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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-04-05 Daily Xml
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NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR FAMILIES OF IMMIGRANTS

Mr PICCOLO (Light) (15:49): I rise today to talk about some events I attended over the weekend on behalf of the Premier, Mike Rann. On both Friday night and Saturday I had the pleasure of representing the minister at events celebrating the 50th anniversary of ANFE, which is the national association for families of migrants. ANFE was established in South Australia in 1961 by the late Cavalier Antonio Giordano AM.

As I said, this year marks the 50th anniversary of the organisation, which has provided to the Italo-Australian community a range of services and support. Among those things the organisation seeks to promote the rights of people of Italian background to participate in the South Australian community; provide culturally appropriate welfare services and activities; promote the Italian language and heritage within a multicultural context; provide respite for carers of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds; and assist in matters of integration, settlement and post settlement.

ANFE is a national organisation which over its half a century of operation has supported everything from multicultural programs and youth development initiatives to aged care, support and welfare. At the moment, the head of ANFE is the Acting President, Mr Remo Pocarro, who I met for the first time on Friday night, and who also attended the museum events on Saturday.

The organisation had its beginnings in South Australia back in the late 1950s, when informal gatherings of Italian migrants took place at the then Mocca Bar on Hindley Street, then known as 'little Italy'. With the need for migrant welfare services apparent, ANFE became the first community organisation, independent of the Italian Consulate or the Australian government, to provide assistance to newly arrived Italian migrants. The early development of the organisation and the foundation on which it now rests can be attributed to the high level of volunteers who, over 50 years, have dedicated their time and effort to providing for their fellow community members.

Recently, in accordance with the many anniversary celebrations of the organisation, numerous events have been held in honour of one of its key founders, Mr Antonio Giordano AM. Mr Giordano was born in May 1907 in Naples, Italy—one of the greatest cities in Italy, of course—and migrated to Australia in 1924 after obtaining the equivalent of a working visa.

Despite his reasonable education, Antonio assumed many manual labouring jobs throughout Victoria and New South Wales in his first years of settlement. As the Depression hit Australia in the late 1920s, Antonio was forced to live out of a swag, a victim of the exponential increase in unemployment. Years later, in 1937, Antonio was engaged as a writer and journalist for the publication Il Giornale and then the Italo-Australiano. It was here that his participation in the wider Italian community truly commenced, becoming secretary of the Italian Club in Sydney.

In June 1940 Antonio was interned as an enemy alien due to Italy's involvement in the Second World War. Despite spending the next four years behind barbed wire, Antonio did not give up his service to the Italo-Australian community, producing a newsletter for other Italians, directing theatrical performances and other activities. After his release he became a part-time interpreter for the commonwealth Crown Solicitor's Office in Adelaide, participating in numerous prosecution trials and becoming well respected in legal circles for his ability to communicate to the court the various cultural differences of Italian migrants.

In 1945 Antonio married Lucy, a South Australian resident of English migrants. In 1954 Antonio returned to his passion of journalism and joined the staff of Corriere d'Australia. He contributed to other Italian and Australian newspapers with letters and articles focusing on immigration, exploration and history.

His contribution to the Italian community in Australia continued. He became secretary of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in South Australia and other parts of Australia. He also served as president of the Juventus Soccer Club in Adelaide after assisting with its incorporation. Antonio also worked for the Bank of Adelaide, where he acted as the Italian officer for public relations. He was also very active in trying to ensure that Italian naturalised migrants retained some rights when visiting their homeland under the title of double citizenship, what we call dual citizenship today.

The current exhibition at the Migration Museum pays testament to the work of this man in Australia, and I would recommend that people attend that exhibition, because it is quite incredible how one person can fit so much into one life. As the Acting President of ANFE, Mr Remo Pocarro, remarked recently, Antonio Giordano lived a colourful but meaningful life.

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