Maltese Identity in Australia - What Future?Author: Dr. Barry York ConclusionThe above thoughts have largely been based on impressions gathered from nearly fourteen years close to, yet apart from, Maltese communities. Perhaps some of my impressions are wrong. I am open-minded enough to welcome contrary points of view. However, it does seem to me that any hope for the maintenance of the type of Maltese culture brought here by migrants forty years ago will prove to be an unrealistic hope. Forty years hence it is unlikely that there will be many Australians who speak the Maltese language; unless, of course, something happens to bring in a whole new group of Malta-born migrants. I would be happy if, in forty years time, there are several thousand Australians who are aware of their Maltese ancestry, who are proud of that ancestry, who are actively interested in Malta and Maltese history, and who appreciate that, at a particular historical juncture, the culture and traditions - not to mention the strong backs and brave hearts - of their forefathers intersected with the growth and development of their own homeland, Australia. My hope may seem modest, even feeble, but even it may prove to be a bold hope.
   
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