„Why had the skies turned from fair to rough?
Because a people had cried Enough!”
These words by Sándor Márai vividly capture the tragic events of October 1956.
The memory of the Hungarian Revolution lives on in those who experienced it. At the memorial plaque unveiling on 27 June 2026, our Vice President, Katalin Ilosvay-Egyed, shared her personal recollections of the Revolution. As an eight-year-old girl in Buda, she sat in an air raid shelter listening to the fighting around Széna Square. Seventy years later, those memories remain as vivid as ever, just as they do for many other survivors of the 1956 Revolution and their families.
Following the suppression of the Revolution, more than 200,000 Hungarians were forced to leave their homeland. Many found a new home in Australia, where they built families, established thriving communities, and made lasting contributions to their adopted country. Their stories form an important part of the legacy we honour today.
On 27 June, a historic milestone was reached in Waverley Park, Bondi, Sydney, with the official unveiling of the first public Hungarian memorial plaque in Australia. The memorial honours the heroes of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, as well as the thousands of Hungarians who rebuilt their lives in Australia after fleeing their homeland.
The memorial was made possible through the collaboration of the Waverley Council, the Hungarian Association of NSW, and the Hungarian Trade and Consular Office in Sydney, with generous financial support from the Hungarian House Co-operative in Sydney.
The idea was first conceived the previous year during preparations for the 70th anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, when the then Head of the Consular Office proposed the creation of a permanent public memorial. The Hungarian Association of NSW proudly embraced the initiative, which was followed by many months of planning, consultation, and coordination. A key contributor throughout the project was Gusztáv Ilosvay, who designed and created the memorial plaque. Thanks to the dedication of everyone involved, Sydney is now home to a lasting monument preserving the history and legacy of the Hungarian community.
The ceremony featured addresses by Waverley Mayor Will Nemesh, whose father and grandfather both fled to Australia following the 1956 Revolution, His Excellency Zsolt Csenger-Zalán, Ambassador of Hungary to Canberra, and Katalin Ilosvay-Egyed, Vice President of the Hungarian Association of NSW.
Among those in attendance were Dr Mónika Varga, Head of the Hungarian Trade and Consular Office in Sydney, together with members of the Consular Office, Stephen Bali MP, whose parents also arrived in Australia as refugees after the Revolution, councillors from Waverley Council, leaders of Sydney’s Hungarian organisations, surviving refugees of the 1956 Revolution, and their descendants.
Following the unveiling, guests enjoyed a commemorative cultural programme featuring Veronika Bencsik, recipient of the Kőrösi Csoma Sándor Program scholarship, accompanied by violinist Mark Richard and violist Anti Stopic. Dr Teresa Bell presented the English translation of Gyula Illyés’ renowned poem One Sentence on Tyranny, after which musicians from The Transylvaniacs continued the programme. The ceremony concluded with the singing of the Hungarian and Australian national anthems.
The Hungarian Association of NSW extends its sincere gratitude to everyone who contributed to making this memorial a reality. We especially thank the Hungarian House Co-operative for its financial support, Mayor Will Nemesh for providing such a fitting location, Emily Scott and Mary Shiner for their invaluable cooperation, and Gusztáv Ilosvay for sourcing the stone, designing and creating the memorial, and installing the plaque. We also thank the staff of the foundry for producing and delivering the plaque ahead of schedule.
We hope this memorial will stand for many decades to come, reminding all who pass by that the sacrifices made in the pursuit of freedom must never be forgotten.
