Publications

The publications are run by the Media and Publications Subgroup of the association. In 1993 the subgroup started to publish the magazine Avustralya’da Elele (Hand-in-hand /Harmony in Australia).

Later, publications such as Yankı, Elele Children’s Magazine and Australian Western Thrace Turkish School Magazine, all targeting the children of the Turkish community, appeared. Of these, the Avustralya’da Elele and Yankı find their place in the Australian Turkish press bibliography. Apart from the magazines, an antology and four books were published. A book of poetry called Bir Sana Yandım Bin Şiir Yazdım by Tijen İsmailoğlu published in 2006. The Turkish Proverbs and Idioms compiled by Sihem İmam-Hüseyin on behalf of the Australian Western Thrace Turkish Association and published in Turkish and English, 2007.
Feyyaz Sağlam wrote a book in Turkish Avustralya’da Batı Trakya Türkleri in 2006 and published by AWTTA. This history book was updated and expanded by Sihem İmam-Hüseyin and Feyyaz Sağlam before translated into English. This English book Western Thrace Turks in Australia was published in 2009 by AWTTA.

We shall now look at these publications in detail under three headings.

AVUSTRALYA'DA ELELE MAGAZINE

Publication commenced in 1993 as a joint project of the association’s Women’s subgroup, and the Media and Publications subgroup, led by Feriha Reşitoğlu, with Ayşe Aday’s and Türkân Gagalı’s support. The magazine is currently the only publication of the Western Thrace Turks in Australia. It has been published continuously for 17 years. Although there have been occasional disruptions, it is nevertheless a continuous publication. An important function of the magazine is the formation of a platform of cooperation and communication between the Western Thrace Turks in Australia and Western Thrace Turks in other parts of the world. When the magazine is examined in this context, it can be seen that articles, poems and news from the Western Thrace Turkish diaspora in Scotland, England, Germany, the United States and Turkey also appears. And of course, communication with Western Thrace is paramount. Poems, news items and other articles are taken from Yuvamız, Gündem, İleri and Cumhuriyet, all published in Gümülcine. The latest issue of Avustralya’da Elele is issue 43, dated June - November 2010. Sihem İmam-Hüseyin has increased her contribution to the magazine, starting with issue 9. She arranged for issues 9–25 to be printed for free or at a very low rates until 1997. While the initial issues of the magazine looked rather amateurish, due to the constraints of the period, it gradually developed, renewed itself and has become a better quality publication with better coverage. It started being published in colour from issue 19. The magazine, which started as an eight-page publication, is now a 24 page colour magazine and rather satisfying. Avustralya’da Elele is followed with interest now in Western Thrace, Turkey and Europe. Bilâl N. Şimşir, in his book Turkish Press in Australia says this about Avustralya’da Elele:

“Avustralya’da Elele is a magazine with educational and cultural qualities. Alongside the news relating to the association, it publishes poetry, short stories, tales, songs, religious discussions, news from Western Thrace, and so on. The magazine places great importance on historical and national subjects such as Atatürk, the Turkish Struggle for Independence, the Turkish National Anthem, the Republic Festival and the 30 August Victory Festival. It also reserves a special section for the leader of the Western Thrace Turkish community, Dr Sadık Ahmet, who has passed away.

The Avustralya’da Elele magazine was initially an amateurish publication containing eight pages and a black and white cover page. Its volume and quality is consistently improving. The 19th issue of Avustralya’da Elele magazine, dated September–October 1996, was published on first-grade, 80-gram paper, was 26 pages in length and contained a cover page that was in colour. The magazine continues to enrich its contents.”

Bilâl N. Şimşir also provides biographies at the end of his book of people who have served the Australian Turkish press. Information about Sihem İmam-Hüseyin, Rukiye İbrahim, Hasan Meyzinoğlu and Feriha Reşitoğlu is provided in this section.

Avustralya’da Elele also has an important place, weight and reputation within the Western Thrace Turkish press in migration in terms of the Western Thrace Turkish Publications. A feast celebrating Avustralya’da Elele magazine’s 10 years of publication was held in Melbourne on 21 September 2003. Sihem İmam-Hüseyin has been the editor of the magazine, which is the news, history, literary, pedagogical and cultural voice of the Western Thrace Turks in Australia, starting with issue 26. The articles are examined by her husband Memet İmam-Hüseyin. Feriha Reşitoğlu had been instrumental in preparing the magazine for printing until 2006. The magazine is currently being published by Sihem and Memet İmam-Hüseyin. The magazine has correspondents in Turkey and Germany. It is considered the most important resource for any research done about the Western Thrace Turks in Australia.

