When Broken Hill’s Yugoslav community migrated here during the 1920s, most thought they’d only be in Broken Hill for two years before returning to their homeland, but many men got work on the mines and decided to stay, bringing their families out to live in the wild far west.
In 1928 the Broken Hill Community Napredak Club began to form, initially in the homes of Yugoslav residents with backyard Bocce being played as they did back in Yugoslavia, but as the club grew in popularity, a clubhouse was needed.
In 1936, the Yugoslav community started to build the Napredak club house. With humble beginnings of a big tin room, the community gathered regularly to play bocce and socialise, and although the original corrugated ceiling remains in the clubhouse today, the site has evolved considerably over the decades, and everyone is welcome.
Owner of Rudolph Alagich’s Menswear & Hire Service, Nancy Alagich, shared her family’s memories of the club with the Barrier Truth.
“When the constitution was created for the Napredak club, it was stated that the club was to be for people from all sections of Yugoslavia and the members were to be tolerant of everybody and to assimilate into the Broken Hill community,” Ms Alagich told us.
“When politicians would come to town, most of them said Broken Hill started multiculturalism because the Napredak club helped people to assimilate into the Broken Hill community once here, and the club helped to create harmony between the two communities,” she said.
“We held Carnivale at the club in the 1980s but over the decades the club always had something fun going on for everyone. They were very social times in Broken Hill. It’s always been such a unique community and it’s wonderful to see people still enjoying bocce at the Napredak club.”
Today, anyone can form a team and go along to play bocce at the Club at 305 Piper St in the south.
The Barrier Truth has a bocce team called Truth Hurts, with local tennis players calling themselves the Stringers, and Fire and Rescue’s team are known as the Arsonists, so why not get a team together and head down to the Napredak Club for fun, friendship and some friendly competition.
To find out more about the Napredak Club, call 8088 3181 or email [email protected].
