Sydney Maco

Having been born into a Macedonian family automatically makes you a member of the Macedonian Orthodox Church. Here in Sydney we have several Macedonian Orthodox Churches which we can attend, namely; Roseberry, Rockdale, Cabramatta and several newly formed churches. There has been great debate around which church is the “true” church, and I’m not going to get into that here at all. Since most of those arguing probably can’t even name the four gospels, let alone recall a key verse from the Bible. These same people make out to be members of the “true” church, but their real motivation is power, control and a sense of authority rather than serving Christ. They’re probably better off getting a job as a parking attendant or security guard if they’re really bent on that sense of authority. Enough about them.

It’s really sad to admit this, and deep down we all know it’s true, but our community is not truly Christian, we only wear a badge called Macedonian Orthodox when it’s convenient. We are not to blame as individuals, it’s the way our community has evolved here since the early 1970’s. As a family we’d attend church for Weddings, Christenings, Easter and Christmas. Treating church more as a social gathering than a place of learning about the gospel. I recall going to church as a kid to Roseberry, we’d go inside light a candle each, stand around for 10-15 minutes, then head outside for the ice cream vans. I cannot say that I learned a single thing about Jesus while growing up and attending church, and I think most others my generation would say the same.

Today it’s not quite the same, we’ll go inside, light a candle with the kids, leave some money on the icons, then go outside to find others we haven’t seen since last year (since everyone is too busy working and don’t visit anymore). Can’t say I come out of there enlightened or with any revelation, I’ll be surprised if anyone else has. Why do we do this, is it because we’re expected to, believe that it’s the right thing to do ? It’s conditioning, and we’re on auto pilot.

Best way to illustrate is with this example, everything will become clearer.
An experiment was conducted on 10 chimps in a cage, there was a ladder leading up to a platform with bananas on it. Every day at a set time, a new bunch of bananas were placed up on the platform, the chimps would go up and get them. After some time, the experiment was changed so that a hose was pointed at the ladder and any chimp going near the ladder would be blasted. They tried several times, but soon got the picture and learned that there were consequences. Again the experiment was changed, and the hose was removed and one of the original chimps was replaced by one that had never been in the cage. He’d run for the bananas, the others would hold him back. He gradually developed the same conditioning as the others and knew not to climb up, but not the reason. Gradually all the original chimps were replaced one by one with new chimps, until all the chimps now in the cage had never been blasted by the hose but had become conditioned by the others. At the end of the experiment, from time to time a chimp would make a run for the ladder, and the others would hold him back, none of which had ever been blasted by the hose.

We are more than chimps, but sometimes we can behave the same way when living on auto-pilot.
Currently we’re not going to church consciously with any intention of learning something new or becoming closer to Christ. In fact every year I’m amazed at the mass turn out. It’s like a fashion parade and car show out the front all rolled into one. Others take the opportunity to promote their business, handing out leaflets, phone directories, plastering cars with leaflets, etc. We are a miserable bunch when you step back and think about it, I’d go as far as to say that we’re downright hypocrites, and offensive towards God.

My challenge for you all is not to turn things upside down and become rebels, but to question things from time to time. Ask your parents why they have to take red dyed eggs to church for easter, ask them why they leave money, oil, towels in front of icons at the church. You’ll be surprised by some responses, some more puzzling than others. And if you’re really up for it, my real challenge is for you all to ask the priest how he intends to reach out to the younger generation parading around in mini skirts and waxed chests. I’ll be doing that this weekend and let you know how I go. You’re probably curious now about some of the questions I posed. The reason Orthodox Christians leave things at church near the altar has it’s roots in Judaic tradition where animal sacrifices were offered. It was believed that the animal being sacrificed would take away the sins of the person offering it. This is totally contrary to the teaching of Jesus who the church was established for in the first place. What should be taught in our churches is that Jesus died for our sins, through his death we are forgiven. As for the easter eggs, thats going to be another post some day.

If enough of us start posing these questions, and taking a genuine interest, I believe that we’ll get to the heart of the matter, and our community as a whole will benefit.

