History

FUNCTION CENTRE

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The Croatian Community in Sydney officially was established on the 4th February 1951 in Maroubra, Sydney. The Catholic Church Hall in Maroubra Junction served as an initial meeting point for the emigrants from Croatian. Later as the community expanded, it began to hold meetings in Surry Hills (including both the local church and primary school halls).

The first official meeting of the Croatian Community in Sydney was held in the Church Hall of

the Holy Family in Maroubra (pictured above).

We would like to thank Mr Fabijan Lovokovic for all the photos which are from his book "Hrvatske Zajednice u Australiji" (The Croatian Community in Australia).

On the 7 January 1955, the reformed Australian Croatian Community (Australsko Hrvatsko Drustvo) held its first meeting in the church hall of St Peter's on Devonshire Street Surry Hills. The Croatian House (Hrvatski Dom was later on Buckingham Street, Surry Hills

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The Croatian Community later moved to a rented hall in Marrickville (Illawarra Road) in 1972 as the Community continued to expand. In 1983, the Croatian Club purchased the current site on the corner of Canterbury and Punchbowl Roads, Punchbowl. After a fire, a new club premises was built and officially opened by the Premier Bob Carr in 1998.