The Free Thought
Encyclopedia
The Free Thought, also known as Vil'na dumka, Vilna Dumka and in ; is a weekly Ukrainian newspaper published in Australia
since 1949. In addition to serving post-WW2 immigrants and the second and third generations of those immigrants, the newspaper also caters to newer immigrants from post-Soviet Ukraine
. It has sections in both Ukrainan
and English
.
cultural and social life.
In the 1980s, The Free Thought helped establish the Ukrainian Studies Foundations in Australia Ltd. to support Ukrainian studies at the university level. In 1994, The Free Thought joined with the Ukrainian Studies Foundation to publish a history called the Almanac of Ukrainian Life in Australia. Another book was published in 2001, this time with the Ukrainian Heritage Society in Australia, containing over 2000 biographies of Ukrainian Australians, titled Ukrainians in Australia: an Encyclopedic Guide.
community. In 2009 he was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia
for "service to the Ukrainian community through cultural, educational and literary contributions".
Over the years, contributors to Vilna Dumka have included Dmytro Nytczenko
, Bohdan Podolianko and Wasyl Onufrienko.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
since 1949. In addition to serving post-WW2 immigrants and the second and third generations of those immigrants, the newspaper also caters to newer immigrants from post-Soviet Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. It has sections in both Ukrainan
Ukrainian language
Ukrainian is a language of the East Slavic subgroup of the Slavic languages. It is the official state language of Ukraine. Written Ukrainian uses a variant of the Cyrillic alphabet....
and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
.
History
A large group of Ukrainian immigrants arrived in Australia in 1948, 1949, and 1950 with the assistance of two-year work contracts offered by the Australian government. This was the impetus for the creation of two Ukrainian-language newspapers in Australia, one of which was The Free Thought. Upon receiving the Federal Government's permission, the first edition was published on 10 July 1949. Since then, the newspaper has had a role in reporting on the establishment and development of Ukrainian AustralianUkrainian Australian
The Ukrainians are an ethnic minority in Australia, numbering about 20,000 people, hence making up 0.16% of the total population. Currently, the main concentrations of Ukrainians are located in Melbourne and Sydney.- History :...
cultural and social life.
In the 1980s, The Free Thought helped establish the Ukrainian Studies Foundations in Australia Ltd. to support Ukrainian studies at the university level. In 1994, The Free Thought joined with the Ukrainian Studies Foundation to publish a history called the Almanac of Ukrainian Life in Australia. Another book was published in 2001, this time with the Ukrainian Heritage Society in Australia, containing over 2000 biographies of Ukrainian Australians, titled Ukrainians in Australia: an Encyclopedic Guide.
Organization
The founder, owner, and editor is Wolodymyr Shumsky (Szumskyj), who has edited more than 3000 editions of the newspaper since 1949 and for many years has been active in the Ukrainian AustralianUkrainian Australian
The Ukrainians are an ethnic minority in Australia, numbering about 20,000 people, hence making up 0.16% of the total population. Currently, the main concentrations of Ukrainians are located in Melbourne and Sydney.- History :...
community. In 2009 he was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
for "service to the Ukrainian community through cultural, educational and literary contributions".
Over the years, contributors to Vilna Dumka have included Dmytro Nytczenko
Dmytro Nytczenko
Dmytro Nytczenko was a Ukrainian-born literary critic, novelist, memoirist, editor, literary researcher, teacher, and social activist who lived and worked in Australia....
, Bohdan Podolianko and Wasyl Onufrienko.
External links
- catalogue entry for Vil'na Dumka from the National Library of AustraliaNational Library of AustraliaThe National Library of Australia is the largest reference library of Australia, responsible under the terms of the National Library Act for "maintaining and developing a national collection of library material, including a comprehensive collection of library material relating to Australia and the...
- The Free Thought product details on www.wrapaway.com.au