BY CATHERINE YESAYAN
I’d like to start my report on Australia with a personal anecdote.
A few years ago, I was babysitting my grandson, who was five or six years old at the time. He suggested that we play a board game. I had to ask him questions provided on a stack of cards, and he had to answer them in writing.
The first question I pulled was: “Where do you want to celebrate your birthday?” I thought he would say Chuck E. Cheese or somewhere like that. When he finished writing, he showed me his answer. It was “Rmenia.”
I was quick to realize his thought process. He had figured out that since the letter “r” sounds like “ar,” then there was no need to start with the letter “a.” I was very amused for two reasons; his skills and the fact that he wanted to please me, because he knew my sentiments toward Armenia.
The next question was: “Name an exotic place.” For that question, he asked me, “Nana, how do you write the letter ‘sh’?” I said, “When you put the two letters (s and h) together it sounds like ‘sh.'”
So he started to write, and I was curious to know what his thought process was. When he finished, he showed me what he had written — “Oshtrelia.” He meant Australia. I couldn’t help but notice the intelligence of this new generation of kids.
Yes, of course, Australia, because nobody can deny that when thinking of Australia, the first thing that comes to mind is the most exotic wildlife, and you may very well consider Australia an exotic place.
So on March 29, my husband and I boarded a Fiji aircraft to first meet the Armenian community in Auckland, New Zealand, and then to fly to the exotic “Oshtrelia.”
Our first stop in Australia was the city of Melbourne, and later Sydney. Although, today, my focus is on their Armenian communities, I’d like to say that the highlight of our trip in Australia was to visit the exotic animal sanctuary in Melbourne and then to see the March of the Penguins. It was an extraordinary experience.
FFtom left: Seta Hovakimian, Sylvia Iskenderian, Arax Mansourian, Catherine Yesayan
Now, about Sydney. I contacted three Armenian women who live in Sydney separately. However, I later found out that those three women knew each other. The first woman was Seta Hovakimian, who I had met in Armenia last year, and she had told me that she would be happy to meet me in Sydney and direct me to the local Armenian communities.
The next woman I met was Sylvia Iskenderian. I met Sylvia through her daughter, Lisa, who was an instructor at a paint night organized by Hamazkayin, an Armenian benevolent group in Glendale. While I was talking to Liza at the paint night, by chance, I found out that her parents live in Sydney.
The third woman was the well-known and beloved Armenian opera singer and professor, Arax Mansourian.
On the last day of my stay in Sydney, these three women had arranged a get-together at the Westfield Mall in downtown Sydney.
By any means, it was a remarkable plan. First, Westfield Mall was next to the hotel where we were staying, and the timing was just perfect. Right before meeting them, I met with the Mayor of the city of Ryde, where most Armenians live. Shortly, I will tell you about my meeting with the mayor.
First, I’d like to give you a little background on these three distinguished women, how they arrived in Australia, and the ways they’re involved in the Armenian community.
When I met Liza at paint night, she told me that her parents are very involved with their local Armenian community in Sydney, and she was indeed correct.
Liza’s mother, Sylvia, and her parents immigrated to Australia from Egypt in 1963. That was the start of the emigration of Armenians from Egypt, because of the socialist regime that the prime minister Gamal Abdel Nasser had created.
Sylvia met her husband, who was from Jerusalem, in Australia.
In 1992, when the Republic of Artsakh was newly created, Sylvia and her husband, with two other friends, supported the Republic of Artsakh by building a hotel in its capital city Stepanakert.
They named the hotel Nairi. It served as a vital bridge between the Diaspora and Artsakh. For many years, it has accommodated many dignitaries as guests.
Sylvia has been very much involved with several Armenian organizations, but she’s engaged chiefly with the Armenian Relief Society and Hamazkayin, where she has served for many years.
In 1999, she organized a one-day Armenian Cultural Symposium on Armenian history, architecture, language, and culture. The symposium was attended by many dignitaries, including Australian and indigenous guests, and members of parliament.
Sylvia is also a freelance journalist with articles published in Armenian and Australian magazines. She and her husband are also benefactors of the AGBU Alexander Primary School in Sydney.
Arax Mansourian was born in Beirut, Lebanon. She was an infant when her parents, due to the post-WWII repatriation movement, decided to leave everything behind and move to Armenia. Arax has many nostalgic memories of growing up in Gyumri, Armenia. Life was not easy, however, she cherished the warmth of her tight-knit family.
