Our History

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1949

Australia accepts post-war refugees, first Czechoslovak exiles arrive on ships to Albany or Fremantle, from where they are sent to camp in Northam, conditions are very poor and there is a need for compatriots to communicate and help each other.
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1953 - 1954

The Association operates the first Czech school in Perth, but due to the decreasing number of pupils the lessons have ended.
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1968

After the August occupation of Czechoslovakia, a new wave of refugees came to Australia and opened another chapter of the Czechoslovak Association in Western Australia.
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1973

16 May – The Association acquires the legal form “Incorporated”.
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1983

Petr Hrubý initiates the establishment of the Perth branch of the Czechoslovak Society of Arts and Sciences.
10 July – The Association Hosts a Singing Recital by Míla Šimková.
August – A large cultural event takes place on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the occupation of Czechoslovakia, which screened an authentic film from the first days of the occupation. Mr. and Mrs. Lochman hold Patočka University – private lectures.
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1985

The Association hosts a concert by Karel Kryl, organizes a large exhibition of artistic creativity of Czechs and Slovaks living in WA, as well as a successful cultural program “Meeting of Czechoslovaks of All Generations”.
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1987

A concert by Jaroslav Hutka is held, a Czech musician, composer, songwriter, and democracy and human rights activist.
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1996

A new library with 600 books is put into operation and the second concert of the Prague Chamber Choir takes place in Perth.
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1997

The Czech Republic was hit by a major flood – the Association organized an extraordinary collection in September and the proceeds from it ($ 2,020) were sent to the flood account.
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2006

The exhibition “Czech and Slovak Exile of the 20th Century in Australia” is installed at ECU.
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2009

The association is more open to the younger generation, begins to communicate via the Internet (web, Facebook) and as a result, more and more people of the younger and middle generation participate in club events. 

On 17th October – Czech School Perth is established and Czech language courses for adults begin soon after. 

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2012

With the great support of compatriots in Perth, the tennis pair Petra Kvitová-Tomáš Berdych from the Czech Republic wins the prestigious Hopman Cup. 

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2014

The House of International Cooperation MEYS sends a Czech teacher to Australia to support and promote the Czech language, literature and culture. The project is planned for 4 years, with teachers taking turns in cities, working 6 months each year in Perth. 

A popular actor Jaroslav Dušek met his Czech and Slovak fans in Perth in March. 

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2016

28th March – The Association sends a video greeting to Zdeněk Svěrák’s 80th birthday and screening his film The Elementary School. (Zdeněk Svěrák is a popular screenwriter.) 

3rd December – Milan Kučera attends Ironman Race in Busselton for the first time as the first representative of our community. 

 

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2018

20th October – Celebrating the 100th anniversary of the founding of Czechoslovakia by a National Ball in style. 

 

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2020

1st February – Pokáč – a concert by a successful Czech singer-songwriter playing the guitar and ukulele. 

4th May – The newsletter celebrates 25 years of its existence, 10 years in a colour cover and 9 years in an electronic form. 

 

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1953

20 June – The establishment of the first expatriate association in Western Australia – The Association of People of Good Will, led by Josef Kučík.
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1950s - 1960s

The Association organizes cultural, social and political activities and helps new Czechs and Slovaks to integrate into Australian society.

The association also sends financial and material assistance to refugees in collection camps in Germany.

Since the end of the 1950s, the association has been facing a decline in membership. Many Czechs and Slovaks moved to the East, to Melbourne, where conditions were more developed.

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1969

The Association of the People of Good Will ceases to exist, and on 15 September 1969, the official Czech expatriate association, the Czechoslovak Association of Western Australia, was established by Ing. Karel Kosina.
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1970 - 1980

The club focuses on organizing social and cultural events for expatriates and is dedicated to helping newly arrived immigrants for whom they must provide guarantees to the Australian government – the association must find them accommodation, work and help them socially integrate into local society.

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1984

7th March – The first Czechoslovak radio broadcast on the 6NR station
23rd April – The Association hosts a performance by the famous Czech satirist Jára Kohout.
18th November – The first Czech theater performance takes place.
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1986

Saturday’s Czech school for children aged 6 to 14 opened again in February.
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1993

The principles of the Association are set out in the new Constitution.
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1995

The Association begins publishing the Klokan magazine. Following the division of Czechoslovakia, the association was renamed Czech and Slovak Association in Western Australia.
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2002

Another catastrophic flood occurs in the Czech Republic and the compatriots in Perth hold a fundraiser to help the affected republic.
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2005

Czech & Friends radio starts broadcasting. Its moderator is still Ludvík Jedla.
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2010

May – The Klokan newsletter comes out in a new layout and part in a colour. 

November – Perth, that otherwise suffers from the absence of visits from artists from the Czech and Slovak Republics, hosts a performance of the Slovak dance ensemble Lúčnica and a concert by Czech pianist Jiří Pazour with artist Olga Volfová. 

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2013

24 February – The association hosts a concert of the legendary Olympic rock band. 

20 July – We commemorate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the first expatriate association in Western Australia and on this occasion, we hold an exhibition “Czechs and Slovaks in Western Australia 1953 – 2013”. 

5 October – Slovak pop music star Peter Nagy shines in Perth. 

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2015

8th April – In Perth, two Trabants, a Fiat and two Jawa motorcycles across Australia, across the Eastern Pacific, Indonesia, Malaysia and Southeast Asia begin. 

31st October – Performance by popular Czech band Chinaski. 

19th – 22nd November – History of the Czech and Slovak Film Festival in Perth begins. 

 

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2017

November – Ceremonial handover of the WWII military mess found in Bohemia to the surviving Australian soldiers fighting in Europe. 

 

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2019

23rd February – Tomáš Končinský visited Perth and introduced his book Typo and Škraloup. 

24th March – Great participation and many medals for members of our association at the triathlon in Moore. 

31st August – Traditional Pork feast changes its shape – piglets were roasted instead of sausages. 

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2021

13th February – The Slovak school starts classes in the presence of the Slovak Honorary Consul in Western Australia, Pavel Faix.