Serbian Australian
Encyclopedia
Serbian Australians are citizens of Australia who are of Serbian
ancestry. According to the 2006 census
, there are 95,364 people in Australia who are of Serbian ancestry. Serbs have migrated to Australia in various waves during the 20th century. The top 3 cities with the largest Serbian-Australian populations in 2001 are:
A wave of immigrants came during and after the World War II
, fleeing the Axis
and Ustasha occupation. Serbs were a large part of the immigrant community between 1948–55 and most of them opposed the communist regime then in place (Josip Broz Tito
). In 1954 there were 6,118 Yugoslav immigrants in Victoria. Worsening economy in Yugoslavia in the 60s and 70s prompted another wave. Many of those who settled in Victoria had worked in Western Europe
(i.e. Germany) prior to coming. The 1961-1971 numbers increase to 49,755 people. After the Yugoslav Wars that broke the federal state of Yugoslavia, Serbia and Montenegro
(Federal Republic of Yugoslavia) succeeded as a federal union. In 1996 the Serbian and Montenegrin immigrants are counted separately and Serbs numbered 4,133 living in Victoria. The 2001 census recorded 19,643 people born in Serbia and Montenegro.
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
ancestry. According to the 2006 census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
, there are 95,364 people in Australia who are of Serbian ancestry. Serbs have migrated to Australia in various waves during the 20th century. The top 3 cities with the largest Serbian-Australian populations in 2001 are:
- SydneySydneySydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
- MelbourneMelbourneMelbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
- PerthPerth, Western AustraliaPerth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
History
Victoria
In the 1901 census, four men were registered as immigrants in Victoria from Serbia.A wave of immigrants came during and after the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, fleeing the Axis
Axis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...
and Ustasha occupation. Serbs were a large part of the immigrant community between 1948–55 and most of them opposed the communist regime then in place (Josip Broz Tito
Josip Broz Tito
Marshal Josip Broz Tito – 4 May 1980) was a Yugoslav revolutionary and statesman. While his presidency has been criticized as authoritarian, Tito was a popular public figure both in Yugoslavia and abroad, viewed as a unifying symbol for the nations of the Yugoslav federation...
). In 1954 there were 6,118 Yugoslav immigrants in Victoria. Worsening economy in Yugoslavia in the 60s and 70s prompted another wave. Many of those who settled in Victoria had worked in Western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
(i.e. Germany) prior to coming. The 1961-1971 numbers increase to 49,755 people. After the Yugoslav Wars that broke the federal state of Yugoslavia, Serbia and Montenegro
Serbia and Montenegro
Serbia and Montenegro was a country in southeastern Europe, formed from two former republics of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia : Serbia and Montenegro. Following the breakup of Yugoslavia, it was established in 1992 as a federation called the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia...
(Federal Republic of Yugoslavia) succeeded as a federal union. In 1996 the Serbian and Montenegrin immigrants are counted separately and Serbs numbered 4,133 living in Victoria. The 2001 census recorded 19,643 people born in Serbia and Montenegro.
Notable Serbian Australians
- Frank ArokFrank ArokFerenc 'Frank' Arok is a retired Serbian football player and coach of Hungarian descent....
- Former soccer player and manager. - Milan BlagojevicMilan BlagojevicMilan Blagojevic is a retired Australian soccer player.-Playing career:During a long and distinguished professional career, Blagojevic made 31 appearances for the Socceroos, 255 National Soccer League appearances as well as playing overseas for Germinal Ekeren , SC Heerenveen , Johor...
- Australian national team soccer player. - Pedj Bojic - Soccer player.
- Bobby DespotovskiBobby DespotovskiSlobodan "Bobby" Despotovski is an Australian football player of Serbian origin.-Biography:Only nine months after his birth his family moved to Yugoslavia because his mother, Valentina, was home-sick...
- Australian national team soccer player. - Jelena DokićJelena DokicJelena Dokić is an Australian female professional tennis player.During the height of her career, she played for Serbia and Montenegro and reached a career-high ranking of World No. 4 on 19 August 2002. After several family-related difficulties , she slowly slipped down the rankings in 2006...
- Tennis player. - Ivan ErgićIvan ErgicIvan Ergić is an international footballer from Serbia. He is a free agent, last playing for Bursaspor in the Turkish Süper Lig, he played as midfielder. He holds Serbian and Australian citizenship.-Club:...
- Serbian national team soccer players. - Vedrana GrbovicVedrana GrbovicVedrana Grbović is a Serbian beauty pageant contestant and model who won the title of Miss Serbia in 2006 and represented her country in Miss World 2006....
- Model. - Milan IvanovićMilan IvanovicMilan Ivanović is a former Serbian Australian football player...
- Australian national team soccer player. - Marko JesicMarko JesicMarko Jesic is a football striker who currently plays for A-League outfit the Newcastle United Jets.-Club career:...
- Soccer player. - Robert JovicicRobert JovicicRobert Jovicic was a long-time resident of Australia who was deported to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia where he became destitute in 2005.Jovicic was born on December 4, 1966 in France of Serbian parents...
