About Us

It is my honor and great pleasure to introduce the website of the Turkish Association of South Australia (TASA) which was formally established in 1979.

The principal aims of TASA are to preserve and develop Turkish culture and heritage, assist members of our community in orientation and settlement into the wider Australian community and the advancement of the cultural, educational and social well-being of the Turkish Community in South Australia.

Our Association welcome all individuals without any prejudice and discrimination irrespective of their race, culture, ethnicity, religion, gender, economic and educational status. We have a high number of members who are not from Turkish background or Turkish speakers but wish to be part of TASA and its activities for many reasons. Some of these members lived in Turkey or have some connections to Turkey or Turkish culture.

I came to Australia many years ago when there were no Turkish speaking people in Adelaide. I had experienced social isolation in my first years of arrival and for this reason I put so much emphasis on social inclusion and my desire to work in social isolation programs was fulfilled 20 years after I came to Australia. Having worked in the education and community sector for many years in various positions including as an advocate, senior social worker, qualified Interpreter/translator and a lecturer, my personal and professional experience has enabled me to utilize my skills, knowledge and network to assist and support the members of the Turkish Community in different areas and I will continue to do so as long as I am able to.

To date, TASA has conducted a Turkish language school, hosted sports teams such as soccer and volleyball, a Radio program through 5EBI FM, a National dance group, women’s group and more. Many of our past and present members have contributed to the preparation and presentation of the radio program on Sunday nights. They have also assisted in teaching the Turkish language on a voluntary basis for many years.

TASA is working closely with Veteran Affairs and the Return Soldiers Leigh (RSL), especially members of 9RAR. TASA takes parts in Commemoration ceremonies, ANZAC day, Youth Vigil Service, flag ceremony and many more.

TASA has proven success with a few stand out projects in the past. During 2005, under the leadership of Prof. Dr Kemal Turker together with RSL 9RAR, five Turkish veterans were brought to Australia to march during ANZAC day and later on two round stone plugs were placed in the Pennington Gardens, opposite the football stadium, carved with the words of the great leader of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk’s tribute to mothers in far away counties.

Under my leadership TASA had achieved the following projects:

• Worked collaboratively with the University of South Australia during 2012 and as a result 12 University students went to Turkey to do joint research project on WW1 with the Turkish University students from 18 March University in Canakkale.
• During 2014, TASA held a Turkish festival at the Migration Museum where more than 1000 people have entered the gates.
• Taught Turkish language from Primary level to Tertiary level.

Currently the members of the Community meet once a month at the Multicultural Communities Council of South Australia for a social get-together. Every month a guest speaker usually attends to present information about a particular topic. These meetings provide a good opportunity for people to socialize with one another, grow out of isolation, especially for newly-arrived people to meet other members of the community, establish friendships, gain knowledge and have a better understanding of life in Australia and contribute to wider community.

I am proud to admit that my determination and many years of work in Multicultural sector, Turkish and Veteran communities was recognized and I was awarded the Order of Australia Medal (OAM) from the General Governor who represents Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth II.

In 2005 I also received an award from the Federation of Ethnic Communities Council of Australia (FECCA) for assisting in Multicultural policies and practices.

I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge and say thank you to each and every one, past and present who contributed to TASA and its activities. TASA has been built on the strong foundation of hard work of past members.

I sincerely hope the website will give you some insight to the Turkish Association of South Australia.

Your sincerely,

Tanya Ayşen Kaplan OAM

President

I was born and raised in Istanbul, Turkey. I have completed my primary and secondary education in Turkey and Bachelor of Business Studies in Switzerland. I speak Turkish, English, German and French. 18 years ago, I migrated with my family to Australia, and worked in several industries as a Finance Officer. I have two sons and two grandchildren.

I always had the desire to help people in need and have been involved in several Fundraisings in Turkey as well as Australia. Currently, I am semi-retired and looking forward to completing my study of Diploma of Counselling. As an active supporter of Community Organisations, I am also a member and treasurer of Rotary Club of Lightsview. I feel privileged to become a member of TASA and hope to continue to support the Turkish Community in South Australia in future.

I was born and raised in Istanbul, Turkey. I have completed my primary and secondary education in Turkey and Bachelor of Business Studies in Switzerland. I speak Turkish, English, German and French. 18 years ago, I migrated with my family to Australia, and worked in several industries as a Finance Officer. I have two sons and two grandchildren.