Something most people don’t like to think about is getting old, but we’re all heading there.
The aged pension is something that our parent’s generation aspire to, they see that as an achievement and an entitlement for long years of hard labor. The bar has been raised much higher for our generation, the aged pension should not even be contemplated as an option. We’re forced into saving for retirement through superannuation in a user pays system that would cause an outrage with the older generation. We’re forced into a private health system through tax penalties where the corporate world will now be responsible for our health and wellbeing. A world where over servicing and inflated prices swallow up any savings made through reduced government bureaucracy. Take a look at the US for example, medication we take for granted here, costs them an arm and a leg. Is a US-like society something that we all aspire to, or is it something forced upon us unwittingly by our submissive government, buckling under pressure ?

I believe that our generation will suffer the greatest strain financially in retirement since we have parents with one expectation, and a government with another expectation of us. We need to forget all talk about government pension, even public health, it’s here today, but realistically in 30 years time it’s every man for himself. Forget government subsidised medication like pensioners enjoy today, and heavily discounted public transport, these are a legacy of a bygone era. As individuals, even as a community we cannot realistically change this shift. What we can do is plan for these things and make a positive outcome, rather than let things happen, and feel like a victim. Awareness is the seed we need to plant in the whole Macedonian community, ignorance will not get us anywhere.

What can we do about this ? I see three options;

- Ignore, and let things happen
- Take action as individuals
- Take action as a community

I’ll explain why the third option is the most likely to see a positive outcome. Ignorance will get us to a state of minimal superannuation accumulation, maybe a house we own, parents in their 80’s to 90’s needing looking after. A fairly mediocre existence, forget about going on overseas holidays every year.
If we take things into our own hands, maybe invest actively, put some money aside, keep ontop of market trends, we’re likely to have only a slightly better outcome. This may sound surprising to most, especially those that feel they have a good handle on their finances and retirement planning. A little more money obviously helps, but what good is the money to you if the community you enjoyed at one stage no longer exists. Or your siblings, cousins, etc went down the ignorance is bliss path. Only a totally selfish person would say “so what, I worked for my money, tough luck to them all.”
Now hopefully you can already see why the third option is the best possible all round. More money, and people to enjoy it with at the same time. Allow me to illustrate with two extreme scenarios;

1. Community of retired Macedonians, all have a car, living in their own house, able to travel overseas regularly, attend social events, concerts, theater, sporting events, church every Sunday, etc. Enjoy each others company, meet regularly for coffee, dine out with others, etc. Independent of their children, feel free to come and go as they please.

2. Vast majority of retired Macedonians on minimal pension, most without a car, living with one of their children out of necessity, cannot travel overseas unless someone else pays for airfare, meet at the local shopping centre and talk about politics, bring a sandwich from home and wont even buy a coffee from Michell’s Patiserie. On the other hand there’s the handful of really well off retirees who are despised by the majority. They’ll go fishing, travel overseas, have a car to travel, but sadly the company is scarce.

We need to shift from the “entitlement mentality” and “victim mentality” held by most of our parents to one of prosperity. Prosperity we can build up as a community with common values, not as selfish individuals with no regard for others. The freedom we enjoy here in Australia is priceless, but even freedom with ignorance is the same being enslaved. I am hopeful that we can achieve the first scenario described above through open discussion and a forum between key members in the community, leading to a definite action plan.

