The Board of the Council of Estonian Societies in Australia (AESL) has held a few meetings this year. The direction of the discussions seems consistent: visibility and action from the cities. Each meeting starts with city-by-city updates, hearing from every city representative, followed by reports on language, finances and the Eesti Päevad festival. Each report sparks further discussion.
This raises a question: does only the Board have access to this information and these ideas, or should it be shared more broadly – for greater visibility?
Two Board members manage the social media side – Marissa and Esmée. Marissa has chosen a specific niche, sharing information about selected events, including via Instagram. Esmée publishes events for all cities on Facebook pages.
But the question remains: is this enough? Is this truly AESL Board’s visibility?
We have tried to set up a timeline – one article per month by each AESL Board member.
So far, AESL President Juho publishes a speech for each major event – Independence Day, Victory Day, Commemoration of Deportation, and Restoration of Independence.
Vice President Sirje regularly publishes articles on the webpage – eesti.org.au/aesl. These articles cover everything AESL is today – the Board, the Constitution, Donations, Recognitions, and News. AESL’s support areas are introduced – language, Eesti Päevad, Sõrve camp, the archive, and media. The AGM section features articles from annual meetings and the annual booklets.
Taking all this into account, AESL’s information is available. Those who seek it, will find it.
Still, it would be good to publish regular articles from Board members – not everyone goes looking for updates on the website.
We could send out news updates about AESL’s support areas. For example:
– Martin: what was your experience of Adelaide’s Eesti Päevad?
– Ave: what new things will the next Sydney Eesti Päevad bring?
– Marissa: are camps planned in various cities? And quo vadis, Sõrve camp?
– Iti: language programs seem strong all over Australia – what’s next?
– Ingrid: how are AESL’s funds holding up? (We do sometimes discuss ways to grow them.)
So far, the “one article per month” idea hasn’t taken off. We’ll see how that shapes our future.
But for now, let’s not overlook what we do have – the eesti.org.au/aesl page – thanks to the Australian Estonian Media Project.
This is not said lightly. You’ll understand the BIG THANK YOU owed to the Media Project once you read the section under AESL – support areas/media. Kristi Barrow is the most powerful person in Estonian society in Australia today. (Not to be taken literally. It’s Kristi’s actions – her service to Estonianism in Australia – that are powerful. Her consistency has achieved something remarkable.)
Over the years – from pen and paper to AI – Kristi has carried, and continues to carry, our news and media on her shoulders. When others let go, when the newspaper Meie Kodu closed, Kristi continued. It’s so good to know the work is still in progress – more is ahead.
How could we be impatient? When Meie Kodu closed, it felt like we had NOTHING. Or more precisely – NO ONE. But it never truly disappeared in the background. We are all volunteers, and often our strongest volunteers are also those with heavy work commitments elsewhere. Do we pause to realise what it means to have a media network uniting Estonians across Australia?
News is being sent out. Pages exist with updated info. And now – the power is in our hands. The Media Project has sent out an invitation to BE READY. Once the space is fully set up, each city will have a representative to upload their city’s information. (AESL included.)
The Media Project is working for the future – the programs are chosen for ease of use. Once the system is running, anyone can step in, and the next person can easily take over. Power to us – all we need is willpower.
Media makes us a society. It holds us together.
Each city already has its own Facebook page where Estonians can ask and answer questions – but a shared, united space will make us one community across Australia.
Never underestimate the role of media. GET INVOLVED if you feel called!
April 2025 – Lest we forget.
In memoriam Lembit Marder ❤
