Dva deseteljeća 'Hrvatskog studija' na Sveučilištu Macquarie u Sydneyu
Two Decades of Croatian Studies at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia

Summary/Abstract: Croatian language as an independent subject was introduced at Macquarie University in Sydney in February 1983 thanks to tireless lobbying of the members of Croatian community, Croatian Australian organisations and exceptional power(s) of observation of Australian politicians on both State and Federal level. The preparatory steps in the late 1970s and the main role in introducing Croatian language into Macquarie University curricula in the early 1980s were played by the Central Council of Croatian Ethnic Schools in NSW headed by the late Zorislav Simundza (who was immensely assisted by Fr Gracijan Birsic), the Croatian Intercommittee Council of NSW led by Gojko Nakic and Barbara Zaher, and the Free Croatian radio Program on 2SER-FM, the editor of which was B. Zaher. These Croatian organisations worked very closely with Dr Peter Hill, the first Head of the Department of Slavonic Languages and one of the lecturers in Croatian in 1983. By introducing the Croatian language, Macquarie University became one of the first tertiary institutions in the world to offer a program in Croatian Studies; here both the Croatian language and Croatian culture could be studied with a complete academic and cultural freedom. They still enjoy that freedom to this very day and Macquarie University, thanks to the unique features of its Croatian Studies Centre, stands out among the world’s academic institutions offering program in Croatian Studies.

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