Treasures in Miniature, Radojka (Rada) Mikanovic

Rada has a love for life and for her family, but her other big love in life has been collecting dolls from different nationalities. While talking about her collection, Rada laughed and said, “If you knew how many dolls I have, you would be shocked.”

Rada started collecting dolls at around the age of 30 and estimates she has close to 90 dolls in her collection. They are all on display in her wall unit and are in pristine condition - as she has never allowed anyone to play with them.

Most of the dolls were collected by Rada during holidays to Austria, Italy and the former Yugoslavia, among others. When friends went travelling overseas, Rada would make sure to ask them to buy her a doll from the country they were visiting, which she then proudly added to her collection.

Another joy in life for Rada has been gardening. “I love being in nature and surrounded by beautiful flowers and trees,” said Rada smiling. “I also enjoy cooking and preparing traditional dishes like sarma, stuffed capsicum, and pita but stuffed mushrooms are my absolute favourite.

Rada migrated to Australia from Bosnia around 50 years ago and settled in Surry Hills with her husband and daughter. She also has two grandchildren who she loves dearly. Her granddaughter Lucy asked if she could have her doll collection one day. Rada said to Lucy, “I will give my collection to you now and you can enjoy them now, but you can’t play with them - only look at and admire them.”

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