Lilian has competed in 4 Ironman competitions (4km swim, 180 km cycle and 42.2 km marathon) and is the only Estonian woman who has competed so many times. Lilian currently holds the second fastest time (10 hours 51 minutes) amongst the Estonian women atheletes.

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The couple have been chosen in the 40 member Australian squad to compete in the world triathlon titels in Beijing, China, in September after qualifying in January.

Tim and Lilian, personal trainers, met five years ago while competing in a triathlon, and have been married for two years.

„Having similar interests is great, we train together and encourage and motivate each other,・g Tim said.

And just as well they like being around each other, with the pair training six hours a day in readiness for September. Every week, they swim 12 kms, cycle 300 kms and run 80 kms.

The couple are members of the Bankstown Sports Athletics Club and the Western Districts Joggers, based at Lake Gillawarna.

This will be Tim・fs second world triathlon event, racing in Sweden in 2004.

Tim, 32, has been a triathlete for 10 years, and has plenty of experience under his belt, while Lilian, 33, has been at the sport just as long.

The Beijing triathlon consists of a 1500 m swim, 40 km cycle, and 10 km run, with over 1000 people competing.

„The satisfaction of just completing in one of these events gives you a feeling that・fs hard to describe,’Tim said.

By MICK ROBERTS

Bankstown-Canterbury Torch

Two questions to Tero Holopainen,

President of the Finnish Society of Sydney

1) How important is Vappu for Finnish people in Australia, and are you celebrating it regularly here?

Celebrating Vappu is one of those few things that reminds us Finns of home, as it is something that everyone in Finland celebrates.

In Finland it is a true carnival, and arguably our biggest celebration. Especially for those Finns who have grown up in Finland it is significant.
Some like to have the party on the Vappu Eve 30/4 and some have the traditional Vappu brunch with Champagne and herring sandwiches on Vappu day.
Most people in Finland would participate in both, over here in Australia they are often combined.

I have been in Australia for three Vappus now, and we have had a party each year with at least 50 people every time, with over 100 this year.

2) How did you like the first Estonian-Finnish joint event in the Estonian House?

I enjoyed the Vappu in the Estonian House a lot, and it was wonderful to see so many people enjoying themselves as well.
All the feedback I have had has also been very positive. It seems we were able to deliver exactly the kind of party that people were expecting and hoping for.

I would like to thank Estonians for the wonderful venue that suited for the event perfectly and also for organising the event with us.
In the future I hope to see the Vappu celebration in Sydney to become a joint Finnish-Estonian tradition.

Inspired by reading the article in Meie Kodu on 23 March, I , Anne Richardson ( nee Silting) felt it important to let the Estonian community know that there is another Eestlanna who is inspired by the game of bowls and doing quite well – for a novice – compared to Riina. I actually thought I might be the only Estonian woman who plays lawn bowls. It was truly exciting to read the article on the front page!

How did I get lured into playing bowls – a game considered appropriate for real ‘oldies’ ? I was only 64 when I started!

Similar to Riina Bradbrook I was born in Germany in 1945 in a displaced persons’ camp and arrived in Australia in 1948. I studied hard and gained both a B.A. Dip Ed and an M.A. in Education.

After 7 years of language teaching in the State system I had two children and then entered the world of Private schools as I was primarily a Latin teacher!

Eventually, after various positions as HOD and Director, I was appointed Head of Middle School at Redlands where I had taught for 26 years. Under my care were some 400 students and 100 staff – a very exciting job! Suddenly, in May 2007, my world changed as I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Following several months of surgery and treatment, I had to retire from teaching and had to create a new timetable of activities for myself which replaced the joy and excitement I experienced in my working life.

As part of the ‘new’ Anne I turned to bowls – something my husband, Max, had always promoted as a wonderful pastime.

In Feb 2008 I joined N. Ryde RSL Women’s Bowling Club. In 2009- 2010 my fellow bowlers voted me into the position of Publicity Officer to which I was re-appointed for 2011-2012. In this role I am responsible for writing an article each week for the local paper, when required for the NSW Bowls magazine as well as the publication of the Club’s bi-monthly newsletter. This can be viewed on the N Ryde RSL website- under Intra Clubs- and Women’s Bowls. http://www.northrydersl.com.au, www.northrydersl.com.au.  It reflects how bowls is more than just a game- but a whole way of life.

In 2010 I won the Club Graduation Singles- having worked my way through several rounds.

In 2011 I was the Lead for the N. Ryde Club Fours team which won the Bennelong District Comp. A significant achievement as we had to compete with many clubs in the district. My fellow players were three women of considerable bowling experience – totalling some 50 years or more. I had played for a little more than two!

