Australian Paraguayans are citizens of

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

of Australian background. Most of them are descendants of a group of radical

socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...

Australians who voluntarily went to

to create a failed master-planned community, known as ''Nueva (New) Australia''.

History

In 1893, a group of Australian shearers fed up with the lack of job opportunities and security were persuaded by a controversial journalist, William Lane, to form the New Australia movement and over 2,000 prospective colonists signed up immediately. Paraguay was eager to offer the Australian colonists of fertile land. Having lost 90% of its male population only 20 years before in the Paraguayan War the country was desperate for manpower to work the land and re-populate the diminished nation. The first group, almost entirely men, was meant to set everything up for the thousands who would follow, and create the world’s first great communist city. They secured a ship to

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

and from there the 238 adults and children travelled across the grasslands in the heart of

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

to Paraguay, where the national government had granted them land to start their own colony. For a few years, new colonists continued to trickle into both communities from Australia and the UK, but the majority of settlers left, heading back to Australia or to farm work on

Patagonian Patagonia () refers to a geographical region that encompasses the southern end of South America, governed by Argentina and Chile. The region comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and gl ...

estancias An estancia is a large, private plot of land used for farming or raising cattle or sheep. Estancias in the southern South American grasslands, the ''pampas'', have historically been estates used to raise livestock, such as cattle or sheep. In Pu ...

. But, around eight families did remain and to this day 2,000 descendants of those colonists still call Paraguay home.

Notable people

León Cadogan León Cadogan (29 July 1899 – 30 May 1973) was a Paraguayan ethnologist who made significant contributions to the study of Guaraní language and culture. Childhood and studies León Cadogan was born in Asunción a few months after his Austra ...

- Paraguayan ethnologist * Gilbert Casey - Australian trade unionist * Mary Gilmore - Australian

poet and journalist. * William Lane - Pioneer of the

Australian labour movement The Australian labour movement began in the early 19th century and since the late 19th century has included industrial (Australian unions) and political wings (Australian Labor Party). Trade unions in Australia may be organised (i.e., formed) o ...

and

utopia A utopia ( ) typically describes an imaginary community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book ''Utopia (book), Utopia'', describing a fictional ...

n. *

Rose Summerfield Rose Anna Summerfield (18 April 1864 – 14 April 1922) also known as Rose Cadogan or Rose Hummer,Hearn, M ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'', Supplementary Volume, Melbourne University Press, 2005, pp 373–374. was a radical Australian femin ...

- Australian feminist and labour activist. * Robin Wood - Paraguayan comic book writer *

Alex Sharman Alex Sharman (born in Tasmania, Australia) is an Australian Paraguayan retired rugby union player, who played for the Paraguay national rugby union team. Personal life During the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Sharman supported Paraguay from the Sydney O ...

- Former

Rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

player for

Paraguay national rugby union team The Paraguay national rugby team is governed by the Paraguayan Rugby Union. They compete regularly in the South American Rugby Championship, but have yet to qualify for the Rugby World Cup. Paraguay had the unenviable position on 1 May 2002, of ...

References

{{Immigration to Paraguay Immigration to Paraguay Australian

History

Notable people

See also

References