Global Estonian interviewed Kristi Barrow, where she spoke about her roots and the activities that have led her to create a media project bringing together Estonians in Australia.

How did the idea of starting the Australian Estonian community media website come about? Did you see a specific need in the community or was there some inspiration behind it?

The idea of starting the eesti.org.au website was a combination of my initial curiosity of learning to build websites, and creating a web presence for the Estonian Archives in Australia. My mother Maie Barrow was an archivist and in 2001, I decided to create a page about the archives. After the initial launch, we formed a small subgroup called Estnet and expanded the website to include additional information about the upcoming Estonian Festival and some other organizations such as the Sydney folk dancing group, Virmalised.

More recently, with changes in technology and the rise of social media, it was clear the website had to adapt and evolve or die. Our community, though small, is vibrant and diverse, and I wanted to foster a sense of unity and belonging by giving people a place to connect with their heritage while living in Australia. Plus, it just made sense to have a centralised hub where everyone could stay informed and engaged with what’s happening in our Estonian community.

What has your personal connection to Estonia and Estonian culture been like growing up in Australia? Was your mother Maie, who speaks Estonian, an example to you in preserving the Estonian language and culture?

Obviously my mother, Maie Barrow has been the biggest influence on my Estonianism! My mum has been involved in everything Estonian my entire life, serving on many committees, boards and being the volunteer honorary Archivist of the Estonian Archives in Australia for almost 30 years. I am so proud of her and she taught me the importance of giving back to the community.

Growing up in Australia with a connection to Estonian culture has been an enriching experience for me. From a young age, I was made aware of a country and culture outside of Australia. Estonia did not become independent until I was 13, so keeping the culture alive outside Estonia was very happening all over the world. Esto 88 was held in Melbourne and brought over 6000 Estonians from all over the world to Australia to help celebrate Estonian culture. I vaguely remember attending some of these events, including a March for Estonian independence through the streets of Melbourne.

Estonian food played a big part in our family traditions, especially at Christmas times. We always had the traditional Christmas Eve celebrations (in contrast to some of my Aussie classmates!) with lots of hot dishes such as roast pork, even if it was 30 degrees outside! My godmother taught me to make kringel. Family gatherings were often centered around cooking and sharing these traditional meals, which made me feel connected to my roots even though I was thousands of kilometers away from Estonia.

I also attended Sõrve, the Estonian-Australian summer camp when I was younger and met many other kids like me who lived in Australia, but had at least one Estonian parent. There were opportunities to sing in the choir or dance with the folk dancing groups, but I was not interested or very talented in these pursuits. My out-of-school activities centered around sport, and most of my spare time was taken up with training and matches. I don’t regret this, but I wish that somehow there was enough time for me to be more involved in some of the cultural activities during my childhood.

What have been the biggest challenges in developing the Australian Estonian community media project? How has the community and the audience responded to it?

By far the biggest challenge is people’s time. The Estonian community in Australia is almost exclusively built off the back of volunteer hours. It can be hard to find the time in addition to work, family and other commitments. Until 2023, I have spent most of the time driving the project solo, with the help of my mother and others from time to time.  Sometimes trying to find time to work on the project can be difficult, and everything seems to take longer than I hoped!

The other main challenge is to organise a group of people to all move in the same direction. I think there is a saying that if you find three Estonians, they will form five organisations! However, I also realised this was something I could not do on my own if I wanted to succeed. We held a workshop in late 2023 with assistance from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs cultural grant, and from there we formed our aim, strategy. Coincidentally, before the workshop, Johanna Rivers contacted me about wanting to get more involved. She has been fantastic to work with and is now the Chair of the Australian Media Project. We put an open call out to the whole of the Australian Estonian community, and now have a full sub-committee in place to help us achieve our vision.

We are currently finalizing our new name and website, and hope to have this released in the next few months!

You’ve also been active with the Australian Estonian Cultural Fund and the Estonian Archives. How did you get involved with these organizations, and what role do they play in the community?

My connection with Archives came about when my mother became the Archivist. Since then I’ve been assisting where I can, mainly with computer and IT support. The Archives is an extremely important repository of information that holds the history of Estonians in Australia. We see the Media Project as the forward-looking organization of Estonians in Australia!

I was approached to become a member and later a board member of the Estonian Cultural Foundation of Australia. The ECFA’s mission is to facilitate the promotion of Estonian culture in Australia, which is a cause I am very passionate about. The ECFA has an annual grant process and last year some of the supported projects included EstWest’s ‘Perth Estonian Family & Music Festival’, Melbourne Estonian Society’s Melbourne Estonian Children’s Camp and a national Estonian Playgroups Teachers Training Workshop.

Which moments or projects in your volunteer work have been the most meaningful or memorable to you personally?

Connecting people to their Estonian culture is definitely the highlight. Over the years, I’ve received many enquiries from people, usually seeking relatives or information about their Estonian heritage. Usually they have found the website online and something has sparked their interest, a photograph or a name of someone they recognise. I’ve then been able to put them in touch with the right person or organization. People have reconnected with long lost relatives, or have donated a significant collection to the Archive.  

I was invited to the Media Forum held by the Foreign Ministry in December 2022. I met many people who are running newspapers or news websites from around the world. It was so inspiring to discuss challenges and solutions with people in the same situation, and this was ultimately the spark to move forward with eesti.org.au and take it to the next level. It reminded me of the power of face-to-face contact. Having recently come out of many Covid restrictions, it was a breath of fresh air to meet people in person rather than over a computer screen.

I was also extremely proud of the fundraising effort we did on behalf of Australia for the Great Flight of 1944 Commemorative Sculpture in Pärnu. We raised over $20,000AUD for the sculpture and I was lucky to be able to visit Tallinn for the commemoration service and Pärnu for the unveiling of the sculpture.

Receiving the recognition from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is a great honour. What does this acknowledgment mean to you? Has it brought new motivation or ideas for the future?

I was extremely humbled and honoured to receive this recognition. I’ve been lucky to be able to contribute to the Estonian Australian community doing something I really enjoy.

My main focus now is to get eesti.org.au up and running with a new name, new site and collaboration with all the organisations and individuals in Australia. I think this will keep me busy for a while!

How do you see the future of the Australian Estonian community? What projects or initiatives could emerge to support the continuity of the language and culture?

There are so many opportunities now to promote Estonian culture in Australia. With the technology and funding available, the sky’s the limit. All it takes is to get started!

For example, a new association was set up last year in Western Australia, EstWest. There are many Estonians with young families in Perth and the new organisation is thriving.  Already they have held a children’s camp, events to support key Estonian dates and an Estonian Music Festival!

Do you have a message or advice for Estonians living far from home who still want to stay closely connected to their roots and culture?

Do something that you enjoy! If you can’t sing or dance (like me!) seek out other opportunities. Perhaps you are a fantastic project manager and you can help organise local Estonian events such as Eesti Päevad in Australia. Maybe you can help out behind the bar at Estonian events. If you are a great designer, there are numerous opportunities to connect to your Estonian heritage. EstWest held a logo design competition, which was won by Tiina Morton, a Perth-based Estonian designer, and Sydney-based artist (who is now studying in Tartu) Lachlan Bell designed the ECFA logo. Marissa Pikkart has just launched estoniandesignsau.com that sells a range of products with various designs inspired by Estonian folk costumes.

Seek out like-minded people and create your own Estonian experience no matter where you live.

This article originally appeared on Global Estonian — an information gateway for Estonians living abroad and globally minded Estonians at home.

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