Here we have a growing collection of stories of Czechs and Australians. From those, who paved their way overseas, to those who remained largely unrecognised, but whose stories nonetheless highlight interesting aspects of relations between the Czech Republic and Australia
Stanislav Brzobohatý-Berton
Stanislav Brzobohatý was born on 2nd March 1924 in Brno, where he also graduated high school. During the Second World War he made a living as a stage manager and actor in Hranice in Moravia, but he unavoidably ended up as forced
Farmers from Tasmania
I’m sure that our readers know the story of Milan Vyhnálek, known as the „King of Cheeses“, who founded and built the Lactos factory with his own bare hands. Before long it became the largest cheese factory in the southern
Australia through the eyes of Czech immigrants: The Škvařil Family
Vlastimil Škvařil described how he ended up in Adelaide after fleeing Austria with his family after August 1968 to great detail. Later he moved to Burnie in Tasmania where he lives to this day. Image: The Škvařil family at the
Australia through the eyes of Czech immigrants: Three Czechs who emigrated after February 1948
The following excerpts are from the memoirs of three Czechs who emigrated after February 1948. Let’s start with the first impressions of Božena Šamánková, written on board a transatlantic steam boat as it pulled up into Sydney Harbour. “We arrived to
Australia through the eyes of Czech immigrants
The Czechs left their mark on Australia at various points throughout the eventful 20th Century. Czechs fled to the other side of the world during the era of the First Republic, after German Occupation in March, 1939, after the Communist
First Epimoni-AC Podcast episode in English: Andrew Greene
Alena from Epimoni-AC Podcast sat down with Andrew Greene, a broadcast journalist with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in Canberra, for the first episode of her podcast in English! Epimoni-AC is a podcast about unique Czech and Slovak compatriots living abroad. Recently the
Czechs in the midst of the Second World War
The first shots of the Second World War were fired on the 1st September 1939 in the middle of Europe, far from the shores of Australia. However, the sound of those shots reverberated all the way to the land down
František Mlejnek
Frantisek (Frank) Mlejnek, left his village of Lestkov in 1949, at the age of 25. After experiencing life through WWII and then the experience of post war Czechoslovakia under communist rule coupled with the lack of opportunity, Frank decided to
Odona Farska
Before she became a professional yoga instructor, Odona Farska worked as a flight-attendant. As a result, she is very well-travelled and has spent almost more of her life living overseas than in her home country. Odona has been living in Canberra for over
Andrew Greene
Andrew Greene, a broadcast journalist in Australia, talks about his Czech roots. At the beginning of the 1950s his grandparents fled from Czechoslovakia and settled in Australia. Andrew held on to their language and culture. In the early 1950s my maternal
Miroslav Bukovský
The story of a unique jazz musician, Miroslav Bukovský, who was born in Czechoslovakia in 1944 and emigrated to Australia in 1968, where he and as compositions became a jazz sensation. He had a significant impact on the teaching of jazz at Australian
Karel Halla
Thanks to the project Czechoslovak Talks, we are sharing the story of Karel Halla with you, who fled from Czechoslovakia to Australia in 1949. At the start of 1953 he returned to Europe thinking that communism would soon fall. When
Jiří Chaloupka
The story of Jiří Chaloupka, a Czech who emigrated to Australia and dedicated his life to the documentation and preservation of the rock paintings of Indigenous Australians in the Northern Territory. In 1948, right after the Communists seized power in the
Czechs in Australia after 1948
After the communist coup d’etat in February of 1948, thousands of people fled from Czechoslovakia. They then spent long weeks and months in the inhuman conditions of refugee camps in Germany, Austria and Italy, waiting for the chance to emigrate.