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Current Committee of the Canberra Lithuanian Community Association

2022-23
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COMMITTEE OF AUSTRALIAN LITHUANIAN COMMUNITY IN CANBERRA
President:
  • Elena Kusta

  • Elena was born and raised in Canberra to second generation Lithuanians who met at Lithuanian folk dancing. Elena has a strong connection to her Lithuanian ethnicity, inspired by the stories, cooking and language of her late grandparents and parents.

    Growing up, Elena’s connection to Lithuania formed through her love of Lithuanian food (krustai, koldunai, cepelinai), celebration of a traditional Kučios (Christmas), attending Lithuanian events and travelling to Lithuania with her family. Today, Elena is a dual citizen, enjoys cooking her grandmother’s Lithuanian recipes for the family, helping her Mum prepare Kučios and working with the Committee to engage members and build a viable Community for future generations.

    Elena still holds many stories from her paternal grandmother about her life in Lithuania, experiences during WWII and move to Australia. When life isn’t so busy, she intends to complete a short biography as a keepsake for the family.

    2022-23 is Elena’s first year on the Committee, however prior to this, she was been involved in the organisation of many Community events.

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Australijos Kanberos Lietuvių Bendruomenės Sąjunga
Pirmininkė:
  • Elena Kusta
  • John Andruška – Vice president/ Vice pirmininkas
  • Algis Kusta – Treasurer/Iždininkas
  • Ron Cameron – Secretary/Sekretoius
  • Vida Howe – Memberships/Narių sekretorė
  • Evan Alexandrow-Ridley – Assistant Treasurer/Iždininko asistentas
  • Kat Moeder – Functions Co-ordinator/Renginių koordinatorė
  • Sophie Kusta – Functions Co-ordinator and Social Media/Renginių koordinatorė ir Renginių koordinatorė

Canberra Lithuanian Community

The Canberra Lithuanian Community Association is a local community for the Lithuanian diaspora living in Canberra, Australia’s capital city. We actively promote the celebration of Lithuanian culture and significant days by hosting lunches and morning teas, walks around Lake Burley Griffin, participating in sport, trivia nights and picnics and so much more!

Whether you’re a distant relative of a Lithuanian, first, second, third generation, have a spouse that is of Lithuanian descent, or just interested in what we’re about – follow us and get involved in the celebration of our cultural events and activities, help us cheer on our basketball team Vilkas, or get involved in wider Canberra events.

Our Community’s Būstinė (meeting place) houses our Lithuanian library and is a place where our Community gathers to socialise and where our Committee meet for regular meetings.

Address:
Būstinė,
Grant Cameron Community Centre,
27 Mulley Street, Holder
ACT 2611 (Ngunnawal Country)

Follow us on social media to keep up to date on our events and to learn more about Lithuanian culture.

Reach us at:

email link here
Instagram link
Facebook link
LinkedIn link

Membership to the Canberra Lithuanian Community

Only $5 per year

Membership Form

Download here

Canberra Quarterly News

Download PDF here:

Current Canberra Newsletter

Back Issues of Canberra Quarterly News

Newsletter Q1, 2023

Newsletter Q2, 2023
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CANBERRA LITHUANIAN COMMUNITY

