It is with great sadness that the ACT Government has been informed by Mr Victor Marillanca’s family of his passing on 26 September 2023.
Our thoughts and sympathies are with Mr Marillanca’s family, many friends, and community during this difficult time.
Mr Marillanca will be remembered for his unwavering support of Spanish-speaking people in Australia and his work strengthening the ACT’s ties to Spanish-speaking countries.
Arriving in Australia from Chile as a political refugee in 1975, Mr Marillanca escaped the political repression and human rights abuses happening in his home country and immediately set out to help others also seek safety and political asylum.
His passion for supporting his community evolved into him creating the first Spanish language radio program in the ACT, ‘Coneccion Latino Americana’ in 1976.
This year marked the 2XX FM’s Latino program’s 47th anniversary on air, making Mr Marillanca the longest serving volunteer presenting a Latin American program in Australian Community Radio.
For 47 years, the program has provided vital information for thousands of Spanish speaking people on topics such as immigration, community assistance, refugee programs, local health services, public housing and current politics, supporting many Spanish-speaking Canberrans.
During this time he served as President, Vice President, and Secretary of the National Ethnic Multicultural Broadcasters Council, but also as the President of the Community Ethnic Broadcasters Association of ACT Inc, Chair of the 2XXFM Ethnic Standing Committee and as a registered/practicing radio trainer.
Despite not being Mexican, his dedication to helping the Spanish-speaking community earned him the prestigious Mexican government’s Ohtli award – one of the country’s highest honours normally only given to citizens Mexican citizens. The award celebrates individuals who have aided, empowered or positively impacted the lives of Mexican nationals.
Mr Marillanca leaves behind a legacy of unwavering advocacy and will be missed so dearly by all the people he reached, supported and helped.
The ACT Government will continue to work with Mr Marillanca’s family to ensure that his enormous contribution to the ACT and broader community continue to be recognised and honoured.
Vale Victor Marillanca.