My aim for the future is to continue playing well and winning as many championships as I can. This is easier said than done because bowls is actually a challenging yet rewarding game.

Anne Silting Richardson

Riina Bradbrook (nee Saral) won the Women’s Singles competition at the Australian National Lawn Bowls Champion of Champions Titles contested in North Launceston, Tasmania in November 2010. The win capped off a very successful year in which she also won the Holdfast Bay Club Singles, Metro Singles, South Australian State Singles and South Australian Champion of Champion Singles along with a Silver medal in the National Side’s Championship. She will now don the Green and Gold uniform to represent Australia in the International Champion of Champions tournament in Hong Kong in November 2011.

Riina was born in 1947 to parents Maimu and Uuno Saral while at the Marktredwitz Displaced Persons Camp in Germany. She migrated to Adelaide, Australia in 1949 with her parents and two sisters, Katrin and Piret. Riina married Ian Bradbrook in 1969 and has two children, Cheryl and Steven, and five grandchildren.

While sitting on the sidelines watching both her husband and son bowling at the Ascot Bowling Club in 1989, she was encouraged to participate by the renowned lawn bowler, Paul Richards. The late champion remains the greatest influence on her career and as mentor gave his pupil not only the inspiration to play but also to win. In 1994-95 when, with June Dahlitz, she won the State Pairs title, Richards was on the sideline in support. It is an image that remains as a powerful vision in her bowling life and one reason for her determined and uncompromising approach to the game.

When asked why she enjoys the singles form of the game, she answered very quickly that “In Singles the responsibility is on me. No-one is responsible for me and I am not responsible for anyone.” This attitude along with a confidence in her own ability and a knowledge that she “doesn’t have to prove herself to anybody” give some insight into why she is such a fierce competitor.

She has also represented Australia in the 30 foot mat indoor version of the game picking up two Gold Medals in the Women’s Pairs against New Zealand. There is also an ethereal side to her personality and a visualisation of the numbers 11 and 11, which appear frequently in her life. Over the last four years she has often looked at a clock at exactly 11:11 am or pm or for no reason at all glanced at a bowls score which shows the teams at 11.11. It is an unexplainable set of circumstances but the numbers take on even more significance after her most meritorious win in the National Campion of Champions Titles on the 11/11/2010.

A veteran of 179 State games and 13 consecutive National Round Robins, Riina is not yet ready to pack up her bowls cloth. She has been a member of home club Holdfast Bay for 17 years and is proud of her long tenure. Her aims for the future include a desire to represent South Australia in over two hundred games and to take on an active role as a State Selector at the end of her career.

Acknowledgement: Adapted from an article by John Bevin in the South Australian Bowler Magazine Dec2010/Jan2011.

Two films are featured in this years Melbourne International Fim Festival.

For more information and tickets, see the Melbourne International Film Festival – website.

saturday 25 june, 3.15pm
cinema 2
(unclassified 18+)

Only the Estonian’s can make these kind of joyously confounding films – and we love them! Challenging, highly interpretive, wickedly entertaining – a trolley full of constantly twisting symbolism being pulled along at the end of a slightly fraying surrealist rope. Way more than a simple tale about a postman trying to deliver a package to the moon, Sky Song is an ode for all of those who like to fly.

saturday 25 june, 6.15pm
cinema 2
sunday 26 june, 4.30pm (repeat)
cinema 1

Escape / Pogenemine

Director: Kristjan Holm
Producer: Ulo Pikkov
Estonia, 5’40, 2009
Co-existential boundaries. In an uncertain world, hazy lines can only be crossed with great courage and unlimited imagination.
> www.karabana.com

A Sõrve Pidu

Winter Wonderland -Fantastiline talve ilu

A night of wonderful entertainment for all ages.

Where: Sydney Eesti Maja 141 Campbell St Surry Hills
When: Saturday 16th July 2011
Attire: Semi Formal.
Tickets: $40 Adults, $30 Students, $20 Kids

Price includes meal & entertainment, drinks available at the bar. Childrens activities / childcare available

Book now to secure a table. Tickets available at the door, however it is recommended to RSVP to secure your place.

RSVP 8th July to admin@sorve.org.au

In Adelaide we are getting back to basics!

We are proud to announce that we are featuring a member of our Estonian community who has formed a fantastic successful band. Miles Sly and Yass have agreed to play for us at Esto Pub Night and we are all looking forward to our most exciting evening to date. The EPN, here in Adelaide, has been fortunate enough to have achieved an amazing level of support, there has even been interest from interstate. Just click a reminder on your iCal, as Kalev on Jeffcott will be the place to be on Friday July the 8th 2011!

