The Council of Estonian Societies in Australia (Austraalia Eesti Seltside Liit, AESL) held its annual general meeting (AGM) on 18 January 2026. I attended, and here’s a brief overview of what I saw, heard, and what we discussed and decided.
The annual general meeting of the AESL brought together a range of folks from ten Estonian organisations around Australia, with 34 votes present. What was encouraging about this meeting was seeing so many different Australian Estonian organisations represented in one room, with their voices heard on matters important to the community. The organisations represented at the AGM included:
- Adelaide Estonian Society
- Brisbane Estonian Society
- Estonian Society of Sydney
- Estonian Cultural Association of Western Australia (EstWest)
- Gold Coast Estonian Society
- Melbourne Estonian Society
- Estonian Cultural Foundation in Australia (ECFA)
- Sydney Eesti Seltsi Kunsti-, Käsitöö Ja Etnograafia Ring (SESKKE) — the Sydney handicrafts society
- Sydney Estonian Parents’ and Friends’ Association – SÕRVE Sõbrad
- Virmalised Sydney Estonian Folk Dancers
It warmed my heart to see just how big our community is and how many people care about the future of it! This is incredible. When I was growing up, I heard about the different community organisations but now I am right in it, following the footsteps of one of my grandfathers. He would be so proud!
To give you some background, using the AESL annual report booklet as a guide, AESL unites 11 societies and organisations from across Australia, including from Tasmania and Perth. Each society or organisation holds a varying number of votes depending on membership numbers. This also affects how much each organisation pays to AESL in membership fees (currently $2 per member). These contributions go towards the financial support that AESL divides between community projects.
So, if you want to increase the voice your organisation has at the AESL AGM, consider joining and supporting your local society (usually for a small membership fee), and come along. Interested parties are always welcome to attend these meetings, so hopefully we will see you at the next one!
Estonian language updates
At these AGMs, we hear what’s been happening in the Estonian communities and organisations across Australia. This includes updates about Estonian language learning. It was great to hear from the Language Coordinator, Iti Connor, about the incredible work happening with the Estonian language teachers last year. I had no idea how many language classes were on offer, or how connected the local teachers are to the global Estonian network of teachers and resources.
To find out more about how you can learn Estonian, click here.
Social media and where to find resources
There was a long conversation at the AGM about social media and resources, especially where to find information about AESL and how people discover it. Some incredible ideas came out of what was, at times, an emotionally charged conversation. A “newer” Estonian in the room (who didn’t grow up in the Australian Estonian community) shared that they rely heavily on social media and online networks to connect with the Estonian community. It was fantastic to have that fresh perspective present and learn more.
It became clear that increased strategy around social media, visibility and how information is shared would help community members connect with information that interests them. I really enjoyed discussions on this topic; I’ve been sharing my ideas about this for a number of years and adopting fresh perspectives has given me hope for the future.
The value of HEIA
The topic of Hello Estonians in Australia (HEIA) came up during the discussion about social media and where people find community information. For this writer, HEIA has become a valuable source of news and community updates that I enjoy reading (and writing for). We talked about the benefits of HEIA for the Estonian community as a hub for news and information, these are obvious. The eesti.org.au platform has been around for a number of years, and it’s fantastic to see HEIA developing and publishing regularly. There was interest around the table in various collaboration opportunities as part of the media strategy mentioned above. AESL decided they would like to collaborate with HEIA to help information flow about what AESL is doing and increase visibility.
Australian Estonian Archives
There was a conversation about making the Estonian Archives in Australia more accessible to folks across Australia. The archives are currently based at Sydney Estonian House and are open only at specific times each week. We discussed digitising the archives so people can access materials online without needing to visit in person. Now wouldn’t this be an incredible achievement! This no doubt is a big project to undertake, and from what my sources tell me, some digitisation work has already started. (See this link for examples of some incredible work that’s been done.)