CALENDAR 2023

12 February | Restoration of the State of Lithuania (V16)
Būstine afternoon tea

18 February | Canberra Multicultural Festival
Promotional stall in the EU Village

11 March | Restoration of Independence (K11)
Walk up Mt Ainslie with picnic breakfast

2 April | Vilkas BBQ
BBQ lunch hosted by Vilkas basketball team

16 April | Easter
Family park picnic

7 May | Mother‘s Day
Būstine afternoon tea

10 June | Baltic Deportation Day
Commemoration Event at the Ukrainian Rally

8 July | Statehood Day
Polish Club Lunch

2 September | Father‘s Day
Būstine beer and pizza afternoon

5 November | 35th anniversary of ‘Egle žalčių karalienė‘
Glebe Park picnic

November | Community Annual General Meeting (AGM)
Būstinė

16 December | Christmas
Sit-down lunch at the Woden Southern Cross Club

Personnel

Who's who
Team member
John Andruška
Vice President
John was born in Cowra where his parents worked in the migrant camp. The family moved to Mittagong and then to Canberra in 1959.
The family joined the Canberra Lithuanian Community with John participating in community events, language classes for a short time, scout outings and camps, basketball and folk dancing. He married Aurora in 1976 and they have three children. Alexander lives in Sydney. Peter and Katharine live in Canberra and have enjoyed participating in a number of Lithuanian activities including; Peter re-creating the Vilkas basketball team and Katharine joining the committee in 2019. John and Aurora have four grandchildren who also enjoy attending events across the year.
John spent a number of terms as secretary of the Lithuanian Club and also a number of terms as President.
John has visited Lithuania a number of times to visit relatives and experience the land and culture of his parents’ birthplace.
Team member
Ron Cameron
Secretary
Ron was born in Canberra in 1950 to a Lithuanian mother and Australian father and became involved from a very early age in the children’s activities of the inaugural local Lithuanian community. Over time this encompassed being part of the first Canberra Lithuanian scout troop, Lithuanian folk dancing, weekend Lithuanian language classes, and playing basketball with the Vilkas basketball team.
After marriage, Ron, his wife Anne and his children Alina and Myles became involved in the Canberra Baltijos Tuntas scouts group and the children joined the folk dancing group. Ron also served a term as a Director on the Board of the Lithuanian Australian Club.
Over the years, in between periods working and living overseas in the field of competition and consumer law, he continued being involved in various activities of the local community, and as an amateur musician has enjoyed providing assistance with regard to musical undertakings at various functions.
Team member
Vida Howe
Memberships
Vida was born in Canberra and moved to Sydney when she was four. Whilst living in Sydney Vida was involved in Lithuanian activities: attending Lithuanian school on Sunday mornings, the folk dancing group and the “Ateitininku” organisation.

Vida returned to Canberra in 1972 with husband Geoff and daughter Belinda. The family became involved in the Lithuanian community soon after their arrival by joining the dancing group. Years later Vida took over as teacher of the dancing group.

As her daughter grew older Vida became involved with the Lithuanian language classes for children where she taught. When the scouts group Baltijos Tuntas formed all the family became involved.

Team member
Algis Kusta
Treasurer
Algis was born in Newcastle to Lithuanian-born parents who met on the boat emigrating them from Lithuania to Australia after WWII. Algis grew up in Bankstown, which had a strong Lithuanian presence, and learnt to speak Lithuanian at home.

In 1975, Algis moved to Canberra for work, where he met the mother of his children at Lithuanian folk dancing. Algis has been attending Community events since his arrival in Canberra, has taken Lithuanian language classes and has volunteered his cooking skills for previous Lithuanian food stalls at Multicultural Festivals.

Algis has travelled to Lithuania many times and holds dual citizenship. Experiencing the Lithuanian culture (food, language, land) in Country drives Algis’ love for travelling back to the Motherland.

2022-23 is Algis’ first year on the Committee.

Team member
Kat Andruška
Functions Co-ordinator
Katharine was born in Canberra in 1986 to John and Aurora Andruska and has been involved in the Lithuanian community from a young age including attending functions at the club as a young child and doing Lithuanian dancing.

Katharine moved to Sydney for school in 2000 and returned to Canberra after university in 2009.

Katharine and her husband Seph welcomed their beautiful baby girl Izabella in March 2022. Her husband Seph is also a member of the Vilkas basketball team.

Katharine has been an active member of the community since 2016, attending various functions and events. Katharine nominated and was elected as a committee member at the AGM in October 2019 and re-elected at the 2020 AGM. Katharine shares the role of functions coordinator with Sophie Kusta.

Team member
Sophie Kusta
Functions Co-ordinator
Sophie is a third generation Lithuanian, born in 1994 and raised in Canberra with a strong connection to her Lithuanian heritage and family history.

Sophie has expressed her pride in her Lithuanian roots since she was young, through learning Lithuanian at CLC-run language classes, visiting and traveling around the country with her family, volunteering at local events such as the Multicultural festival and becoming a dual citizen of Lithuania.

Since becoming a committee member in 2021, Sophie continues on her role as co-functions coordinator alongside Katherine Andruska.

Team member
Evan Alexanrow-Ridley
Assistant Treasurer