1964 Year of Albanian Language in Australia

1964 for Albanians in Melbourne was a year of great change, the first class of Albanian language began. At first, the goal was for the children to learn their language, to read and write it, as they would need it when they returned to their homeland.

Viti 1964 - Klasa e Gjuhes Shqipe Source: SBS Albanian

But that didn't happen, today, many Albanians in Australia are far from it, as these children already are known as second and third generations Albanian Australians,  and are far from that they one day may return to land from where their parents or grandparents came from.

 

45 years later students are still learning the Albanian language, the culture and traditions of their parents.

 

But who was the first teacher?

 

In the Albanian community Mithat Jusufi is known as the first teacher, he immigrated to Australia in 1961 from Manastir.

 

In the archive of SBS Radio, digitized is the interview we did with Mithat Jusufi in 1998, we will share with you what this extraordinary man told SBS Radio.