Michaela Meade
A book celebrating Turkish-Australian history is in the works, with $10,000 from Hume council set to assist the project
Hume-based Turkish Heritage Society Australia will produce book and companion digital storytelling platform, with the aim of sharing Turkish-Australian history with the wider community.
The book will be created by Hume residents Nail Aykan, Kazim Ates and Burhan Yigit.
Mr Aykan, who came to Australia at age five, said remembering and recording the culture’s past was important for the younger generation.
“It’s about history in the making,” he said.
“We want to connect the past to the present, to the future.
“We want to start the younger generation developing an active interest in history… rather than wait another 50 years.”
Mr Aykan said the project was inspired by the society’s love of history and the upcoming 50th anniversary of the society’s Coburg mosque.
“Memories fade… we want to record it all,” he said.
“It’s about tracing the history of the Turkish community… [and] showing how they’re now part and parcel of the community in Hume.”
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2016 census data, there were 14,258 Turkish people living in Hume in 2016.
“We want to connect the Turkish community to the wider community,” Mr Aykan said.
“You don’t need to be Turkish to have an interest in Turkish people.”
The project has also received funding from the Victorian Multicultural Commission.
The book and companion digital element, both written in English, are anticipated to be completed by the end of 2021.
