A large group of Ukrainian immigrants arrived in Australia in 1948, 1949, and 1950 with the assistance of two-year work contracts offered by the Australian government.

[3] Upon receiving the Federal Government's permission, the first edition was published on 10 July 1949.

[1] Since then, the newspaper has had a role in reporting on the establishment and development of Ukrainian Australian cultural and social life.

[1] An active member of the Ukrainian Australian community, Shumsky was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in 2009 for "service to the Ukrainian community through cultural, educational and literary contributions".

[6][7][8] Over the years, contributors to Vilna Dumka have included Dmytro Nytczenko, Bohdan Podolianko,[9] and Wasyl Onufrienko.