Estonians in Australia Archives

Sir Arvi Parbo, an Estonian-Australian mining entrepreneur and a knight – obituary

By Silver Tambur and Sten Hankewitz / May 2, 2019 June 2, 2019 / 4 minutes of reading

Sir Arvi Parbo, one of Australia’s most well-known and recognised mining entrepreneurs, and probably the only knighted Estonian, died on 1 May at the age of 93 in Melbourne, Australia. The Australian newspaper, Financial Review, calls Parbo “one of corporate Australia’s most significant figures”. “Sir Arvi Parbo will be fondly …

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For Estonian refugees, a masthead made a new home, half a world away

By Silvi Vann-Wall / November 22, 2018 November 22, 2018 / 8 minutes of reading

Estonians fleeing the aftermath of the Second World War and the Soviet occupation found their voice in Australia via a newspaper that continues to this day; Silvi Vann-Wall reports on Meie Kodu (Our Home) and the community it continues to serve. In the tumultuous time after the Second World War, and throughout the Soviet …

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Remembering Estonia’s WWII refugees

By Tania Lestal / September 19, 2018 September 19, 2018 / 7 minutes of reading

It’s time to look back and remember the plight of our Estonian parents and grandparents who fled their homeland to escape the terror and brutality of the Soviet occupation. Many countries generously opened their doors to take in these refugees who went on to lead productive lives in their new …

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Australia opens its first pop-up embassy in Estonia

By Silver Tambur / April 24, 2018 April 24, 2018 / 3 minutes of reading

Australia is the latest of nations that has decided to test out a new concept of modern diplomacy – opening a pop-up embassy in the Estonian capital. This new concept started to evolve in 2016, when the Swiss ambassador to Denmark, Benedikt Wechsler, came up with an idea of the …

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Beebi Boomers – the children of fate

By Andres Simonson / January 11, 2018 January 11, 2018 / 5 minutes of reading

Andres Simonson writes about the Beebi Boomers – the children born in the United States, Canada, Australia, Sweden and other countries to native Estonian political refugees who fled the Soviet invasion and the illegal occupation of their fatherland.* In the war-torn Estonia of 1944, two families from disparate parts of the country make a …

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Estonia opens an embassy in Australia

By Estonian World / March 2, 2016 April 24, 2018 / 3 minutes of reading

Estonia has finally opened an embassy in Australia, 25 years after regaining independence. The Estonian foreign minister, Marina Kaljurand, opened the embassy – the first in the region – in Canberra on 29 February. Cooperating with its mightier Nordic neighbour Finland, the Estonian embassy is located in a building that …

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An Estonian arts and culture festival to open in Melbourne

By Estonian World / December 27, 2014 December 27, 2014 / 2 minutes of reading

Estonia is set to celebrate its twenty–fifth international arts and culture festival in Melbourne, Australia, 28-31 December. Eesti Päevad – the Estonian Days – is a bi-annual festival marked by the Estonian Australians who gather to share traditional craft skills, celebrate artistic endeavours, as well as enjoy a mix of …

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Estonians taking on the world in Brisbane: where we are at and where we have come from

By Harry Ling / September 21, 2014 April 24, 2018 / 4 minutes of reading

Estonians are certainly making an impact on and their presence felt in Australia. The way in which Estonians integrate into an existing culture without forgetting their roots has made them welcome citizens in the “land down under”. Waves of Estonians have hit Australian shores with every recession and crisis in …

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Estonia participates in the Brisbane Scandinavian Days for the first time

By Estonian World / September 12, 2014 September 13, 2014 / 1 minute of reading

The Estonian community of Brisbane will participate in the local Scandinavian Festival on 14 September. Bringing together the local clubs of Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Estonia and Iceland, the Scandinavian festival brings many cultural and entertaining offerings to celebrate everything Nordic. A range of Estonian food and drink will be …

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Estonian communities around the world: keeping the flag flying in Sydney

By Triin Pehk / August 19, 2014 April 24, 2018 / 6 minutes of reading

Australia hosts the fifth largest Estonian community in the world. Among the Estonians currently living in Australia, the Sydney community is the liveliest one. The first Estonians settled in Australia in 1853, and the first Estonian society was established in Melbourne in 1914. During the course of the Second World …

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