Melbourne Latvian Society
On the 12th June, 1949, ninety Latvians met to form the Melbourne Latvian Society, the main purpose of the society was to organise and unite the community in a cultural and moral sense. In order to achieve that, different branches were established and Latvian youth were encouraged to participate. The first president elected was Prof. Dr. Edgars Dunsdorfs.
The first activities included English language courses, gathering and recording of the addresses of Latvians, Friday night socials with discussions on how to settle into their new environment, a sports section, an academic section, an artists’ group and a theatre company.
Organizations established were a mixed choir „Rota“, the „Daugava“ School, a scout and guide branch, and later – a musical society and kindergarten „Daina“.
The society published 2 books, MLS 35 years (1949-1984) and MLS 50 years (1949-1999).
Presently the Melbourne Latvian Society organises a variety of events such as Draudzīgais aicinājums, Jāņi, Universitātes gada svētki and Jauniešu muzikālā pēcpusdiena, as well as literary, political and social lectures. It also provides moral and financial support to all branches as well as the Melbourne Latvian primary and high schools, summer high school “Dzintari” and other youth programs.
The MLS (MLB) president is Iveta Lainis.