We all get busy with life sometimes, and forget to check up on how our friends are doing. It’s typically the friend you haven’t heard from in some time, or when the conversation just isn’t the same with them any more. Others may have hurt us in some way and we’re inclined to give them the cold shoulder, or write them off completely.
A simple written letter in the mail is something we all seem to have forgotten about in this digital age. When you write things down, the thought process in your brain actually reinforces ideas you already have. At the same time, it’s a way to get straight to the heart of the matter, you open up to your soul. On the other hand with the convenience of email, the excuse of “I’m too busy” just doesn’t cut it any more.
Before I go on, I’d like to set some context which will make my point clearer.
We’ve all heard of the rise in consumerism, typically this is associated with shopping, self indulgence, etc. There is also a lesser known term of information consumer, we are all information consumers to some extent. Society has built up a large base of passive information consumers in many forms, movies, television, print, internet, news, etc. At the same time we can draw another parallel to fast food. A lot of the information out there is of such poor value as to compare it to the nutritious value of fast food.
We’re all aware of the mass market for dieting, cleansing, detox etc. There will soon come a time where people go on an information detox, simply due to over consumption of what is essentially poor quality information.
My argument is that it’s not healthy to be a straight passive information consumer. Many people get caught up in the trap of being a passive information consumer (popular culture, work, news, etc), until a threshold is reached. Then they escape this and flush their minds by going on a holiday as far away as possible. It’s a cycle that continues, and seems quite normal to most people.
So where does our friend come into this ? Our friend could simply be suffering from information overload, or maybe formed an addiction to some source of information (eg internet, movies, etc). A lot of teens these days get lost on the internet in chat rooms, or instant messaging with friends. Men also get hooked on internet porn, since it’s so freely available and easily accessible. Internet auctions such as ebay can also become addictive. These addictive tendencies form in all people to some extent, and can come about for a variety of reasons.
I believe that as human relationships become less valued to individuals in society, there will be a rise in addictive tendencies. By valued, I mean being appreciative towards others, as well caring towards others, respecting people enough to meet them in person rather than SMS them.
The challenge for us is to really value our relationships with others.
Make an effort to see people in person, write them a letter, keep in touch. Friends sometimes get lost, fall into a rut, and don’t think to ask for help. It’s always refreshing to have someone contact us and show a genuine interest.

Most families were made up of Mum, Dad and two kids, these days things are changing.
Our parents came here, some without anyone they knew, let alone family of their own.
We have to acknowledge that they did it tough, both parents working, paying a mortgage, leaving the kids with older women who didn’t work. Having more than two kids was uncommon in those days, maybe if the dad desperately wanted a boy, or the Mother desperately wanted a girl. What’s happening today, how many kids are people having ?

Our generation has very little to worry about these days compared to past generations. We have parents that can help with looking after the children, even if they work, they can still be of some help. We have well paid jobs, don’t need to worry about a roof over our heads or food on the table. Something tells me, a lot of us these days take all these things for granted.

It looks like the family makeup of a typical Macedonian Family here is Sydney is becoming polarised. We have two extremes, many that have just the single child, and many that have 3 or more children, everyone else is having two children. When you think about it, it’s only logical, given the affluence of our times. It comes down to how much self indulgence we like, and how much we are willing to sacrifice.

On one hand you’ll have those that like to continue going to cafes daily and continue sports/business interests as opposed to dedicating more to the family. Then you have those that out of abundance, see that they can support a larger family and know that the more love you share around, the more love you get back. People I talk to about family size typically say, we’d be happy with one boy and one girl. Others say doesn’t matter what we have, as long as they’re healthy … And it’s true, but deep down, dads want boys and mums want girls.

My theory about family makeup is as follows; The more the better, and I’ll explain why.

A dad that only has daughters will always have that feeling inside him that he’s missing something. He can’t bond with his daughters, etc. In fact later in life, he will feel great distress when they begin dating. On the other hand a mother that only has sons will also feel something missing, someone to chat with, go shopping with, dress up, etc. Then when their boys get married, they may feel the rivalry with their daughters-in-law.

A family with both boys and girls allows both parents to experience life fully, both positive and negative. A mother with both boys and girls will have someone to chat and shop with, and will also have a rival when her son marries. A father with both boys and girls will also have boys to bond with, and his daughters boyfriends to deal with.

If a couple decides to stop at one child (and I don’t mean those that cannot physically have more than one child), they only get half of what life has to offer. Couples that decide not to have any more children after 2 or more boys only, or girls only, are in a similar situation.

Based on probability alone, the more children a family have the more likely they are to have both boys and girls. We all know of an example where a family has 5 boys, or 4 girls, etc. This thought alone has frightened many couples off once they’ve had two or three of the same. There is of course more at play than just straight probability when you consider one couple in isolation. Overall, things balance out, for example x percent of couples have either all boys or all girls, the other y percent have both boys and girls. In a large enough sample, the breakdown by gender of the first group will always be 50-50, same with the second group. The split between the two groups is the big question, I suspect it’s not as large as we may think, probably 20-80, ie 20% have all boys, or all girls, the other 80% have both. The stats would reveal all, but I don’t have these yet.

