 

Erika Žižek was born in Prekmurje, Slovenia. At seven years of age, she was given her first small piano accordion, enrolled in music school, and her lifelong love of music had begun.  Eventually, with a 120 bass accordian, she joined the Maribor orchestra. At eleven years of age, she performed with the youth orchestra in Belgrade for the President of Yugoslavia Marshall Tito’s birthday. She also visited Tito’s private zoo.
On 7th July 1957 her family escaped to Austria and was sent to Jannesdorf Migrant Camp. The family sailed to Australia aboard the ship Aurelia and arrived in November 1957. During the sea journey, Erika entertained passengers and staff with her lively tunes from her home country. From Bonegilla, the family was sent to Wollongong and later went to live at Redfern. In 1966 she married Bill. They have two daughters, Lolita and Karin.

Erika went to St. Patrick’s School for girls and, with the help of a nun teacher, had extra lessons in English and learnt shorthand and typing. She also worked evenings wiping dishes. During this time, Erika met Mr. Otto Weis, who was a piano accordion teacher. Under his guidance and tuition, she joined his orchestra and performed at many venues; including the Bobby Limb TV show. Erika joined the first Slovenian music group in Sydney, established by Fathers Odilo Hajnsek and Bernard Ambrozic, to play at dances and concerts at Paddington Town Hall, which often attracted more than 500 guests. She also joined the newly formed Slovenian drama group. In the early sixties, Erika played the accordion on the television show “Captain Fortune” wearing a borrowed, 100 years old Slovenian national costume. How proud she was explaining to viewers its origin and what it meant to the Slovenian community!

Erika had worked at several different jobs, but the most important and also most demanding was the job with the European Immigration office (ICEM) as an interpreter and assistant to the liaison officer.
Erika joined the Slovene Association Sydney in 1993 as a committee member and soon became its secretary, a demanding job, yet the one she did with great diligence and love and which she found most rewarding and challenging.

Erika Žižek je dobila prvo klavirsko harmoniko, ko je bila stara 3 leta in je začela obiskovati glasbeno šolo. Harmonika jo je spremljala vsa leta in Erica je že kot otrok žela veliko uspehov z nastopi na raznih zanimivih in važnih predstavah, tudi na televiziji. 1993 leta je postala član odbora Slovenskega društva Sydney in kmalu za tem sprejela delo društvene tajnice, delo, ki ga je opravljala z veliko marljivostjo, ponosom in veseljem dolga leta.

Congratulations, Erika, and thank you for all your support over the years.  

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