Miles and his band will play a gentle set of Jazz early in the evening during dinner and then play their dance style popular set and mix of covers when the evening evolves. Adelaide’s original Tom Sarapuu has always been passionate about his theme’s at the Esto Pub Night’s. He has decided that we all enjoy an emphasis on all themes dear to our own culture. Early in July in Estonia, summer is still in full bloom and the people from big cities flood back to their small hometown villages to enjoy the last of the warm weather. Small town music festivals are prominent and we here in Adelaide as a small town, have engaged and joined the seven small towns in South Eastern Estonia in celebrating their music. Still as an unofficial connection we here in the Southern Hemisphere appreciate the exciting period of their calendar.

Miles’ mother Inga is a well known Melbourne born Estonian who has embraced support for the Adelaide community for over 20 years. Their family needs no introduction and Tom Sarapuu’s team has certainly achieved a major scoop in signing Yass for the July Pub Night. Chef Greggory will be back and has had lengthy discussions with an eminent Adelaide Estonian Masterchef to provide a traditional old school Gourmet meal that even has “Y” Generation fussy community members gossiping about what to expect for the latest “Estonian Fusion”! Tom we all are waiting in great anticipation.

This next Esto Pub Night will be at ‘Kalev on Jeffcott’ at 200 Jeffcott St North Adelaide, on Friday the 8th of July. We will certainly be hosting another fantastic evening. Just remember our motto, ‘there are no formalities’, just drop in and see what it is all about! You do not have to book a table or pre-book or prepay for a ticket. Come and meet your old Estonian friends or meet new friendly Estonians. Drop in after being out elsewhere or come for a traditional Estonian meal, we have a recently arrived shipment of Estonian beverages. Tom Sarapuu and his team are ready for another fantastic evening. For more details see us at www.estopubnight.com, email us at kalevonjeffcott@gmail.com or do not be shy and visit us on Facebook on http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=164759990255148&ref=ts

Richard Semenov



Dear fellow Australian Estonian,

My name is Aune Vetik and I’m the new chief editor of Meie Kodu, the
only nation-wide Estonian weekly in Australia and NZ. I’m happy to tell
you that Meie Kodu is entering a new, exciting phase in it’s glorious
62-year history. We now have…

– more local content,
– more quality photos,
– more news that matter,
– more young people,
– more bi-lingual approach, etc.

But don’t take my word for it, see for yourself! Attached is a pdf copy
of our latest issue  Meie Kodu nr 20, 2011 (1.06.2011), free for you to evaluate. Please have a look and
let me know your feedback. We’d love to know what you think of it.

We really want to see you and your friends among the growing readership
of Meie Kodu, wherever you are in Australia or NZ. We even have an
incentive for you. By subscribing to Meie Kodu now, or referring someone
who will, you enter a draw to double your subscription time, free.

And if all the good reasons listed above fail to convince you, there’s
always the best reason of all – every subscriber is a proud sponsor
supporting Estonian culture and heritage in Australia. Support us, and
you’re supporting what you are and what makes you unique!

Head lugemist (Happy reading!),
Aune Vetik
chief editor of Meie Kodu
mailto: meiekodu@eestiselts.org

No 19, 2011 – Meie Kodu

MEIE KODU READERSHIP DRIVE

Eurovision Night Semi-final 2

So you thought the rumours were only about Adelaide and Melbourne having a Eurovision Party but no Sydney is in on the act as well!!!! · Watch The Estonian representative Getter Jaani sing in the Semi-finals this coming Saturday evening.

FIRST TIME IN HISTORY… Live video-skype link with both Adelaide and Melbourne Eurovision Parties to check the local scores and comments about the selection of songs. This will be an amazing event not to be missed, so make sure you are a part of this!!! Mark your calendars please…

Saturday 14 May 6.00pm onwards

Sydney Estonian House
141 Campbell St, Surry Hills

Dinner will be served between 6.30 – 9.00pm
Entry: $5 for non-members and free for SES members and their guests (max 2 guests per member, must arrive together)

To find out more about Estonia’s entry, visit the official site: http://www.eurovision.tv/page/history/by-country/country?country=26

Each year the Council of Estonian Societies in Australia carries out an Appeal for Funds to support the activities of various Estonian organizations and individuals in Australia, such as the Estonian newspaper “Meie Kodu”, Adelaide Newsletter ”Virgats“, Sõrve Youth Camp, Estonian Archives in Australia, Estonian language teaching and others.

