| Total population | |
|---|---|
| Latvian 3,758 (by birth, 2016 census ) [1] 20,509 (by ancestry, 2016 census ) [1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Sydney and Melbourne | |
| Languages | |
| Australian English, Latvian | |
| Religion | |
| Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Orthodox | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Estonian Australians · Lithuanian Australians · Latgalians · Kursenieki · Livonians · Latvians · Latvian Canadians · Latvian Americans |
Latvian Australians are Australian citizens of Latvian descent, or persons born in Latvia who reside in Australia. At the 2016 Census, 20,509 residents in Australia reported to have Latvian ancestry. [2]
Few Latvians arrived in Australia before 1947. [3]
Between 1947 and 1952, 19,700 Latvian refugees arrived in Australia as displaced persons under the supervision of the International Refugee Organisation. [4] The first voyage under Arthur Calwell's Displaced Persons immigration program, that of the General Stuart Heintzelman in 1947, [5] was specially chosen to be all from Baltic nations, all single, many blond and blue-eyed, in order to appeal to the Australian public. [6] Of the 843 immigrants on the Heintzelman, 264 were Latvian. [7]
In 1955, the Melbourne Latvian community established its own Association football (soccer) club that competed in the modern-day Football Victoria state-league system, later folding at the conclusion of the 1959 league season. The club was founded as 'Brunswick' (later renamed as 'Brunswick Latvia'), [8] being named after the relevant inner-northern suburb where many European immigrants settled in Melbourne following the second world war. The club were premiers of the 'Victoria Metropolitan League South', being the southern conference of the modern day Victorian State League 1, which was the fourth state league tier at the time which was achieved in its inaugural season of 1955. [9] The club's highest ladder achievement in its highest level of competition was in 1958 where the club finished eighth in the 'Victorian Metropolitan League Division One North', being the northern conference of the modern-day National Premier Leagues Victoria 2, being the state's second division at the time. [10] [11] The club's last season was the following season in 1959, [12] and throughout its existence all of the club's home matches were played on the soccer ovals of Royal Park in the neighboring suburb of Parkville.
Arthur Augustus Calwell was an Australian politician who served as the leader of the Labor Party from 1960 to 1967. He led the party through three federal elections, losing each one in turn.
The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football competition in Australia operated by the Australian Football League (AFL) as a second-tier, regional, semi-professional competition. It includes teams from clubs based in eastern states of Australia: Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland, including reserves teams for the eastern state AFL clubs. It succeeded and continues the competition of the former Victorian Football Association (VFA) which began in 1877. The name of the competition was changed to VFL in 1996. Under its VFL brand, the AFL also operates a women's football competition known as VFL Women's, which was established in 2016.
Heidelberg United Alexander Football Club established in 1958 is a football (soccer) club based in the northern Melbourne suburb of Heidelberg West, Victoria, Australia. The team currently competes in the National Premier League Victoria.
The National Premier Leagues Victoria, commonly known as NPL Victoria, is a semi-professional soccer league in Victoria, Australia. The league is a part of the National Premier Leagues, and is the highest level within the Victorian soccer league system, serving jointly as the second tier within the overall Australian pyramid.
Caroline Springs George Cross Football Club is an Australian soccer club based in Fraser Rise, a north-western suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, and plays in the National Premier Leagues Victoria 2, the second tier of football in Victoria, and third in Australia.
Post-war immigration to Australia deals with migration to Australia in the decades immediately following World War II, and in particular refers to the predominantly European wave of immigration which occurred between 1945 and the end of the White Australia policy in 1973. In the immediate aftermath of World War II, Ben Chifley, Prime Minister of Australia (1945–1949), established the federal Department of Immigration to administer a large-scale immigration program. Chifley commissioned a report on the subject which found that Australia was in urgent need of a larger population for the purposes of defence and development and it recommended a 1% annual increase in population through increased immigration.
Baseball Victoria is the governing body of baseball within Victoria. Baseball Victoria is governed by the Australian Baseball Federation.
