Several people of Czech origin amongst new additions to the National Monument to Migration in Sydney.
15.11.2023 / 05:38 | Aktualizováno: 10.02.2025 / 23:39
On Saturday 4. 11. 2023 the Consul-General of the Czech Republic in Sydney, Zuzana Slováková, attended an official ceremony organised by the National Maritime Museum, during which a new commemorative panel of the National Monument to Migration in front of the museum was unveiled – including, among many countries of origin, the names of several Czech migrants to Australia.
The National Monument to Migration or Welcome Wall was built in 1999 to commemorate migrants and their families, and in 2021 was officially deemed the National Monument to Migration in Australia. The names of nominated migrants who each have inspiring stories, are inscribed onto the bronze panels. A sign of the enormous impact migration has had on Australian history and contemporary society – new names are added regularly.
During the current ceremony, 1,040 new names were added to the existing list of over 33,000 migrants of various backgrounds. Among the newly added persons, there were also several names from Czechia: Dagmar (Dana) Juranek, Leslie and Vaclav Suchanek, Augustin Spanhel, Roman and Aloisia Kratochvil, Jiri (George) Matysek and Charles (Karel) Cuma.
The museum continually interested in expanding the list of migrants on the monument. Those interested in sharing their own story or the story of someone they know that migrated to Australia, can do so via the museum’s website. The deadline for submitting nominations for names to be unveiled in May 2024, is December 22, 2023.
Crowd during official ceremony. Credit: Scott Cameron
The Consul-General of the Czech Republic in Sydney Zuzana Slováková attended the event. Credit: Scott Cameron