According to the ABS 2006 Census Data, there are some 34,000 Macedonians in NSW, and 37,000 in VIC. I’d be interested in getting some stats by age and gender of the Macedonian population in Australia, particularly Sydney. I’ll write about findings once I have these.

The bottom line is, the more kids, the better your chances of having a family made up of both boys and girls, then you can truly experience everything that life has to throw at you. In the end it’s all good, some men are destined to have only girls, some women are destined to have only boys, these are rare, much more rare than you may think. I will prove this with stats, and encourage you all to have more than just one or two children.

They say that timing is everything. Everyone’s circumstances are different, and something that’s wrong for most people, might be right for you. If for example a family with 3 kids living in a 2br unit need to move into a house, now is the right time for them to sell. Remaining in the 2br unit longer may present an opportunity for a house maybe $20-30K less if they wait another year. But can you put a dollar value on the difference in giving the kids a comfortable home and yard to grow up in during that time ?

Investment in property is meant to be totally devoid of emotional attachment. The minute you form some emotional attachment to a property, you know that you have strayed from a sound investment strategy. Unrealised losses can be a real pain to bear, these can make you miss other opportunities, simply beacuse you can’t face selling up. Capital gains tax is the ransom that the government hold over your property, you cannot avoid it. It’s ever increasing with time, and it’s more painful the longer you put it off during your lifetime.

When you’re buying remember that the agent showing you the property is not working for you. They are working for the vendor. For example when a couple go to see a house, sometimes the wife doesn’t realise this and expresses her excitement in front of the agent, this reduces your bargaining ability. Agents don’t tell you the truth ever, doesn’t matter if you’re selling or buying. They tell you what they want you to think in order to manipulate you in some way. For example if selling, they’ll promise top dollar, you’ll sell this place in a week. After you’ve signed up, the’ll tell you the bad news, you may have to lower your expectations, the market isn’t quite that good right now. If buying by private treaty, they’ll overstate the price, if it’s going to auction, they’ll understate the price.

I hate auctions, except for ebay ofcourse. By ruling out houses listed for aution, you’d effectively halve your options these days. I still think the auction process leaves much to be desired, and that these opportunities are for either the extremely strong willed, or the careless. Now I see auctions as another possibility, you just have to move a lot faster. There is always the option of making an offer prior to auction. Provided your finances are in order, with pre-approval to a given amount, and you line up the necessary inspections.

Taxes are a fact of life, we can try and hide from them, but sooner or later they will catch up with us. Some people manage to get away with paying no tex, it’s so obvious when you see them. The objective is not to get away with paying no tax, but rather to live a comfortable life not burdened with the thoughts of being victimised. It’s sad when you see someone go through life feeling a victim of society. I’ve seen people in their 50s who still havn’t snapped out of it.

Why are houses so over-priced in Sydney ? Here are some reasons I’ve come up with;

- Overly-eager lending including low-doc loans, etc
- Increased spending by consumers during a period of low interest rates
- Media hype, including renovation shows, etc
- Big push from negative gearing by investors to minimise income tax
- First home buyer schemes which just get factored in by the market
- State Government land taxes
- A generation that wants a 4br with ensuite and study at age 25
- Parents contributing towards the purchase

A correction in the market is imminent, those with exposure will get burnt.
There has been a steady deflation in house prices in the last 12 months, despite this the government and the media remain in denial.
When we think of it sensibly, is a 4br house with 2 garages and no eves sitting on a 450m2 block 30Km from the city worth busting you balls for the next 20+ years. At under 8% p.a. interest this is currently below the radar, but soon it will all surface.

So property in Sydney is tricky at the moment. On the positive side, I’d rather be buying today, than 2-3 years ago. Finance is readily available to almost anyone, so there’s no excuse there. My advice is to make the agents really work for their money, don’t give them an easy time. Make them sweat during negotiations, you have the upper hand, take advantage of this. It’s your money they’re after (even if you don’t have it all today). They are not there to give you moral support, or help you decide between one house or another.