Arax was the youngest of four, having two older brothers and a sister. As a young girl in her school years, she demonstrated great musical aptitude, and performed in several concerts.
She studied at the Romanos Meliqyan College of Music and later graduated from the Yerevan State Komitas Conservatory, where she was the only performer of modern atonal vocal classical music by young composers, who were writing songs specifically for her to sing.
During her studies, Arax participated in different music festivals throughout the Soviet Union and, after graduation, she soon started to sing at the Yerevan State Opera as a soloist. Around that time, she received many invitations to perform in different countries, including Australia.
Arax’s debut with the Sydney Opera House was in 1995, as Liu, in Puccini’s Turandot opera. She received great reviews for her performances in the principal role in that opera. Around that time, she met Jacob Kiujian, who she married and has been with for the last 30 years.
The Sydney Opera House
Later, Arax worked at the Australian Institute of Music as a classical vocal teacher. Many of her students have learned Armenian songs and have performed in Armenia. She and her husband wish to move to Armenia soon.
Arax’s brother, Tigran Mansurian, is a world-famous Armenian composer of classical music and film scores, and is known as the “People’s Artist.”
Seta Hovakimian was born in Aleppo, Syria, where she was married and had four daughters. She, her husband, and her three girls, moved to Australia in 1989.
Today, three of Seta’s daughters live in Sydney. She has nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. She attends a local Armenian Evangelical church, where she is the chairperson of the spiritual counsel and the lady’s auxiliary. The Evangelical church was established in 1965 in Willoughby, where many first-generation migrants from the Middle East lived. However, most Armenians living there later moved to other suburbs.
Armenians began to arrive in Australia, during the gold rush in the 1850s, from the Middle East and later from Turkey due to the political upheaval and other tragic events such as the Hamidian massacres in the 1890s, the 1915 Armenian Genocide, and after WWII.
In recent history, the main influx of Armenians arrived in the 1960s from the Middle East, mainly from Egypt, when Prime Minister Gamal Abdel-Nasser came to power and created a socialist regime.
Then, migrants arrived from Cyprus after the Turkish occupation of the island, and later from Lebanon and Syria due to civil unrest. The Armenians from Iran mostly arrived in the 1980s, right after the Islamic Revolution.
In the early 1990s, a small number of Armenians from Armenia migrated to Australia to escape the hardships created by the collapse of the Soviet Union, the devastating 1988 Spitak earthquake, as well as the Azerbaijani aggression in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh).
Today, the Armenian community of Sydney is estimated to be around 40,000. The number of Armenians in Melbourne is less, maybe around 10,000. In both communities, there are established Armenian organizations that cater to the educational, cultural, athletic, and welfare needs of the Armenian community.
Melbourne has two Saturday language schools and St. Mary’s Armenian Apostolic Church.
Here, I need to mention that Melbourne had been ranked by the Economist Intelligent Unit as the world’s most livable city for seven years in a row, from 2011 to 2017. That’s a rare feat for a city.
The Australian-Armenian communities take pride in their significant contributions to politics, business, academia, sports, and culture.
The main concentration of Armenians in Sydney is in the suburbs of Ryde and Willoughby. Also, smaller communities exist in Adelaide, Brisbane, and Perth. Each year, Armenians in Sydney hold an annual festival that attracts over 25,000 visitors.
In 1966, the Church of Holy Resurrection was inaugurated in Chatswood, next to Willoughby. Also, as I mentioned before, the Armenian Evangelical Church of Sydney in Willoughby was inaugurated in 1965.
Sydney, the largest and most populous city in Australia, is best known for its opera house — which is built in the form of a sailboat — and the sweeping views of the harbor. It’s a city to fall in love with.
We arrived in Sydney on the “Holy” Thursday, before Good Friday. An old friend, who lives in Sydney, picked us up from the airport and drove us to Downtown. We crossed the iconic Sydney Harbor Bridge, made from steel and built in 1932, which is known as a “Coat Hanger.”
Our hotel was on George Street, across from the iconic Queen Victoria Mall.
The Queen Victoria Mall, built in the 1890s
Unaware of the neighborhood, we had chosen the best spot for our hotel. The stupendous Victoria Mall, built in the 1890s with impressive architecture similar to a grand cathedral, took my breath away.
