Memories of Hrvatski Vjesnik and the Strength of Unity
Photos: Hrvatski vjesnik, archives
In a time before the internet, before social media and instant news, Hrvatski Vjesnik was one of the few windows into the homeland. It was a chronicler of life, struggle, sorrow, and joy within the Croatian community in Australia. The pages that landed in the hands of migrants were far more than just newspapers. They were a beacon of hope, resistance, and identity.
1984 – A Year of Passion and Protest
Digging through the archives, we are taken back to the year 1984 – a time when Croatian emigrants voiced clearly and proudly who they were and what they stood for: a free and independent Croatia. On the front pages and inside columns of Vjesnik, a precursor of Hrvatski Vjesnik, reported on anti-Yugoslav demonstrations in Melbourne. It documented the construction of parishes and community centres, and the recognition of the Croatian language at Australian universities. The names of Vedran Rožić, sporting tournaments, theatre performances, pilgrimages, dances, and commemorations appeared regularly. These were all pieces of the same story: preserving Croatian spirit on a distant continent.
More Than Just News – A Chronicle of Identity
Back then, newspapers were everything – a source of news, a platform for opinion, a scrapbook, and a classroom. Hrvatski Vjesnik didn’t just report on events – it created history. At a time when Australian media often misrepresented Croats, when the truth rarely found a voice, Vjesnik was often the only space where we could say who we were, what we believed in, and why we mattered.
Each Page a Time Capsule
Each yellowed page is now a precious document – a witness to the time when a proud and self-aware Croatian community was being built from the ground up. It contains the contribution of Hrvatski Vjesnik, a history typed on old typewriters, written with heart and with faith.
A Message for the Future
Those pages also speak to the future: never forget who you are – protect your language, your culture, your name, and your past. For in that past lies the lesson of who we were. It is also the path to where we must go.
A New Era – Digital, Instant, and Global
Today, as Hrvatski Vjesnik steps into the digital era with its new online edition, its mission continues, faster and more responsively than ever. Thanks to the internet and social media, news from the Croatian community in Australia can now be shared instantly. It can be followed around the globe. Our successes, celebrations, anniversaries, cultural, religious, and sporting events are no longer confined to one country. They are now visible to our families, friends, and compatriots in Croatia and across the diaspora.
The Same Heartbeat, A Stronger Voice
We still stand on the same foundations – pride, truth, and unity. However, now with a stronger voice. It is influenced by the legacy of Hrvatski Vjesnik.
Hrvatski Vjesnik was never “just paper.” Just as today it’s not merely “scrolling through a website.” It was, and remains, the heartbeat of a scattered but never divided nation.
Related Story: Breaking Boundaries As Croatian Herald Embraces Digital Future