I always had the desire to help people in need and have been involved in several Fundraisings in Turkey as well as Australia. Currently, I am semi-retired and looking forward to completing my study of Diploma of Counselling. As an active supporter of Community Organisations, I am also a member and treasurer of Rotary Club of Lightsview. I feel privileged to become a member of TASA and hope to continue to support the Turkish Community in South Australia in future.

It is my honor and great pleasure to introduce the website of the Turkish Association of South Australia (TASA) which was formally established in 1979.

The principal aims of TASA are to preserve and develop Turkish culture and heritage, assist members of our community in orientation and settlement into the wider Australian community and the advancement of the cultural, educational and social well-being of the Turkish Community in South Australia.

Our Association welcome all individuals without any prejudice and discrimination irrespective of their race, culture, ethnicity, religion, gender, economic and educational status. We have a high number of members who are not from Turkish background or Turkish speakers but wish to be part of TASA and its activities for many reasons. Some of these members lived in Turkey or have some connections to Turkey or Turkish culture.

I came to Australia many years ago when there were no Turkish speaking people in Adelaide. I had experienced social isolation in my first years of arrival and for this reason I put so much emphasis on social inclusion and my desire to work in social isolation programs was fulfilled 20 years after I came to Australia. Having worked in the education and community sector for many years in various positions including as an advocate, senior social worker, qualified Interpreter/translator and a lecturer, my personal and professional experience has enabled me to utilize my skills, knowledge and network to assist and support the members of the Turkish Community in different areas and I will continue to do so as long as I am able to.

To date, TASA has conducted a Turkish language school, hosted sports teams such as soccer and volleyball, a Radio program through 5EBI FM, a National dance group, women’s group and more. Many of our past and present members have contributed to the preparation and presentation of the radio program on Sunday nights. They have also assisted in teaching the Turkish language on a voluntary basis for many years.

TASA is working closely with Veteran Affairs and the Return Soldiers Leigh (RSL), especially members of 9RAR. TASA takes parts in Commemoration ceremonies, ANZAC day, Youth Vigil Service, flag ceremony and many more.

TASA has proven success with a few stand out projects in the past. During 2005, under the leadership of Prof. Dr Kemal Turker together with RSL 9RAR, five Turkish veterans were brought to Australia to march during ANZAC day and later on two round stone plugs were placed in the Pennington Gardens, opposite the football stadium, carved with the words of the great leader of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk’s tribute to mothers in far away counties.

Under my leadership TASA had achieved the following projects:

• Worked collaboratively with the University of South Australia during 2012 and as a result 12 University students went to Turkey to do joint research project on WW1 with the Turkish University students from 18 March University in Canakkale.
• During 2014, TASA held a Turkish festival at the Migration Museum where more than 1000 people have entered the gates.
• Taught Turkish language from Primary level to Tertiary level.

Currently the members of the Community meet once a month at the Multicultural Communities Council of South Australia for a social get-together. Every month a guest speaker usually attends to present information about a particular topic. These meetings provide a good opportunity for people to socialize with one another, grow out of isolation, especially for newly-arrived people to meet other members of the community, establish friendships, gain knowledge and have a better understanding of life in Australia and contribute to wider community.

I am proud to admit that my determination and many years of work in Multicultural sector, Turkish and Veteran communities was recognized and I was awarded the Order of Australia Medal (OAM) from the General Governor who represents Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth II.

In 2005 I also received an award from the Federation of Ethnic Communities Council of Australia (FECCA) for assisting in Multicultural policies and practices.

I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge and say thank you to each and every one, past and present who contributed to TASA and its activities. TASA has been built on the strong foundation of hard work of past members.

I sincerely hope the website will give you some insight to the Turkish Association of South Australia.

