As a child arriving in a strange land on the back of my parents’ hopes and dreams, with my sister we had no real idea of what was to come. Fortunately, not having yet developed any expectations that carried over from our short time in Italy, it made the journey a little simpler to embrace the new life.

The learning experience was a mixed bag of challenges and adequate achievement. It got better as time passed. As my life in Australia evolved, I found my ground and pathway through a new world ultimately experiencing my version of the revolutionary transformation that was happening before my eyes. With the duplicity of life, in an environment of blending suburban life with a culture frozen in time growing up as a ‘New Australian’, I learnt about the way things were but always influenced by traditional values.

Fortunately, these merged to create a new passion and zest for our chosen home, I couldn’t imagine any other life. Looking back, I can recall the journey through feeling like rough stone, that was finally honed to the person I had become. My migrant status eventually faded and melted into my normality. The privilege of the interesting journey and sharing in life, shaped me, and I recognise that a group of people like me helped shape our society.