Gala Night to Mark Milestone in Croatian Community History
By Branimir Šprajcer, on behalf of the festival Steering Committee
Photos: Croatian History Group South Australia
A major celebration of Croatian Australian heritage will take place this Saturday with a special Gala Night commemorating 75 years since the foundation of the Croatian Club in Adelaide.
The event also acknowledges the broader efforts underway as part of the Croatian History Festival Adelaide 2025, a community initiative developed to honour and preserve the stories, people, and milestones of the Croatian community in South Australia.
The Gala Night, to be held on Saturday, 26 April, will feature music, exhibitions, historical displays, and community tributes that pay homage to the pioneers and generations that helped build a thriving Croatian community in the state.
The festival is both a tribute and a legacy project.
“We’re not only marking the past — we’re actively preserving it for future generations. This festival honours those who came before us and offers an opportunity for the broader Australian community to better understand the Croatian story here in South Australia.”
The festival is the result of extensive planning, organising, and research that began in September 2023, with preliminary activities including the Chief Street Croatian School Reunion in September 2024, the launch of the official festival website in March 2025, and involvement in other commemorative initiatives.
It has grown out of the long-term work of the Croatian History Group South Australia, whose volunteer members have been central to researching, collecting, and preserving community stories and artefacts. Their efforts have laid the foundation for what will be a year-long festival in 2025, dedicated to exploring the legacy and future of Croatian identity in South Australia.
Many community members have contributed—and continue to do so—through organising, planning, research, writing, and the donation of historical materials, helping to bring to life a growing body of stories and artefacts. There will be no let-up in these efforts throughout the festival year, as community involvement remains at the heart of the project.
The Croatian History Room Archive, based at the Croatian Club, has been central to this work, serving as a hub for collection, preservation, and interpretation. So far, the festival has taken on an experiential and evolving character, shaped by continuous community participation and discovery.
Numerous opportunities to connect, contribute, and celebrate
The formal festival program for 2025 will include:
The release of a commemorative book capturing 75 years of the Croatian Club’s community history
Two historical bus tours
A three-day history conference to be held later in 2025, during which the commemorative book will be launched
The unveiling of new community archive and biography websites, and
exhibitions at the Migration Museum and Croatian Club Adelaide.
A highlight of the Gala Night will be the unveiling of an enlarged historic photograph from the founding of the Croatian Club in 1950.
Guests on the night will be able to:
Register their interest in purchasing the commemorative book
View festival materials
Access the official festival website: www.chfa2025.com.au
And celebrate with fellow community members over food, music, and storytelling.
The Croatian History Festival Adelaide 2025 is a community-driven initiative made possible through the support of volunteers, affiliated organisations, and generous grant funding.
We gratefully acknowledge the History Trust of South Australia for its support of the commemorative book, and the Central State Office for Croats Abroad for supporting both the book and the archive website. Additional assistance has also been received from organisations and individuals in both Australia and Croatia.
For more information see the web site: https://chfa2025.com.au