- Immigration case. - Sam KekovichSam KekovichSam Kekovich is an Australian media personality, sports commentator and former Australian rules football player.He is well known for his controversial behaviour, both on and off the field, and most recently for his series of satirical advertisements as the spokesman for Meat and Livestock...
- Media personality and sports commentator. - Aleks MarićAleks MaricAleksandar "Aleks" Marić is an Australian professional basketball player of Serbian descent. He stands 2.11 m tall and weighs 125 kg ....
- Australian national team basketball player. - Steven MarkovićSteven MarkovicSteven Marković is an Australian professional basketball player of Serbian descent. He currently plays for Serbian club KK Radnički Kragujevac.-External links:* at legabasket.it* at adriaticbasket.com...
- Basketball player. - Zdravko MicevicZdravko MicevicZdravko Micevic is a Melbourne-based Australian professional boxer, but is best known for his involvement in the death of former Australian cricketer David Hookes.-David Hookes:...
- Boxer. - Jim MilisavljevicJim MilisavljevicJames "Jim" Milisavljevic is a former football goalkeeper. He was a member of the Australian 1974 World Cup squad in West Germany and represented Victoria in 1974. However, he never played a full international for Australia, and only played in unofficial matches.-References:* -See also:...
- Soccer player. - Danny MilosevicDanny MilosevicDanny Milosevic is a football player who was most recently a goalkeeper for the New Zealand Knights in the Hyundai A-League before joining West Australian club Inglewood United...
- Soccer player. - Dragan Durdevic - Rugby League player.
- Nik MrdjaNik MrdjaNik Mrdja is an Australian football player of Serbian ethnicity. He currently plays as a striker for the Australian A-League club the Central Coast Mariners.-Club career:...
- Australian national team soccer player. - Nick PetrovicNick PetrovicNick Petrovic is a well known psychologist and researcher, with a background in psychological profiling, personality profiling, child psychology and personality disorders...
- Psychologist and researcher. - Ralé RašićRalé RasicZvonimir "Ralé" Rašić OAM Zvonimir "Ralé" Rašić OAM Zvonimir "Ralé" Rašić OAM (born 26 December 1935 in Mostar, Littoral Banovina, Kingdom of Yugoslavia (now Bosnia and Herzegovina) is a Serbian-Australian former football player, coach and media personality....
- Order of AustraliaOrder of AustraliaThe Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
awarded media personality and former soccer player and Australia national team manager and administrator. - Dirty SouthDirty South (DJ)Dragan Roganović , better known by his stage name Dirty South,is a Serbian-born Australian DJ, remixer and record producer based in Melbourne.-Biography:...
- DJ, remixer and record producer. - Karl StefanovicKarl StefanovicKarl Stefanovic is an Australian Gold Logie winning television presenter.Stefanovic is currently a co-host of the Nine Network's breakfast program, Today.-Early years:...
- TV presenter. - Vuko TomasevicVuko TomasevicVuko Tomasevic is a football player.He most recently played as a central defender for the Australian A-League club Central Coast Mariners before being released at the end of the 2007 season...
- Soccer player. - Holly ValanceHolly ValanceHolly Valance is an Australian actress, singer, and model, who has dual United Kingdom citizenship. Valance began her career as Felicity "Flick" Scully on the Australian soap opera Neighbours...
- Singer, actress and model. - Dragan VasiljkovićDragan VasiljkovicDragan Vasiljković nicknamed Captain Dragan was a founder and captain of the Serbian paramilitary unit called the Knindže . Currently imprisoned in Australia, he is accused of war crimes by the Republic of Croatia, wanted by Interpol...
- Best known as the founder and Captain of the Serbian paramilitary unit Knindže, but he was also worldwide weapons instructor, businessman and golf instructor. - Lazar VidovicLazar VidovicLazar Vidovic is a former Australian rules footballer.He was recruited from Castlemaine, Victoria and debuted in 1989 with the St Kilda Football Club...
- Former Australian rules footballer. - Nick VujicicNick VujicicNicholas James Vujicic is an Australian preacher and motivational speaker. Born with Tetra-amelia syndrome, a rare disorder characterized by the absence of all four limbs...
- Accounting and Financial Planning graduate best known as preacher and motivational speaker. - Danny VukovicDanny VukovicDanny Vukovic is an Australian football player of Serbian decent. Who has recently signed a three year contract with the Perth Glory, an Australian-based A League franchise.-Club career:...
- Soccer player. - Sreten Božić aka B. Wongar - Writer, author.
- Ursula YovichUrsula YovichUrsula Yovich is an actress and singer. She received a Helpmann Award in 2007 for her performance in Capricornia and was nominated in 2005 for her performance in The Sapphires...
- Actress and singer. - Lew ZivanovicLew ZivanovicLew Zivanovic is an Australian former rugby league player for the Penrith Panthers in the New South Wales Rugby League competition...
- Rugby league player. - Valentina Novakovic - actress