On Saturday 23 August 2025, Melbourne’s Latvian House filled with music, memories and the spirit of solidarity as Baltic communities gathered to mark the anniversary of the Baltic Way (Balti kett) — the 1989 human chain that stretched 700 kilometres through Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
The day opened with a moving prelude: the Corpus Medicorum orchestra of medical professionals performing Estonian composer Arvo Pärt’s Cantus in memoriam Benjamin Britten. It was a wonderful Estonian treat for the audience, one that set us on a beautiful journey through the Baltic region’s shared history of endurance and expression through music.
Inside the small hall, every seat was taken. Children sang, the Latvian choir’s harmonies filled the space before and after the official program, and the power of voices in a packed room made the air itself seem to vibrate.
Recreating the Baltic Way
Then came the moment of reenactment. Hands linked across the room in a symbolic Baltic Way. There were not quite enough Estonians to fill the chain, but Latvians gladly stepped in to bridge the gaps — proof again of the unity that defines this shared history. Hand in hand, with Latvian song starting up and us Estonians chiming in, we stood together for fifteen minutes — and in that moment the room felt bigger than its walls. It was simple, beautiful, and unforgettable.
Testimonials and reflections
The commemorative speeches followed. Eyewitnesses recalled the original Baltic Way in 1989: the hurried journeys, the traffic jams, and the extraordinary sight of nearly two million people stepping out of buses, cars and trams to take their place in history. One story linked three generations, as a grandmother remembered joining the chain with her daughter — now watching her granddaughter wear the same national costume for the Melbourne event.
Another testimonial brought a personal perspective from childhood, remembering the orange buses that ran past the Song Festival Grounds in Tallinn, and the moment she and her mother stepped off the bus to join hands with strangers — a memory of pride, unity, sunlight and sea breeze that has never left her.
A journalist’s perspective
Journalist John Mašanauskas, who reported on the Baltic independence movements in the late 1980s, offered a wider lens. He spoke of the atmosphere in Lithuania in those years — the courage of grassroots movements like Sąjūdis, the return of national symbols, and the peaceful determination that drew global attention. He reminded the audience that the Baltic Way was not just a protest, but a message to the world: these nations were already free in spirit, and political independence would soon follow.
The speeches also drew connections to today. Several speakers reminded those present that Russia’s brutal war in Ukraine is not only an attack on one country, but on sovereignty and democracy across the region. As one speaker put it: “United, we stand. Divided, we fall.”
Closing in song
The commemoration ended as it began — with music and unity. The audience joined together in song, led by the Latvian hosts, their voices carrying through the hall with the same mix of hope and defiance that marked the Baltic Way itself. It was powerful, and for a moment I thought the very walls might be trembling with us.
Later in the afternoon, many stayed to hear the orchestra’s full performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 in the large hall — a generous gift to round off a day of history, memory, and solidarity.
In Melbourne, on the other side of the world from the Baltic Sea, the spirit of 1989 lived again: hand in hand, voice to voice, past to present. Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians together.
Read more
The Baltic Way – 35 years since 2 million protest for freedom
Read more on the Black Ribbon Day and Baltic Way from ERR News
