Dear friends/ Dragi prijatelji,

There have been a host of highlights throughout 2003: we celebrated the Slovenian language and culture and have been developing Australia's connections with Slovenia. In March, we marked the 25th Anniversary of Slovenian language in Australian schools with several events: the Concert, the Conference and the Archival Exhibition.

We thank the Slovenian community of Victoria, Slovenian Australian media, the viewers and contributors to ISSV and Thezaurus projects for their continuing interest and support.

Beside the silver jubilee, two achievements stand out during the past year. The publication of Slovenian Language in Australia 1977-2002, the book written by Aleksandra Ceferin and initiation of the Slovenian Learning Exchange Program. The richly illustrated book is a significant document of the Slovenian presence and the history of Slovenian language in Victoria. The Slovenian Learning Exchange is the first program enabling Australian students to study in a Slovenian secondary college. Four students have already studied for an extended period in two Slovenian schools and we have received more expressions of interest for studying in Slovenia at different levels of education.

There will be more news of current activities and online projects in the first Thezaurus newsletter in 2004.