Immigration History from Cyprus to Victoria
Cypriots were first recorded in Australia in the 1850s. These early arrivals were mainly Greek Cypriots who came to Australia as gold prospectors. Many settled in Victoria and established small businesses in Ballarat and Daylesford. One of the settlers was Tony Meringa (Miranda), who arrived in Victoria in 1857 and moved around the goldfields area before settling in Daylesford and owning the Athens Hotel.
More Cypriots arrived after the British take-over of Cyprus in 1878, many working their way to Australia as crewmen on board British ships.
The first significant arrival of Cyprus-born immigrants in Victoria began after World War II, in response to a politically unstable homeland. The Victorian Cypriot population increased from just 169 in 1947 to 2,396 in 1954.
Cyprus became an independent republic in 1960, but in 1974 Greece-born officers of the Cyprus National Guard overthrew the government. In response to this coup, Turkish troops invaded Northern Cyprus and displaced nearly half of the island’s total population. This caused increasing numbers of Cypriots to migrate to Australia, with the Victorian community almost doubling in size between 1971 and 1981, to 10,555 people.
Today Victoria is still the most popular destination for Cyprus-born migrants to Australia, with 7,575 recorded in 2016. The community clearly reflects the ethnic make-up of Cyprus. In 2016, 61% of Victorian immigrants from Cyprus spoke Greek at home, and 26% spoke Turkish. 4,792 were recorded as Orthodox and several hundred more belonged to other Christian denominations; 1,589 were recorded as Muslim. Cypriot migrants have settled all over Melbourne with significant numbers in the outer North and West, largely working as tradespeople, labourers and professionals. Organisations such as the Cypriot Community of Melbourne and Victoria provide support to the community.
Immigration History from Cyprus (Greek) to Victoria
Οι πρώτοι Κύπριοι έφθασαν στην Αυστραλία στη δεκαετία του 1850. Εκείνες οι πρώτες αφίξεις ήσαν κυρίως Ελληνοκύπριοι, οι οποίοι ήρθαν στην Αυστραλία ως χρυσοθήρες. Αρκετοί εγκαταστάθηκαν στη Βικτώρια και δημιούργησαν μικρές επιχειρήσεις στο Ballarat και Daylesford. Ένας από αυτούς ήταν ο Tony Meringa (Miranda), που έφθασε στη Βικτώρια το 1857 και περιφερόταν τις περιοχές χρυσού πριν εγκατασταθεί στο Daylesford και αποκτήσει το Athens Hotel.
Περισσότεροι Κύπριοι έφτασαν μετά τη Βρετανική κατάληψη της Κύπρου το 1878, ως ναυτικοί σε Βρετανικά πλοία.
Η πρώτη σημαντική άφιξη Κυπρίων μεταναστών στη Βικτώρια άρχισε μετά το Β΄Παγκόσμιο Πόλεμο, επειδή υπήρχε πολιτική αστάθεια στην πατρίδα τους. Ο πληθυσμός των Κυπρίων αυξήθηκε από 169 το 1947 σε 2.396 το 1954.
Η Κύπρος κατέστη ανεξάρτητη δημοκρατία το 1960, αλλά το 1974 Έλληνες αξιωματούχοι της Ελληνικής Εθνικής Φρουράς ανέτρεψαν την κυβέρνηση. Σε αντίδραση του πραξικοπήματος, Τουρκικά στρατεύματα εισέβαλαν στη Βόρεια Κύπρο και εκτόπισαν σχεδόν το μισό του πληθυσμού του νησιού. Το γεγονός αυτό προκάλεσε αύξηση στον αριθμό των Κυπρίων που μετανάστευσε στην Αυστραλία, με την κοινότητα στη Βικτώρια σχεδόν να διπλασιάζεται μεταξύ των ετών 1971 και 1981 σε 10.555 άτομα.
