Australian Dictionary of Biography

Irene Krastev with her King Charles spaniel Charlie

Irene Jordanka Krastev (1925–2000), businesswoman and community leader, was born on 19 January 1925 at Haskovo, Bulgaria, eldest of three children of Russian-born Jean Oulianoff, doctor and later fitter and turner, and his Bulgarian wife Rada, née Kamourova, tailor. Family history claimed that Jean, who was of Don Cossack heritage, fought against the Bolsheviks in the Russian Civil War, later fleeing to Bulgaria in 1923 after the formation of the Soviet Union. In 1928 he moved his family to Paris, where Jordanka–sometimes spelt Iordanka–and her brother Peter attended school. Another brother, Stephan, was born in 1933. Following the outbreak of World War II, Jean was taken to Berlin as a forced labourer for the German army in 1941. Because Rada was Bulgarian, the rest of the family was permitted to live in Berlin, where they stayed until 1949. During this time, Jordanka spent four years at university, mainly studying languages: she was fluent in German, Russian, Bulgarian, French, and later English.

In 1949 the family left Germany, arriving in Australia on 1 January 1950 as displaced persons; Peter followed six months later. They initially lived in makeshift accommodation at the Bathurst migrant camp in regional New South Wales before renting a house in Sydney. Apart from Jean, they were all on two-year work contracts. Jordanka, who became better known as Irene, was employed as a housekeeper to the French consul in Sydney. In 1952 she matriculated at the University of Sydney, where she briefly studied psychology and history. The family also became active in the Russian Orthodox community at Strathfield.

Irene was naturalised in July 1959 and on 17 October married Stoino Krastev, a Bulgarian driving instructor, at the registrar general’s office in Sydney. The couple settled at Albert Park, Melbourne, where they bought and ran a corner delicatessen. On 22 February 1961, Stoino died suddenly of a heart attack. Krastev subsequently moved to Adelaide with Stephan and her mother in the mid-1960s. There they established a market garden at Penfield, north of Adelaide, near other Bulgarians, initially leasing land before buying forty acres (16 ha). After Krastev developed an allergy to the chemicals used to fumigate vegetables in the glasshouses, she researched other methods of protecting produce, and the family became one of the first organic growers in Adelaide. She worked as a market gardener until 1978. Her experience led to appointments on the South Australian Egg Board (1984–88) and the Citrus Board of South Australia (1988–c. 1993).

By the early 1970s Krastev was actively involved in local politics and community organisations. From 1971 to 1978 she was a councillor for the District Council of Munno Para, becoming chair of its work and town planning committee. She served on the board of the Lyell McEwin Hospital (c. 1973–75); acted as an interpreter for local hospitals, law courts, and government authorities; and taught English at the Migrant Education Centre. A lifelong socialist, she joined the Australian Labor Party in the early 1950s and stood unsuccessfully for the State electorate of Goyder in 1975. In July 1978 she was appointed a justice of the peace.

Krastev advocated for women through organisations such as the Migrant Women’s Lobby Group of South Australia (MWLG), where she was a founding member (1984) and president. She was also involved with the establishment of the United Ethnic Communities of South Australia (secretary 1986), served as a member of the State’s Migrant Women’s Advisory Committee (c. 1987–89), and was treasurer of the Adelaide branch of the Business and Professional Women’s Association (c. 1973–77). For many years, she was heavily involved with the Australian Bulgarian Association Inc. (secretary, c. 1987–92). A champion for the rights of older people, she was also vice-president (1988) of the Ethnic Ageing Action Group and a member of several advisory committees for the South Australian government. Nationally, she made a contribution as a member of the Social Security Appeals Tribunal (1988–92). After a battle with cancer, she died on 15 February 2000 in Adelaide and was buried with her mother in Centennial Park cemetery. She was survived by her brothers and her beloved dog Charlie, a trilingual King Charles spaniel, who understood commands in English, French, and Russian.

Known for her ‘ageless spirit, sharp wit,’ and ‘fabulous’ cooking skills (Duncan 2000), Krastev was a ‘strong and stubborn’ woman with ‘a passion for justice’ (Oulianoff 2013). Of small stature, she earned the nickname ‘the Bulgarian Bombshell’ for her energetic efforts to foster a more equitable and multicultural society. In 1994 she received an Advance Australia award for community service in South Australia. Two years later, she was awarded the OAM for her service to multicultural groups, the Bulgarian community, and the aged. The MWLG’s Irene Krastev award, announced annually on International Women’s Day, was established to recognise women from migrant or refugee backgrounds who have made a significant contribution to women’s participation in the South Australian community. In 2009 Krastev Street in Forde, Canberra, was named in her honour.