A few days later, when we had a chance to visit the inside of that mall, we were surprised to see the it had a similar floor plan to today’s malls. It was mind-boggling that, so many years ago, such a building was erected. To me, the most exciting aspect was the huge elevator and the original colorful floor tiles.
On Easter Sunday, my husband and I headed to the Apostolic Church of Holy Resurrection in the suburb of Chatswood, which has served the Armenian community for the past 65 years.
The weather was just perfect in the low 70s. It was a joyful day and everybody was in a festive mood. Many families were enjoying the beautiful Easter Sunday. I had a big appetite to learn about the church and its activities.
Catherine Yesayan at the Queen Victoria Mall
Right next to the church, I noticed a stretch of fresh lawn where a booth was set up. I approached it. At the booth, there was an Easter Bunny character in costume and a few other young adults. They all were wearing the same uniform — a three button-down, white short-sleeve shirt with an emblem which read: ‘ACYA,’ an acronym for “Armenian Church Youth of Australia.”
As I introduced myself to them, they explained that the Youth Club has 25 members. They help with activities and the entertainment that the church organizes, such as picnics and other events. They said that there’s an activity that they help to organize almost every month. They also attend bible study and contribute to the publishing of the Looyce magazine.
It was a little late to watch the kids’ interaction with the Easter Bunny, because they had already dispersed.
After chatting with the Youth Club members, I stopped at the church office to get some more information. The Armenian Apostolic church of Holy Resurrection is located in Chatswood, New South Wales. The church, under the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, has a Sunday school with 30 kids between the ages of four and 12.
The church has an 11 member Diocesan Council, who take care of the many requirements of the church such as repairs, finances, and other needs. The church also publishes two magazines: Looyce and Paros.
An Easter Bunny with members of the church youth group at the Holy Resurrection Church in Sydney
The Holy Resurrection Apostolic Church has a women’s auxiliary committee who prepare cookies and coffee for after the liturgies. Also, the church offers a welfare center, funded by the government, for senior citizens. The church has a total of 380 paid members.
The church has three different choirs. The participants of the first group are between 15 to 22 years old. The next group, which is named “Vardanantz,” consists of individuals between 20 to 30 years old, and then the last group is called “Loussavoritch,” which is for adults 30 years and older.
Here’s the list of other Armenian churches:
- The Armenian Apostolic Church of Holy Trinity in Wentwothwille, New South Wales
- The Armenian Catholic Church is located in Lindcombe. New South Wales
- The Armenian Evangelical Church is located in Willoughby, New South Wales
- The Armenian Brotherhood Holy Trinity Church is located in Ryde, New South Wales
- The Armenian Evangelical Brethren Church is located in Northbridge, New South Wales
The following are lists of Armenian organizations in Australia, which I pulled from Wikipedia.
The traditional Armenian political parties established in the country include:
- Social Democratic Hunchakian Party
- Armenian Democratic Liberal Party
- Armenian Revolutionary Federation
There are also many associated political groups, including:
- Armenian Youth Federation of Australia
- Armenian National Committee of Australia
Other operating social and cultural organizations within the Armenian-Australian community are:
- Armenian General Benevolent Union
- Hamazkayin Regional Committee breaking down into subdivisions/committees.
- SBS Armenian Radio
- Armenian Chamber of Commerce in Australia
- Homenetmen Australia
- Hye Hoki
In Sydney, there are several cultural centers where Armenians gather. One such center is located in Willoughby, in New South Wales, and is called the “Armenian Cultural Centre.” Another center, the “Armenian Cultural Panoyan Centre,” is located in Bonnyrigg, New South Wales. There are smaller cultural centers in Neutral Bay, City of Ryde, Frenchs Forest (Ararat Reserve), and Naremburn, Sydney. Melbourne also has several cultural centers.
Armenian Schooling has become stronger throughout the Australian community, with two full-time schools operating in Sydney. These include the Galstaun College and the AGBU Alexander Primary School.
There are also a number of Saturday schools, including:
- Toomanian Armenian Saturday School
- AGBU Alex Manoogian Saturday School
- Tarkmanchatch Armenian Saturday School
- Serop Papazian Armenian Saturday School
- Looyce Armenian Catholic School
Two days after Easter Sunday, on a Tuesday, a friend had made a prior arrangement for me to meet with the Mayor of the City of Ryde. Nearly 10,000 Armenians live in Ryde, which is the largest concentration of Armenians in Australia. The city is situated in the Northern part of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales.