Σήμερα η Βικτώρια εξακολουθεί να είναι ο πιο δημοφιλής προορισμός Κυπρίων μεταναστών στην Αυστραλία , 8.178 καταγράφηκαν το 2011. Η κοινότητα αντικατοπτρίζει πλήρως την εθνική σύνθεση της Κύπρου. Το 2011, το 61% των μεταναστών από τη Κύπρο στη Βικτώρια μιλούσε την Ελληνική στο σπίτι, ενώ το 26% μιλούσε την Τουρκική. 5.260 καταγράφηκαν ως Ορθόδοξοι και μερικές εκατοντάδες περισσότεροι ανήκουν σε άλλα Χριστιανικά δόγματα. 2054 καταγράφηκαν ως Μουσουλμάνοι. Οι Κύπριοι μετανάστες έχουν εγκατασταθεί σε όλη τη Μελβούρνη με σημαντικούς αριθμούς στα εξωτερικά Βόρεια και Δυτικά, κυρίως εργαζόμενοι ως έμποροι, εργάτες και επαγγελματίες. Οργανισμοί όπως η Κυπριακή Κοινότητα της Μελβούρνης και Βικτώριας παρέχουν υποστήριξη στην Κοινότητα
Immigration History from Cyprus (Turkish) to Victoria
Kayıtlara göre Avustralya’da Kıbrıslılar’a ilk kez 1850’lerde rastlandı. Altın bulma umuduyla gelen bu ilk Kıbrıslılar çoğunlukla Rum kökenliydi. Birçoğu Victoria’ya yerleşti ve Ballarat ve Daylesford’da iş kurdular. İlk yerleşenlerden biri, 1857’de Victoria’ya gelen ve bir süre altın bulunan bölgede dolaştıktan sonra Daylesford’a yerleşip Atina Oteli’ni açan Tony Meringa (Miranda) idi.
İngilizlerin Kıbrıs’ı 1878’de devralmasıyla, Avustralya’ya gelen Kıbrıslıların sayısı daha da arttı. Bunların bir çoğu Avustralya’ya, tayfa olarak çalıştıkları İngiliz gemileri yoluyla ulaştı.
Anavatanlarında siyasi istikrarsızlığın artması üzerine, Victoria’ya gelen Kıbrıs doğumlu göçmenlerin sayısında ilk önemli artış, İkinci Dünya Savaşı sonrasında gerçekleşti. Victoria’da yaşayan Kıbrıslıların nüfusu 1947’de sadece 169 iken, rakam 1954’de 2,396’ya yükseldi.
Kıbrıs 1960’da bağımsız bir devlet haline geldi. Ancak 1974’de Kıbrıs Milli Muhafız Ordusu’ndaki Yunanlı subaylar, darbe yoluyla hükümeti devirdi. Darbeye karşılık, Türk Ordusu Kıbrıs’ın kuzeyini işgal etti ve toplam ada nüfusunun neredeyse yarısı evlerini terk etmek zorunda kaldı. Bu durum, Avustralya’ya göç eden Kıbrıslıların sayısını artırdı. Victoria’da Kıbrıslıların sayısı 1971 – 1981 yılları arasında neredeyse iki katına çıkarak 10,555’e ulaştı.
Kıbrıslılar için Victoria, hala Avustralya’da göç edilebilecek en çekici yer. 2011 yılında göç eden Kıbrıslıların sayısı 8,178 oldu. Victoria’daki Kıbrıslı toplum Kıbrıs’ın etnik özelliklerini açıkça yansıtıyor. 2011’da, Victoria’da yaşayan Kıbrıslılar’ın %61’i evde Rumca, % 26’sı Türkçe konuşuyordu. Bunların 5,260’u kendisini Ortodoks, birkaç yüzü diğer Hristiyan mezheplerinden, ve 2,054’i Müslüman olarak tanımladı. Kıbrıslı göçmenler Melbourne’a dağılmış bir biçimde yaşamakla birlikte, önemli bir bölümü kuzey ve batı semtlerinde toplanmış durumda. Çoğunluk ticaretle uğraşıyor, işçilik yapıyor ya da meslek sahibi olarak çalışıyor. “Cypriot Community of Melbourne and Victoria” gibi örgütler, topluma hizmet etmekte.
