002 Crossies?

Vocabulary: Stuff #002

Crossies?

What to call Australian Croatians?

In 2016, 133 268 residents of Australia identified as being of Croatian descent. So Croatian-Australians (hrvatski australci) made up 0.6% of the population. That does not include all of those who had lived in Australia, but had passed away before then.

New Zealanders of Dalmatian origin are often referred to by a nickname (nadimak): they are called Dallies.

We don't seem to have such a nickname for Croatian-origin Aussies. Perhaps Crossies?
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You can find in Wikipedia a list of notable Crossies (Click to go to link) in categories according to the field of endeavour for which they became known:

​Have a read: you may get some surprises. Each entry has a link to information about their claim to fame.

So, who are the most notable Crossies? Here are my picks from the Wikipedia list .....

In each case, CLICK on the name in the caption to go to an extended Wikipedia entry.
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Charles Billich


 

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Photo: By Tanja08 - Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4573496

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Eric Bana

Photo by David Shankbone - Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6660104

Natasha Scott Despoja

Photo from Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade website​: https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=45941470

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Silvio Rivier

Photo SBS: https://i1.wp.com/tvtonight.com.au/wp-content/uploads/silvio.jpg

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Ralph Sarich

Photo from www.forbes.com/profile/ralph-sarich/#1c5a1f891003
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Frances Andrijich

Photo: https://uwap.uwa.edu.au/collections/frances-andrijich

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Tony Popovich

Photo: Macktheknifeau at https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=43802002
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Each of us would select a different set of most notable Crossies.

There is one more that I must add:
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John Gerovich
It's not every day that somebody has a statue built to honour them, in the centre of their home town (Fremantle),  while they are still alive - and even youngish.

Photo on left: https://australianfootball.com/players/player/john%2Bgerovich/15619
Photo on right: Moondyne:  https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2555694

What an extraordinary contribution to Australia these Crossies have made!
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No, I don’t expect the term Crossies to catch on. Just thinkin’ ……..  and it gives me an opportunity to draw attention to some of them.

Hang on, what about Crosanci!?
 
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