26 January 2011 – Melbourne, Australia – UMD wishes the entire Australian Macedonian community a Happy Australia Day and celebrates the 100 years of contribution to Australian society by Macedonians on the continent.
‘Today we salute the citizens of Australia who have contributed to the social, economic and environmental well-being of our nation. It is a time to celebrate the achievements that have made Australia a prosperous, democratic and tolerant nation. It is a time to remember the generations of Macedonians who have worked on building Australia’s future and an opportunity to reflect on what it means to live in Australia and how we can become sustainable as a nation of many cultures and one community’ said Ordan Andreevski, UMD Director of Australian Operations in an interview for the SBS Radio Macedonian program today.
UMD would like to reiterate that Macedonians have been part of the cultural make up of Australia for well over a century. The community has produced leading sports people like Peter Daicos and Pece Naumovski, music talents like Bobby Andonov and Chris Joannou, and top fashion designers like Toni Maticevski, among others in the medical, legal, academic, and business industries. “These individuals are Ambassadors for the Australian Macedonian community and cultural identity,” continued Andreevski. “By acknowledging and celebrating our successes and our history in Australia, we can strengthen our community, our identity, our reputation and our culture.”
UMD is pleased to note that the Australian Macedonian community is successfully meeting the challenges of intergenerational transfer of knowledge and custodial responsibilities.
‘I am pleased with the quality of the young emerging leaders who have shown a passion for preserving and advancing Macedonian history, language, traditions. Our community and the resources that have been accumulated over time are in good hands’ concluded Andreevski.
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