Officer Bearers & Committee
The Migration Heritage Project Committee was voted in at the
Annual General Meeting held on 1 November 2007. The following
office bearers and committee members were elected:
Office Bearers
Chair
Franca Facci
Franca is the Senior Planner, Planning and Development Unit for the South East Sydney Illawarra Area Health Services, and has held positions on the Italian Social Welfare
Association and Carnivale Coordinating Committee. Franca is a
founding member of the MHP.
Vice Chair
Vacant
Treasurer
Mendo Trajcevski
Mendo is well known as the Community Worker for the Macedonian
Welfare Association located in Port Kembla.Mendo is also a founding
member of the MHP.
Secretary Peter Bestman
Peter was previously the Multicultural Service Officer at Centrelink before his retirement and through his involvement with migrant communities in the Illawarra became interested in the migrant history of the Illawarra. He has been a local resident of Wollongong for may years - playing soccer for Coniston/Wollongong Olympic and attending Wollongong University. Peter is a founding member of the MHP.
Public Officer
Fidelia Pontarolo
Fidelia has experience in researching Italian family history,
creating oral histories using digital video recording and attended
the National Library of Australia's workshop on 'Multicultural
Documentary and is a member of the Oral History Association. Fidelia is a founding member
of the MHP and is also a member of the Committee, having previously filled the position as Secretary.
Committee
Gregor Cullen
Gregor is a lecturer at the Faculty of Creative Arts at the University of Wollongong. His contributions range from web development, graphic design, partnership brokering and exhibition development. Gregor is a founding member of the MHP.
Giulia Bonacina
Giulia is a well known member of the Italian community. Giulia and her husband Efrem were tireless workers for the Italian migrants in the Illawarra. Giulia is a founding member of the MHP.
Ludwik Ihnat
Ludwik is currently active in the management of the MHP and the
German Club, and brings a Ukrainian flavour to the Project.
He has worked for many years, to increase the profile of migrant
heritage through public programs, political campaigning and his
work with the Illawarra Ethnic Communities Council. He supports
the MHP through a network of contacts and encouraging groups and
individuals to value their moveable and intangible heritage. Ludwik
is a founding member of the MHP.
Eva Castle
Eva commenced with the MHP employed as the Project Officer which was a short term contract position. On the completion of that position Eva became a member of the MHP. Eva continued to work at Wollongong City Library until 2005 when she took on the role as the first Wollongong City Council Museums Development Officer (2005-2009). In 2009, Eva has completed the Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies at Sydney University and focussed on developing a local cultural research practice.
Louise Thom
Louise Thom spent ten years with the Wollongong City Council as a Heritage Officer and it was during this tenure she began her association with the Migration Heritage Project. In 2004 she became a private heritage consultant and also undertook some work as a Project Officer for the MHP. In this role she was able to attract funding for the Wollongong Migration Heritage Places Project working in collaboration with two other consultants. Louise has been a supporter of the MHP from its foundation and a member from very early on.
Sofia Laba
Sofia's enthusiasm and interest in early migrant pioneers has been the focus of her research of the early migrants of the Illawarra concentrating on Ignacy Zlotkowski - Wollongong’s first Polish pioneer and prominent citizen and John Radecki a renowned stained glass window artist who settled in Wollongong from Poland.
Marzia Zochil
Marzia's heritage is Italian and is a recent addition to the MHP Committee. Marzia is the daughter of Giulia and the late Efrem Bonacina and is well-known to the Italian community.
Past Committee Members
The Late Efrem Bonacina
Efrem was a well known member of the Italian community. He and his wife Giulia were tireless workers for the Italian migrants in the Illawarra. Efrem was a founding member of the MHP.
Arthur Mandicos
Arthur has a long and varied history within the migrant communities of Wollongong . His knowledge of and involvement with emerging migrant community services, including the Multicultural Village and the Illawarra Ethnic Communities Council, is extensive and reflects his skills in business and project management. His commitment to cross-cultural heritage issues has been important to the evolution of the MHP program. Arthur is a founding member of the MHP.
John Papakosmos
John is a well known figure in Wollongong CALD communities through his work on the Illawarra Ethnic Communities Council, and as a public figure. He is a link to many organisations and individuals in both the Greek and CALD communities, and to other heritage projects. He supported the Celebrations exhibition, through the loan of a Greek boys costume, hand made by Niki Papakosmas. John is a founding member of the MHP.
Rina Montgomery
Rina came to Australia as a 5 year old and settled with her family in Wollongong in 1929. Rina supports the MHP by generously sharing her stories and memories of growing up and working in Wollongong as an immigrant and has an astounding knowledge of the history of Port Kembla, Warrawong and Steel Town (Cringila). Rina is a founding member of the MHP.
Olga Romano
Olga settled with her family in Wollongong in the 1930s. Olga is a keen supporter of the preservation of migrant history in the Illawarra. Olga is a founding member of the MHP.
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