The Board of the Estonian House Cooperative Society Ltd announced to the AGM that the Sydney Estonian Evangelical Lutheran St John’s Congregation has transferred its property at 11 Waratah St, North Strathfield to the Cooperative.
After 90 years the congregation has been facing declining numbers and no new members. The congregation strongly believed that the church’s assets should be retained within the Estonian community and approached the Coop board with a proposal to gift the church property in return for the Coop managing the transfer and allowing the church to maintain its activities at Waratah St.
The Coop board was honoured to be entrusted with these assets and Grahame Reinthal read out the following letter from the Congregation to the assembled shareholders at the AGM.
The Estonian House Co-operative Society was excited to announce to the members at the AGM on the 24th November that long time community member Maud Kaljot (1926-2024) left an extremely generous bequest to the Co-op to ensure that the stage 2 kitchen and bar renovations could be completed for the benefit of our community.
The Board unveiled a portrait of Maud which now hangs in the upstairs Multi-function Meeting room at the house and toasted her memory and generosity.
MAUD EVELYN KALJOT
Maud Evelyn Kaljot was born in Tallinn, Estonia on 215t January, 1926, to parents Bertha & Herbert. Maud had one older brother and the family lived happily in Tallinn until Estonia was invaded, then they moved to Austria and then emigrated to Australia in 1949.
After time at the Bathurst Migrant Camp, the Kaljot family moved to Newcastle where they were heavily involved in establishing an Eesti Selts.
Maud married twice but sadly had no children. She moved into an apartment in Summer Hill, Sydney in 1980, where she lived for the rest of her life.
Maud worked professionally as a private secretary and various clerical positions in Sydney. Maud was a very well read and educated person who spoke many (at least 5) languages fluently. She had many interests and attended various events, concerts, performances locally and internationally.
Over the years Maud was an active member of many Estonian activity groups including Laulukoor, Naisring, Seniors, Sõrve, Muinsuskaitsering as well as attending almost all Estonian and Baltic functions during this time. The Estonian community was like Maud’s family to her.
Maud was totally lucid and sharp as a tack to the very end and stayed in her home till she died at the age of 98.
She will be remembered as a vibrant, outgoing lady and generous supporter of the Estonian community.
Presented to the AGM by Hillary Ranniko
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In September 2023 Hillar completed the roof truss repair. This involved installing a custom steel support bracket under each of the roof trusses, and then strengthening each truss with plywood bracing on the sides. It turned out the original design … Continue reading →
A big thank you to everyone involved with the fund raiser for Estonian House on Saturday night. It was so good to share our recent renovations and new facilities with the community and to finally see a full hall again with a great mix of old and young and a few new faces! Tere Tulemast!
Thanks to Kooskõlas for their wonderful singing and to Kieran Scott for organising the event, Paul Kadak for being MC, Selts for running the bar and Sulev and Barbara (and others) for the food. For more see the Selts Facebook page here
Thanks also to Lachlan Bell for the first exhibition of woven artworks in the renovated foyer and for putting in the effort to catalogue all the 80 odd artworks in Sydney Estonian House.
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The stage 1 renovations are nearly complete – all thanks to Hillar for his huge effort over the last few months – and we now have a renovated foyer ready for its first display and two new toilets on ground level. The entry to the upstairs offices is now separate and also renewed ready for tennants – if you know some who needs new office space please let us know.
The foyer ready for new cupboardsGiles and Hillar checking everything works
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The Estonian community put in a great effort to move our old furniture and clear space upstairs in the old Boardroom, Meie Kodu and Estonian Archives in Australia offices.
Thanks to everyone who put in so much effort supporting our Eesti Maja.
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Hillar and Arne got to work on the demolition and installation of new concrete lintels ready to start framing the new bathrooms at the entry to Eesti Maja.
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