By Marisa Vugdelija

MELBOURNE - Sunday 30 January, Mladez HDZ Melbourne staged the first ever Croatian Folklore Festival at Footscray Park.

Over a decade ago, Footscray Park was a place of gathering where several Croatian community events had taken place. For some reason this had ceased. Visitors that attended the first ever Folklore Festival at Footscray Park were a little uncertain as to what they were to expect, as it had been so long since an event of this nature was held at the same place. With a reported figure of 800 people in attendance, the festival not only re-ignited the local Croatian spirit but brought back many memories and created new ones.

The festival commenced just after 12noon with clear blue skies, just in time for the official proceedings to commence. Mladez HDZ Melbourne Committee members, President Marko Bajer and Secretary Marisa Vugdelija hosted the day with both Croatian and English translations. The national anthems were sung by Mladez HDZ’s very own member Ms Mary Dobran (also a part of the group ‘Valovi’).

The inclusion of performances by all folklore groups around Victoria guaranteed that the festival would attract much attention and support from the local Croatian community. The line up included; Geelong’s HKUD ‘Lado’, ‘Hrvatska Zora’ from Sunshine, Clifton Hill’s ‘Mladi Hrvati’, ‘Antun Mihanovic’ from Fawkner and the late addition of ‘Zvonimir’ from Springvale.

‘Lado’ from Geelong performed a song and dance from Central Croatia and Posavina, whilst ‘Hrvatska Zora’ performed a traditional ‘Prigorje’ dance. “Antun Mihanovic” performed a traditional ‘Licko kolo’ while the ‘Mladi Hrvati’ from Clifton Hill showed off their excellent rendition of a traditional ‘bunjevacki splet’. ‘Zvonimir’ capped off the event with a dance from Lika. The brilliant display of traditional dance and song ensured a pleasant day for both the young and old – with hope to continue this tradition with future generations.

The entertainment during intermissions was provided by Croatian local band ‘More’, who further created a pleasant and festive atmosphere.

One of the highlights of the event was the late inclusion into the festival program of Melbourne’s newest; all-tambura band ‘Nocna Smjena’. They had just recently announced that they’ve been invited to participate in one of Croatia’s largest traditional festivals – in the upcoming Broadfest 2005. The group are seeking support from potential sponsors to assist with making their tour possible (for more information visit www.nocnasmjena.com).

Both ‘More’ and ‘Nocna Smjena’ were successful in creating an ambience, managing to involve the crowd and allowing them to showcase some of their own talent with the traditional ‘kolo’ danced several times throughout the day.

Special guests that were in attendance to celebrate the historic event included; the Consul General of the Republic of Croatia in Melbourne Mrs. Ana Modun together with Consul Mr. Ivo Vasilj, President of the Australian Croatian Democratic Union Mr. Rade Buljubašic and secretary of HDZ Newcastle Branch Ms. Amanda Malkoc. Also present were representatives of the Croatian radio programs throughout Victoria, Mr. Nikola Rašic from SBS, and several members from 3ZZZ.

The hosts Marko Bajer and Marisa Vugdelija concluded the proceedings sincerely thanking all who assisted in making the festival a great success. A big thank-you went to HDZ Fawkner branch for preparing all the food, drink and general set-up. Sponsors were also thanked which included, the Croatian Herald, CroTravel and Mail Order Software Australia, along with all five branches of HDZ in Victoria.

The major thank-you was given to all the folklore groups and bands that participated. The festival wouldn’t have been triumphant if the interest and support from the groups was not there. The understanding that this event created one united occasion for all to get together and perform to a wider audience showcasing the talents of the younger generation ensuring the tradition lives on.

The festival is set to become an annual event on the Croatian calendar which would expand to not only local folklore groups in Victoria but give other groups throughout Australia an opportunity to perform as well.

If you would like to see what other events Mladez HDZ Melbourne plan on staging in the near future, or to become a member visit their website www.mhdz.com.au.

'Folklorasi' to come together for first ever Victorian Folklore Festival
http://www.croatianherald.com/ - January 21, 2005

MELBOURNE - Mladez HDZ Melbourne will be staging the first ever Croatian Folklore Festival on Sunday January 30 at Footscray Park. If successful, the event's organisers are promising it will become an annual event on the Melbourne Croatian calendar.

According to MHDZ Melbourne president, Marko Bajer, Croatian folklore groups from all over Victoria will be performing live on stage, together with popular local Croatian band 'More'.

''We know Sydney has a regular folkloric festival. As a result, we thought with a total of five groups down here in Victoria , why couldn't we have a similar festival showcasing all the groups at the one venue.

''We want the festival to become an annual event and maybe next year, we will be able to attract other Croatian folkloric groups from other states to come and perform as part of the Victorian ferstival,'' said Bajer, who is also a member of the Australian/New Zealand co-ordinative body of HDZ.

Commencing at 12 noon, the festivals' programme will see the five groups - Geelong's HKUD Lado, Hrvatska Zora from Sunshine, Clifton Hill's Mladi Hrvati, Antun Mihanovic from Fawkner and possibly Zvonimir from Springvale (at the time of writing Zvonimir had not yet been confirmed but organisers were hopeful they would participate in the concert) - each perform 2-3 times throughout the afternoon on a central stage.

The band 'More' will perform during the breaks and continue wirth several sets following the completion of the official concert programme.

The actual concert will be of a non-competitive nature, allowing the various groups to purely showcase their talents, without the added pressure of competing for awards.

Entry is free to the event and all-day car parking facilities are available. Food and beverages will also be availble for purchase from 12 noon till closing time, which is expected to be around 6pm.

- FOOTSCRAY PARK is located in between Ballarat Rd & Maribyrnong Bvd, Footscray (Melway Map 42, D2). For further information regarding the folklore festival, contact Marko Bajer on (03) 9449 1175 or (0423) 512 852 or visit the MHDZ website at: www.mhdz.com.au