Mayor Sarkis Yedelian welcomed my friend and I to his office, and we had a nice chat together. Yedelian is Armenian. He and his family arrived in Sydney from Beirut in 1979. He is a graduate of the Armenian Hamazgayin College in Beirut. A few years after of his arrival, in 1983, the very ambitious Sarkis Yedelian started an Armenian radio station, called “Sardarabad Radio.”
He also co-founded the Armenia Weekly magazine and served on its Editorial Board. Later, from 1994 to 2007, he established a community TV station, called “TV Sydney,” and helped young filmmakers air their productions. He also volunteered to train young journalists in video production and operating cameras.
Yedelian was first elected as an Independent Councillor for the City of Ryde in 2004, and was later re-elected for a second term in 2008. In May of 2010, Yedelian joined the Liberal Party and was re-elected for a third term. He was also re-elected for the fourth and fifth terms. He’s known as the longest serving councillor.
The City of Ryde is composed of twelve councillors. All members are elected for a fixed four-year term in office. The mayor is elected by the councillors for a two-year term at the initial council meeting.
Yedelian has served as Chair of the following committees: Ryde Planning and Environment, Ryde Community Harmony Reference Group, and the Ryde Economic and Development Advisory committee.
Yedelian was instrumental in buying an old building in Ryde and turning it into a multicultural senior center.
He has a background in journalism and electronic engineering. He is self-employed and runs an IT telecommunication and precision instrument consulting services company. He retired in 2019 and has dedicated his time to community needs. He is married with two adult children.
Yedelian is the first elected Councillor in Australia of Armenian decent and played a key leadership role in Ryde’s Multicultural Advisory Group, which advises Council on all multicultural issues.
His fluency in five languages — Armenian, Arabic, French, English and Turkish — has helped him communicate with the immigrant and diverse ethnic population of the city of Ryde.
In 2005, Yedelian introduced a motion to recognize the Armenian Genocide to the council. As a result, the city of Ryde became the first local council in Australia to recognize the Armenian Genocide In June of 2018, a motion to recognize the Armenian Genocide was accepted for debated by Australia’s House of Representatives for the very first time.
First we met the mayor at his large offi,ce and then he took us around City Hall and showed us the chambers,where the council has sessions. We had the chance to take pictures in front of Queen Elizabeth’s portrait.
Afterward, the mayor took us to a nearby park to visit the memorial plaque installed in 2005 in memory of the Armenian Genocide, following the bipartisan recognition of the genocide by the city of Ryde. We also had the opportunity see the more recently erected khachkar (cross-stone) made of volcanic rock and imported from Armenia. We took some pictures and then returned to City Hall.
Here it is fitting to tell you that Gladys Berejiklian, who is of Armenian descent, was elected to serve as the 45th Premier of New South Wales and as the leader of the New South Wales division of the Liberal Party from 2017 to 2021.
To conclude my report of the very active enclave of Armenians in Australia, I’d like to tell you about an Armenian woman who runs a very successful business selling Indigenous art.
Anoosh Safarian in her store where she sells indigenous artifacts
On the last day of our stay in Sydney, our friends took us to the Sydney Harbor where there’s a small shopping center. Anoosh Safarian, an Armenian from Iran, opened a shop selling indigenous artifacts nearly 30 years ago.
Anoosh was 18 years old when, in early 1970s, her family immigrated to Australia. She has two sons, one of whom manages the store.
I had a great appetite to learn more about Australia’s Aboriginal culture. Anoosh explained that the Australian Aboriginals have been around for more than 65,000 years.
Their tradition is rich, and it translates into thousands of relics and stories that celebrate their heritage. The art produced by indigenous people are not just relics – they tell stories of their history, laws, religion, and culture.
We couldn’t say goodbye to Australia without buying some souvenirs, and Anoosh was very generous in offering us significant discounts.
This is how 10 fabulous days in Australia ended. We left the country with many fond memories, to say the least.
Catherine Yesayan is a regular contributor to Asbarez, with her columns appearing under the “Community Links” heading. She can be reached at [email protected].