Luke Cuni (31 August 1911 – 22 May 1980) was an Albanian-Australian community leader. He was born in

Prizren ) , settlement_type = Municipality and city , image_skyline = Prizren Collage.jpg , imagesize = 290px , image_caption = View of Prizren , image_alt = View of Prizren , image_flag ...

Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Eur ...

the part of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

to John and Marta Cuni, ethnic Albanians. He studied classics and philosophy in

Skopje Skopje ( , , ; mk, Скопје ; sq, Shkup) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre. The territory of Skopje has been inhabited since at least 4000 BC; ...

and married Filomena Marko on 1 July 1936. He organised celebrations of

Albanian Flag Day Flag Day ( sq, Dita e Flamurit or ''Festa e Flamurit''), or Independence Day, is celebrated every 28 November as a holiday in Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia and the Albanian diaspora. It refers to the Albanian Declaration of Independence on 28 ...

in defiance of the Yugoslav government, and in 1944 escaped Yugoslavia with his family as refugees after Albanian communist forces drove out the Italian-backed regime. The Cunis arrived in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a me ...

in 1950, having spent the previous six years in refugee camps in Austria and Italy. Cuni worked at a hostel in Williamstown while Filomena was employed as a housemaid in

Croydon Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an extens ...

. They settled in

Yarraville Yarraville is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Maribyrnong local government area. Yarraville recorded a population of 15,636 at the . Yarravi ...

in 1954 and Cuni was naturalised in 1957. He worked as a storeman and a language interpreter, speaking eight languages. He worked with community groups including the

Australia Day Council The National Australia Day Council (NADC) is a non-profit social enterprise owned by the Australian Government and is the national coordinating body for the Australian of the Year awards and Australia Day. It was established in 1979 and inco ...

, the Captive Nations Association, the Yarraville Community Centre, the Good Neighbour Council and the Catholic Family Welfare Bureau. He presented the Albanian language program on radio 3ZZ and 3EA from 1975 to 1980. A noted pacifist, he was shot on 21 May 1980 while working as an interpreter at the

Supreme Court of Victoria The Supreme Court of Victoria is the highest court in the Australian state of Victoria. Founded in 1852, it is a superior court of common law and equity, with unlimited and inherent jurisdiction within the state. The Supreme Court compr ...

and died at the

Royal Melbourne Hospital The Royal Melbourne Hospital (RMH), located in Parkville, Victoria, an inner suburb of Melbourne, is one of Australia's leading public hospitals. It is a major teaching hospital for tertiary health care with a reputation in clinical research. T ...

the following day.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cuni, Luke 1911 births 1980 deaths Naturalised citizens of Australia Deaths by firearm in Victoria (state) Yugoslav emigrants to Australia Yugoslav refugees World War II refugees