To add to this, we talked about bringing the archives into the modern day and making them more visible to younger people who may want to explore family or community history. Social media was mentioned as one option. Facebook and Instagram pages exist but are not overly active. Some attendees floated the idea of expanding to other platforms, such as TikTok, to connect with the younger generation, although that would require some planning and more volunteers. If anyone is interested in helping out, please get in touch with me and I will point you in the right direction.
Eesti Päevad
The festival Eesti Päevad also came up at the AGM — as this is something AESL is part of, responsible for, guides, does, not too sure. The exciting news is: Eesti Päevad is going ahead in 2027! This is such wonderful news as it is something this girly grew up attending and how I connected with folks in the community every other year. It’s also great that the festival moves around the country — especially as communities continue to grow in places like the Gold Coast, Perth and even Darwin.
It was great hearing from the trusted head organisers of Sydney Eesti Päevad 2027 about their plans and what’s needed to get this project rolling. AESL kindly agreed to grant $10,000 to kick things off, with plans to increase this funding over the coming months — to really bring us something spectacular. This is a huge project after all — a festival of four days with many performers from Estonia and Australia gathering, the biggest event for our communities. I have high expectations for Eesti Päevad 2027. I know they will deliver — if the increased buzz and life the organisers have brought to Sydney Eesti Maja is anything to go by! Watch this space and their socials, once up and running, for more information and details.
Budgets
This part was a little boring for this writer and it might be for you too, but don’t zone out just yet. While I’m more interested in the fun stuff, like the cultural items, the budget is what is needed for the fun stuff to happen, so I did pay close attention.
It was fantastic to see a robust discussion around decisions and where funding would be allocated this year. AESL does not have a huge pot of money like the Estonian Cultural Foundation of Australia (ECFA), however it does try to support a range of activities that serve the Estonian community, in line with its constitution.
With the increase in the number of children’s camps across Australia — now including Sydney (you know the one!), Melbourne, Perth and the Gold Coast — it was agreed funding would be allocated to support these camps, to see future Estonians in Australia connected from a young age. AESL decided that $3,000 would be distributed among the children’s camps (excluding the Sõrve Summer Camp). Sõrve asked for $2,000 at the AGM, which members approved. To put this in perspective, Sõrve has been receiving financial support of around $5,000 over recent years ($5,000 in 2025, $8,000 in 2024) from AESL’s very small pot of money. Sõrve graciously reduced what they asked for to allow AESL to financially support other children’s camps this year. This made my heart so warm, as a previous laagrijuht (camp leader) of Sõrve Summer Camp, I completely understand the value of bringing our youngest members of the community together to connect and create shared memories! I’m so excited this can happen even more across Australia, giving our youngest community members a place of belonging.
Now you might be wondering where this money has come from, or part of it anyway. During the budget review, it was discovered that the Estonian Archives in Australia were incredibly financially self-sustaining, at least for last year, supported by grants and generous donations from Australia and Estonia. The Archives graciously advised that they did not require an AESL allocation this year, which meant $3,500 could be redirected to other priorities, children’s camps and Eesti Päevad 2027. Gratitude filled the room when this occurred.
Final thoughts
This was a long meeting, at times emotionally charged — but as you can see, some really important things came from it. While I have stepped off the AESL board, I’ll still be keeping an eye on how things progress, and I hope the plans discussed are put in place, including a strategy around visibility and purpose in the coming months.
I would encourage anyone from the community to dedicate a day to attend the AESL AGM. You don’t have to represent an organisation, but you do need to be a member of one. You may not have voting rights unless you are attending as a delegate, however, you will get a clearer understanding of what is happening in the Estonian community, what AESL does, and how they serve the community. And yes — they even feed you pizza!
Acknowledgement
Thank you to Sirje Jõgi Rivers for photos used in this article!
Read more
Council of Estonian Societies in Australia (AESL) webpage
To read the annual booklets and learn more about AESL, click here