This is true in many ways, more so when our culture and heritage are at stake, fortunately we are in a country where we can freely retain these. This great freedom can easily be dismissed by first generation Australian born Macedonians while raising their own children. Some questions immediately come to mind, for example;

• Private or Public
• Secular or Christian
• Convenience for parents or sacrifice by parents
• Co-educational or girls/boys only
• Supplement with after school or Saturdays

Obviously a large factor in schooling is cost, this to a large extent will determine whether you chose to send your children to a private school vs a public school. Having gone through the public system myself, I can say that it was definitely character building, the challenges faced have more than made up for the standard in teaching. For example we had a Biology teacher for our Year 11 and 12 Physics class. A very nice man, but he couldn’t work out how to use a protractor to measure an angle. This challenge for me turned out to be a blessing, I ended up learning physics on my own using notes from students in the other class and self study guides.
Being Macedonian Orthodox, one challenge faced during primary school was scripture. The Greek students had their own scripture classes, the Christian students had their own, the Hindi, Buddhist, etc. We were placed in the non-scripture class to just sit there and be supervised by a teacher who would read the news paper. Again this challenge has turned into a blessing where I studied the bible on my own, and continue to do so today.
Some parents go to extra-ordinary lengths to get their children to school, others are happy for them to walk to the nearest public school. School can be treated like a continuation of early child-care by some parents, who enjoy the convenience and like to leave everything upto the teachers.
I can understand the reason why parents would object to sending their children to a co-educational school, they have the best intentions in mind. But I feel that through my own experience, it’s not as bad as they may think. The problems they’re concerned about come about from the children that attend that school, regardless of whether it’s co-educational or not. Some could even argue on the other hand, that it’s no co-incidence that Catholic School Girls have a reputation.
Saturdays typically involved going to Macedonian school at Newtown. It’s the reason that I can now read/write Cyrillic, and speak Macedonian with people outside of my dad’s village. I have often thought it would have been better if I did something else on Saturdays like soccer, or piano lessons, etc.
Currently I’m faced with this decision on a school for our children. When I see some of the youth that hang around at Bankstown for example, I’m deeply troubled. I’d like to see my children go to a school where they are not subjected to the mindless impulses of these lost kids. At the same time I feel that with a lack of real-life experience, and over-sheltering they will be less likely to cope in the real world. I feel that it’s very important for our children to attend a school that teaches the values we have as Christians, and not some one-size-fits-all school where anything goes.
As a Macedonian community we do not have private schools for our children to attend and grow up together. The only compromise I can come up with is an Anglican school which uphold the same Christian values that we have.
My argument can be summarised as follows; We wouldn’t send our children to an Islamic School for example, based on the difference in values alone, even if we weren’t familiar with the vast theological differences. Why then would we send our children to a school with neutral values, accommodating to all religions ? If cost is the factor, then we’d need to supplement their education with scripture outside of school.

The old school method of Maco investing is buy property, pay it off as fast as you can, then buy another one. This is a tried and tested method our parents have used to accumulate wealth over the last 30+ years with varying degrees of success. To their credit, they have done a great job given the circumstances and challenges faced. Is our generation shaping up to be just as diligent with money, or will we see a whole generation of ungrateful brats who squander their parents hard earned wealth.

Simple concepts that some of us struggle with these days include;

• Earn more than you spend
• Don’t buy something unless you have the money
• Don’t buy something just because it’s on sale
• If you need to talk to someone for an hour, drive over to see them rather than call them on the mobile

These days there are more sophisticated ways to invest, future and options trading, etc. I’m a firm believer that we still need to get back to basics before we can consider the more exotic investment types. It’s a mindset that needs to be developed before you blindly dive into any investment strategy.

One concept I came across recently was the distinction between Financial Literacy vs Financial Fitness. It’s like the difference between someone who has read a lot of recipe books, etc, and the other person who has actually cooked many different dishes, some of which came from a recipe book. Also the distinction between the objective, and the means to achieve that objective.