Brunswick Zebras Football Club is an Australian semi-professional association football (soccer) club that is based in the northern Melbourne suburb of Brunswick East. Nicknamed the 'Zebras', the club fields both senior and reserves teams for men & women, and operates a junior academy under license from Football Victoria. For the 2019 Football Victoria season, the senior men finished seventh of the state league fourth division, and the senior women were premiers of the state league third division, both in the northern conferences. To date, the club have been national champions and premiers on one occasion each, Victorian state league premiers on eight occasions, state cup winners on six occasions, and winners of various lower state competitions throughout its existence.
Footscray Jugoslav United Soccer Team, commonly referred to as Footscray JUST or simply JUST, was an association football club from Melbourne, Australia. The club was established by Yugoslav migrants in 1950, and was a founding member of the National Soccer League.
Ringwood City Soccer Club is an Australian soccer club from Ringwood, a suburb of Melbourne. The club was formed in 1953 as Wilhelmina by Dutch Australians. The club currently competes in Victorian State League Division 4 East, where it has been since 2014.
Western Eagles FC is an Australian football (soccer) club based in the western suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria.
Hume City Football Club is a semi-professional Australian football club based in Broadmeadows, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria. Established by the local Turkish Australian community, the club competes in the National Premier Leagues Victoria.
The Sunshine Football Club, nicknamed the Crows, was an Australian rules football club which played in the Victorian Football Association (VFA) from 1959 until 1989. The club colours were navy blue and white.
Estonian Australians refers to Australian citizens of Estonian descent or Estonia-born persons who reside in Australia. According to the 2011 Census, there were 8,551 people of Estonian descent in Australia and 1,928 Estonia-born people residing in the country at the moment of the census, having a fall of 0.4 per cent compared to the 2006 Census. The largest Estonia-born community in Australia is in the state of New South Wales, with 731 people.
Avondale FC is an Australian semi-professional association football club, with the men's and women's teams based in Parkville and the junior sides based in Avondale Heights, suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the National Premier Leagues Victoria, having reached the top tier of Victorian football in 2015.
New Australians were non-British migrants to Australia who arrived in the wave of immigration following World War II. The term initially referred to newly arrived immigrants, generally refugees, who were expected to eventually become mainstream Australians. It was coined by Arthur Calwell, Australia's first Minister for Immigration, to promote the assimilation of migrants to Australia from continental Europe. Its use was intended to be positive, and to discourage use of pejorative terms such as "reffo" or "Balt" that were then in frequent use. The term has fallen into disuse since the 1970s.
Lithuanian Australians refers to Australian residents of Lithuanian national background or descent. According to the 2021 Census, there were 19,430 people of Lithuanian descent in Australia and 2,582 Lithuania-born people residing in the country at the moment of the census. As of 2016, the largest Lithuanian Australian community resides in the state of New South Wales, with 1022 Lithuania-born people, especially located in Sydney.
The Victoria Premier League 2, commonly referred to as VPL 2, is a semi-professional soccer league in Victoria, Australia. The league is the third-highest in the Victorian league system, behind NPL Victoria and Victoria Premier League 1, and forms part of the fourth tier of the overall Australian pyramid.
Brunswick Latvia Football Club was an Australian association football (soccer) club based in the inner-northern suburbs of Melbourne. The club was founded in 1955 as 'Brunswick' by the Latvian community and competed in the Victorian state league system throughout its existence, until its dissolvement at the conclusion of the 1959 season.
Foreign relations exist between Australia and Latvia. Australia first recognised Latvia on 22 September 1921 and was among the first countries to re-recognise Latvia's independence on 27 August 1991. Both countries re-established diplomatic relations on 21 November 1991. Australia is represented in Latvia through its embassy in Stockholm, Sweden and an honorary consulate in Riga. Latvia has had an embassy in Canberra since October 2021, and also has honorary consulates in Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne and Perth.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)Ancestral background of Australian citizens | ||
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