Your sincerely,

Tanya Ayşen Kaplan OAM

President

I was born in Ankara. As the child of a geologist father and a sociologist mother, I developed an interest in both Natural Sciences and Social Sciences. I completed my PhD at Istanbul University’s Institute of Marine Sciences and worked as a faculty member, while also serving on the institute’s board of directors and various Rectorate commissions. During my tenure, I worked with the Ministry of Environment, national, and international organizations to expand marine protected areas and raise awareness among local communities about preserving the ecological balance of Turkey’s seas. I mentored graduate students and made national and international academic publications, representing my country on many platforms. I became one of the scientific advisors for WWF Turkey. While pursuing studies in the sciences, I studied Sociology and Psychology. I continue to read extensively because I value personal development and intellectual accumulation. Being a part of my profession, I took scuba diving instructor courses. I worked as a tour guide for many years and worked in the tourism sector as a diving instructor whenever I could find free time. When I came to Australia, I founded my own startup and IT consultancy firm. I also continued to teach online at the University of Kyrenia in Cyprus. Recently, I have been supporting the development of new Turkish businesses in Adelaide. Currently, while continuing to work with my IT services company, I am a partner in a real estate investment company and an executive in a construction firm. In Adelaide, I support and am a member of Rotary, Variety Bash, local communities, and in Turkey, organizations like TURMEPA, TEMA, etc. In Turkey, I have experienced being both a founding member and an executive under the association and foundation umbrella. I am passionately working for the development of TASA and am excited about working with TASA to help the Turkish community in Australia adapt to the local culture and seize better opportunities in this beautiful country.

I was born and bred in Istanbul, Turkey and studied Public Relations and Advertising at Marmara University.  I am married to a British guy, Matt, and have a 7-year-old son, Emir Kai. We lived in Dubai (7 years) and Melbourne (1 year) before moving to Adelaide in Feb’ 2018. I have been lucky to acquire genuine friends and employers and be part of inspiring, culturally and linguistically diverse communities in each city I have lived. Although I have almost 20 years of experience working in Marketing and Communication sector, our recent move to Adelaide has inspired me to follow my passion, which is to support people from a refugee background. Thankfully, the karma worked again, and I started working for the STTARS (Survivors of Torture and Trauma Assistance and Rehabilitation Service) with different cultural groups who had to flee their home countries. Meanwhile, I am studying Community Services at TAFE at the moment.

I feel privileged to be a part of the TASA, which is nurtured by valuable members of the thriving Turkish community. TASA guides and supports every person who needs a helping hand in South Australia. This always reminds me of the powerful African sayings, “If you want to go fast, go alone; but if you want to go far, go together.”

I was born and raised in Kastamonu, Turkey. I have a Bachelor degree of business from Abant Izzet Baysal University. Following my graduation I worked at PepsiCo for 3 years.

Hi!

I was born and bred in Istanbul, where I used to guide tourists mainly camping tours that were popular at the time. I arrived in Australia in December 1979, by way of marriage. I witnessed the unbelievable bush fires in NSW as the plane was descending to land in Sydney. I looked at my wife worried about the fires and I was surprised at her calmness as she said “It happens every summer here, it’s normal!” We went to Barossa Valley where she’s from, following our visit to Sydney for 3 days. We moved to Adelaide after working casual jobs there. I got employed at the Grosvenor Hotel in Adelaide. It was nice to meet the Turks that came to the hotel. I caught up with a few friends who already migrated to Adelaide. I found out about TASA and helped out several years, especially by preparing and presenting Turkish Radio programs at 5EBI-FM. In 1995, I went to Istanbul with my fiancee who would be my second wife. Our intention was to get her Australian visa and return to Adelaide in 6 months. Unfortunately, not everything went as we hoped and 2 and a half years later we moved to the U.S.A. I lived in Birmingham, (sweet home) Alabama for 21 years. I became an active member of the Turkish American Association of Alabama. I moved back to Adelaide in 2018. Turkish Radio Programme will start again on 5EBI-FM due to hard work by our dear President Tanya Kaplan OAM. I look forward to broadcasting enjoyable presentations to you, on Turkish Radio.

Yours Sincerely

I graduated from Marmara University with a degree in Business Administration. Following that, I completed my master’s degree on Leadership and Change in Australia. Subsequently, I pursued my PhD studies in Organisational Behaviour at Marmara University.

Over the course of eight years, I assumed various levels of responsibility in multinational organizations. Additionally, I worked as a part-time instructor at Bahcesehir and Bogazici Universities, teaching Organisational Behaviour and Management Skills to graduate and postgraduate students. Since 2000, I have been designing and delivering workplace training programs for private sector companies in Turkey. I obtained my Business Edge Train the Trainer accreditation from IFC, a subsidiary of the World Bank. Furthermore, I became a professional coach after completing my ICF-accredited training. I currently reside and work in Adelaide since 2022.