Here is an example scenario. For example if we are presented with an opportunity to invest in a high yielding investment (4% per month, for example), we think it’s great then rush out and put all our savings into this investment ($100,000, for example). Once we see the money flowing, we think this is great, I can eat out every night, buy gifts for family and friends, indulge in our fetish for technology and gadgets, etc. Then we may decide, hey, I want more of this, maybe a porche, or a holiday house on the coast, etc. Our objective now becomes more passive income for self indulgence, so we manage to put in another $100,000 and now getting returns of $8000 per month. At this stage we’re on a slightly different social setting, we won’t be caught dead in McDonalds or KFC, but rather go to restaurants where a meal for two would be over $150, eating out at least 2-3 times a week, if not every night. Still this is not enough so we manage to put in another $200,000 and now getting returns of $16,000 per month. At this stage we are so caught up with this lifestyle, that we’d do anything to protect our current arrangement. Things we may have seen as not in our nature, and criticised others for, we’re now contemplating.

What went wrong with the previous story ? There was no strategy or objective to begin with, but rather the money became the objective in the end. My point is, money is the means, not the end. Earning $200,000 per year does not make someone happy in itself, trust me. If you see the dollar signs before you see the effect it has on your heart, then you’re bound to get caught in this trap. A trap that involves working, spending, sleeping, eating, then looking for more of the same, especially if it’s tax deductible. Rather a better strategy would be to forget the money, and think what you want to achieve, realistically, and not some pumped up idea from an infomercial. Also it’s important to get informed of options you have, but don’t get caught up in the detail, enough information to make an informed decision. Goal setting is a topic that’s been over-thrashed in my opinion, but it’s essential, these goals must be realistic and achievable.

• Basic needs obviously come first, and for most foxtel is not a basic need, so list your basic needs, if things came to the crunch.
• Then next, the areas you would like to allocate more towards, for example childrens education, nicer car, etc.
• Finally, the luxury items, like gadgets, foxtel, jewelry, etc.
• Contribution or donation is something most people overlook, but it’s also essential for your own sense of what money really is (an enabler).

Then you can work out a staged approach with milestones of meeting your basic needs, then doing that bit extra, finally the freedom to help others achieve the same. After all, you’re quality of life is only as pleasant as the people in your life, help others, they will help you.

Marriage is a big commitment, takes careful consideration, a lot of planning and is one of the very big decisions a person has to make in their life. I have been to my fair share of weddings here in Sydney, and have seen a variety of customs and practices from various parts of Macedonia.
Obviously the customs we’ve adopted from western society are sometimes prevalent, namely;

• the extended bridal party
• page boy and flower girl
• best man and matron of honour
• the throwing of the garter
• the bouquet
• ceremonial father giving away of the bride at church

However, it’s encouraging to see that Macedonian customs are also being upheld at these weddings, customs such as;

• Numko and Dever being the witnesses at the wedding
• Dever taking the shoes to the brides place
• Brichenje of the Zet in the morning
• Mesenje of the Svaka
• The singing of “Chereshna se od Koren Korneshe” at the brides place
• Darvanje of all the guests in the morning

Less practiced customs include;

• The burning of the Svekrva’s apron
• Taking a chicken to the bride’s house on the day after the wedding.

Customs I’ve only heard of and never seen practiced include;

• The display of the white bed linen after the wedding day

I’m always amazed at the amount of energy, time and money that’s devoted into planning a wedding these days. To me it seems to be increasing with time, weddings used to take 2-3 months to prepare. These days it’s typically over 6 months, some couples start planning a year ahead. This can be a very trying time for the couple, where differences in opinion, sometimes even differences in values come to the surface. Feelings of ” I’m doing all the running around, and he’s/she’s not lifting a finger ” sometimes come about. I’ve seen instances of people become so consumed with the whole wedding planning, that it actually changes them as a person. People who were previously well mannered, humble, and gentle, all of a sudden become arrogant, rude, and jealous.
Sometimes when weddings come up in our conversation with others, I like to point out that people these days put more effort and planning into their wedding day (and it is one day), than the rest of their life together. There is usually a few moments of silence at this point as this thought sinks in. Then someone jumps in to try and keep the conversation going, usually it’s the person who dislikes this thought the most. On the rare occasion that this topic continues, we’ve discussed how it would make great sense to devote more time and effort into the days that follow after the wedding day (and I don’t mean the honeymoon, for those desperately hanging on to denial).
The most extravagant Macedonian wedding I’ve been to in Sydney had over 750 guests, the couple arrived by helicopter, and the groom wore a white suite (not to be outdone by the bride ofcourse). This theatrical display which to me looked like a comedy at the time, unfolded into a true tragedy, ending in divorce. There’s a point to be made here I guess, and it’s most likely this; Don’t stress planning you’re wedding, take it easy, enjoy, put your energy into the rest of your life together.