Minimum subsidies by the Council each year amount to $19,000. The Annual Appeal typically brings in $5,700, leaving a very large deficit. Although this gap is covered by interest and capital withdrawals from A. Kaljo Fund, this is being reduced each year, highlighting the need to continuously raise more funds.

The Appeal by the Council has a very important role, as without donations from Estonians and their Friends, the work of Estonian organizations in Australia would be greatly restricted or impossible.

You can donate to the Appeal either directly (enclosed slip) or to the representative of your local Estonian organization (collection forms). All donors’ names and sums will be listed in the “Meie Kodu” newspaper, unless you choose to remain anonymous. The Appeal closes on 30th June.

Please be generous with your donations, and take this opportunity to help keep Estonian culture and language alive in Australia.

Thanking you in advance,

Raivo Rähni

AESL Vice-Chairman

To make a donation please provide the following information:

______________________________________________________________________

Council of Estonian Societies in Australia 2011 Annual Appeal

Donation $………………….

Name (capital letters, please)…………………………………………………………………………………………….

Address (city, state)…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Cheques to be made out to Council of Estonian Societies in Australia and posted to

AESL treasurer Mrs Milvi Vaikma, 83 Devereaux Street, Oak Park, Vic 3046

_____________________________________________________________________

RAHVUSKAPITALI 2011. AASTA KORJANDUS

Käesolev üleskutse on Austraalia Eesti Seltside Liidu (AESL) juhatuselt rahvuskaaslastele palvega toetada selle aasta Rahvuskapitali korjandust.

Rahvuskapitalil on väga tähtis ülesanne eestluse säilitamisel Austraalias. Rahvuskapital annab igaaastast toetust mitmele eestlaste üritusele ja organisatsioonile nagu ajaleht „Meie Kodu“, teateleht „Virgats“, Sõrve noortelaager, Eesti Arhiiv Austraalias, eesti keele õpetamine ja tarbed, ning teised; kokku igaaastased toetused vähemalt $19,000.

Rahvuskapitali korjandus toob sisse keskmiselt $5,700. aastas. Suur puudujääk kaetakse A. Kaljo Fondi intressist ja kapitalist, mis väheneb iga aastaga. Seega on kaasmaalaste järjekindel rahaline toetus ülitähtis. Ilma kaasmaalaste toetusteta oleks meie organisatsioonide tegevus suuresti kitsendatud või võimatu.

Annetused võib saata otseselt AESL laekurile koos allpooltoodud kupongiga või anda kohaliku eesti seltsi esindaja kätte. Selleks otstarbeks on korjanduslehed.

Annetajate nimed koos annetustega avaldatakse „Meie Kodus”. Juhul kui nime avaldamist ajalehes ei soovita, palume märkida vastavalt ning annetus registreeritakse anonüümselt. Korjandus kestab sel aastal kuni 30. juunini.

Olgem helded oma annetustega, et eesti keel ja kultuur Austraalias püsima jääks!

Kõiki lahkeid annetajaid ette tänades,

Raivo Rähni

AESL abiesimees

Rahvuskapitali juhataja

______________________________________________________________________

Austraalia Eesti Seltside Liidu Rahvuskapitali 2011. a korjandus

Annetuse suurus $………………………

Annetaja nimi (trükitähtedes)……………………………………………………………………………………………..

Elukoht (linn, osariik)………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Tsekid palume kirjutada Council of Estonian Societies in Australia nimele ja saata koos selle väljalõikega AESL laekurile aadressil: Mrs Milvi Vaikma, 83 Devereaux Street, Oak Park, VIC 3046

IT’S like the bobsled movie Cool Runnings, but on skates. Australia’s elite female ice hockey players are preparing to take on the world’s best in the middle of a scorching summer heatwave, hitting the ice while the temperature outside reaches almost 40C.

Despite barely figuring on the Australian sporting radar and living in a climate more suited to surfing, the squad of 20 is hoping to take the gold at this week’s ice hockey world titles.The event is being staged at Warners Bay rink near Newcastle, the first time it has ever been held outside Europe.Aussie defender Anna Ruut said the home team was in with a strong chance.

The 24-year-old, from Sydney’s Sutherland Shire, tried netball and soccer as a child but always dreamed of hitting the ice.

“I pretty much had to wait until I was old enough to drive myself to the ice rink before I could try,” she said yesterday.

The Aussie team was due to play its first match last night against Belgium.

The Daily Telegraph, 02.02

Meie Kodu 4th February 2011

The Sydney Estonian Society invites everyone to the Mother’s Day Concert – “Life with Children”

Saturday May 7 at 2:00pm at the Sydney Estonian House

There will be performances by Virmalised, Lõke, Children and Soloists and Afternoon Tea will be served after the concert