A copy of the article about the publication of Avustralya’da Elele
magazine by Western Thrace Turks – Turkish Weekly Gazette, Melbourne,
15 February 1994

Yankı (Echo)

Yankı is published with an educational content by the students and teachers of the Australian Western Thrace Turkish School operating within the association. Its subtitle is ‘The Voice of the Australian Western Thrace Turkish School Students’. The first issue was published in 1996. The title of the article written by Grade 4 student Ercüment İsmail in the first issue, ‘My origins are Western Thrace’, the article ‘My Western Thrace Holiday’ by Yeliz Hasan in the second issue and the article ‘Hıdrellez in Western Thrace’ by Sinan Mustafa in the fourth issue are noteworthy and we have quoted from them in this book. Yankı is also included in the bibliography of the Turkish Press in Australia. Bilâl N. Şimşir says this about Yankı:

“Yankı is an educational school magazine. It primarily publishes material for Australian Western Thrace Turkish children and youth and contains educational material for use by other schools.”
Four issues of Yankı were published in 1996–97.

Elele Children’s Magazine

Its first issue was published in June 1998 and the second issue in December 1999. It is the publication of the Australian Western Thrace Turkish School. Its contents are the same as the Yankı magazine.

Australian Western Thrace Turkish School Magazine

The contents are the same as the Yankı and Elele Children’s Magazine. It was published in 2004.

Religious Information Guide

A booklet of 21x15 cm with a yellow cover, this guide was compiled by the religion officer of the association Duran Öz in 1995. It was written to explain in brief, understandable language the religious topics that everybody needed to know about. It has helped to facilitate the studies of students in religious classes.

An Anthology Of Stories And Poetry From The Western Thrace Turks In Australia

About 50 texts and biographies of writers and poets are included in this anthology (in Turkish) prepared by Sihem İmam-Hüseyin in 1998 on behalf of the association. It also has the distinction of being the first anthology of Western Thrace Turks from the diaspora.

Bir Sana Yandim Bin Şiir Yazdim – Poetry
Tijen İsmailoğlu, who is from a Western Thrace background grew up in Australia, published her poems in 2006 in Melbourne. The 70-page book contains 58 poems.

Turkish Proverbs And Idioms – Dictionary
Compiled by Sihem İmam-Hüseyin on behalf of the Australian Western Thrace Turkish Association and published in Turkish and English, this book constitutes a major contribution to multicultural Australia.
The Turkish proverbs project was initiated by the Australian Western Thrace Turkish women led by Feriha Reşitoğlu in 2005. The project, which stalled for a while, was restarted by Sihem İmam-Hüseyin in 2007, and she ensured its completion.
The aim of the project was to collect and compile in book form the Western Thrace Turkish proverbs and idioms. These proverbs and idioms that demonstrate the richness of the Turkish language and form part of the culture. The intention was to convey to the wider Australian community that they have a positive effect on the way people view everyday life and events, and to provide libraries and schools with a resource for Turkish children and researchers.

The book was distributed to the members of the Australian Western Thrace Turkish Association and school children, the State Library Victoria, the Australia National Library in Canberra, to the officials of the Stonnington Council, libraries and schools, ethnic groups in the region, government departments, Turkish schools, regional libraries with high Turkish populations, the Turkish Embassy and the Melbourne Consulate of the Republic of Turkey, some Turkish associations and organisations, and Western Thrace Turkish associations outside Australia.

Comprising 410 proverbs and 150 idioms, this book, with its English translations, can be a resource for all communities living in Australia.

Avustralya’da Batı Trakya Türkleri – Book
This book was written in Turkish by Feyyaz Sağlam, a scholar of Turkic communities around the world and published in 2006 by AWTTA. The author, Feyyaz Sağlam, gives us the background: where Western Thrace is, who the Western Thrace Turks are. He writes the history and culture of the Western Thrace Turks in Australia.

The following is the front and back cover of the book

Western Thrace Turks In Australia – History Book

The  book Avustralya’da Batı Trakya Türkleri updated and expanded by Sihem İmam-Hüseyin and Feyyaz Sağlam before translated into English. It was published in 2009 Melbourne by AWTTA.

This book is not the record of something that has passed. Read the chapters on education and culture for an idea of the importance and vitality of language, writing and music for this community—as well as traditional foods and handicrafts. Here we have evidence of a thriving, active culture. The book offers an example of what is best about multicultural Australia.

The following is the front and back cover of the 320 page book and is available online at this web site.

Radio broadcasts

Australian Western Thrace Turks had a program called “Western Thrace Turks” on the Australian 3ZZZ ethnic radio in 1997-98 included in the Cypriot Turkish program on Monday nights between 9 and 11 p.m. the program that was prepared by Salih and Feriha Reşitoğlu continued for some time. Emine and Bülent Öz and Perihan Alcan (Özsoy) also worked on this program for short periods.