Giving a child a name is a huge responsibility, it has many implications for later life. Some parents are not too concerned about “what’s in a name” and may opt for picking one from a TV Soap Star, or some other Celebrity. In case your thinking it’s a new trend, you’ll be surprised to find that you’re mistaken. Earlier generations did the same, I know two guys with the name Elvis, for example.
As we approach the much anticipated arrival of our next baby, my wife and I are faced with this very decision (not whether we name our next child Elvis). We’d like to retain some of our heritage without making life too hard for our child. Some old Macedonian names that could make life hard include; Stavre, Spase, Pavle, Vasilka, Biserka, Slavica. To the other extreme we have names that are totally foreign; Debbie, Aaron, Michelle, Justin, Jason, Grace, Matthew, Sandra. Nothing wrong with any of these names at all, but it seems to leave an aftertaste of identity crisis once we’ve reflected on these names a little longer. Some parents will even go to the extreme of adding a “designer” middle name, almost like adding the garnish on a well presented dish.
I’ve sensed this identity crisis within our community here is Sydney, especially those first generation Australian born.
Here in Australia, although I’m born and bred in Sydney, I’m considered a foreigner with a name that fits in the first category described above. On the other hand, when I go to Macedonian, I’m still a foreigner. You just can’t win.
The need to fit in is so overwhelming for some parents that they’ll give their children first and middle names like Grace Alana. Combine this with the surname and you have what I call a hybrid-anglo-wannabe name like Grace Alana Stojanovska. My point is, if you add garnish to Graf, it’s still Graf. Be proud of your heritage, don’t try and disguise it, change the flavour of it, etc.

Historically,when most Macedonian migrants first arrived in Sydney in the 1970’s, they would settle close together to support each other. Areas which were popular at the time included Enmore, Newtown, Erskineville, Marrickville, St Peters, Arncliffe, Turrella. These were typically near established industrial areas, or other forms of employment like the airport, railway, factories, etc. Macedonian Orthodox Churches were established at Roseberry, and Rockdale at the time.
Gradually there was a shift further out west as the Bankstown / Yagoona area presented further employment opportunities in the late 1970’s to early 1980’s. Later communities formed in the Fairfield area in suburbs like St Johns Park, Wetherill Park, typically where parents did not work at the airport or railway, but in factories or the water board, local council, etc. A church was extablished at Cabramatta for these communities. Others settled in Illawong, Alfords Point, and Menai during the late 1980’s to early 1990’s.
Today it’s a totally different picture, a large proportion of first generation Australian born Macedonians do not work in the same jobs their parents did, but have moved up the social ladder. Many today have either a University Degree, a Trade, or run a Business. Jobs as diverse as Accountants, Sales Assistants, Hair Dressers, IT Professionals, Lawyers, Doctors, Engineers, Pharmacists, Electricians, Plumbers, Builders, etc.
Our parents came to this country for a better life, and I can quite confidently say that they have succeeded, they wanted a better life for their children, and now it is reality. The danger we face as a generation born here is that we can become complacent, and become comfortable with leaving things the way they are. My challenge for you all is to match, or even better the progress made by our parents in terms of establishing our social standing in the community.
Our parents dreamt big dreams, came to a far away land not knowing the language, risking it all, that is why we are where we are today.
As for where Macedonians have settled today, many have moved out of Newtown, Enmore, and Marrickville. Many still working at the airport or related businesses have remained in Bexley, Rockdale, etc. A large proportion remains in the Bankstown and Fairfield areas also. Gradually there is a movement to the newer housing estates like Casula, Green Valley, Hinchinbrook, Bella Vista, Mount Annan, etc. It would be interesting to see where the new generation of Macedonians will settle in Sydney over the next 10-15 years. If you are planning to buy a house soon, which areas are you considering ?