On 22 October, the President of the Republic attended a 1956 commemoration at the Hungarian Centre in Melbourne, Australia, and met with members of the Hungarian Australian community.

Katalin Novák underscored that

nearly a hundred thousand Hungarians live in Australia, forming a community that maintains its Hungarian culture and traditions,

and cultivates a Hungarian identity. She stressed that one of the purposes of her visit to Australia was to keep the motherland’s connection with the Hungarian diaspora alive, and as part of the effort, she decided to celebrate the anniversary of the 1956 revolution with the Hungarian Australian community. The President attended a 1956 commemoration and delivered remarks at the Hungarian Centre in Melbourne on 22 October.

President Novák was accompanied on her trip by Reformed Church Bishop Zoltán Balogh who delivered a sermon to the local community at the Melbourne Hungarian Calvinist Church. President Novák also attended the worship.

On Tuesday, 24 October, President Novák also visited the Melbourne Cricket Ground stadium, where she met with Cecília Hartmann, a Hungarian Australian kayaker who achieved fourth place in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. In a Twitter post, the President noted that Hartmann talked about the Olympics held just one month after the suppression of the revolution and the lasting family separations caused by the events. She drew attention to the fact that

on 23 October, the hundreds of Hungarian families who were torn apart due to the revolution and Communist oppression are also commemorated.

Novák also placed flowers at the statue of Hungarian football legend Ferenc Puskás, who worked as a coach in Melbourne between 1989 and 1991.

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Sources: Hungarian Conservative/Sándor Palace/MTI