Virtual exhibition “Australian Lithuanians. Part 6”
Marking the 75th anniversary of the Lithuanian community in Australia, the Lithuanian Central State Archives together with the Australian Lithuanian Archives invite you to explore the story of Lithuanian settlement and consolidation in Australia. We continue a ten-part virtual exhibition running throughout 2025. This sixth part focuses on the Lithuanian press in Australia and on Adelaide’s Lithuanian Radio.
After the Second World War, large numbers of Lithuanians arrived in Australia from German DP (displaced persons) camps—educated, civically engaged people determined to preserve their identity and ties to their homeland. Publishing conditions were difficult: the community was dispersed across cities (Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, and others), and the Australian government did not grant concessions to foreign-language periodicals. Even so, the Lithuanian press in Australia endured. The first newspapers appeared in the immediate postwar years: “Australijos lietuvis” (Adelaide, 1948), “Mūsų pastogė” (Sydney, 1949), and “Tėviškės aidai” (Melbourne, 1956). Adelaide also saw “Šventadienio balsas” and “Adelaidės lietuvių žinios,” alongside many other periodicals nationwide. The road was not easy—funds were scarce, editors changed, some titles closed—yet “Mūsų pastogė” marked its 75th anniversary in 2024.
In parallel came Lithuanian-language radio. On Saturday, 13 March 1977, at 10:00 a.m., Adelaide Lithuanians heard the first one-hour Lithuanian radio broadcast. Since then, the program has aired every Saturday.
The virtual exhibition “Australian Lithuanians. Part 6” is presented in two sections: “The Lithuanian Press in Australia” and “Adelaide’s Lithuanian Radio.” Featured are records from the Australijos Lietuvis Publishing Co., photographs documenting the publication of “Australijos lietuvis” and “Mūsų pastogė,” and samples from various Lithuanian periodicals across Australia. The work of Adelaide’s Lithuanian radio is illustrated with studio photographs capturing moments from the Lithuanian radio hours.
As is tradition, the exhibition showcases documents preserved in the Australian Lithuanian Archives. We thank Daina Pocius for making these Australia-held documents accessible to a wider public. Explore the exhibition!