SA Premier Peter Malinauskas, former Socceroo Archie Thompson and leading contemporary artist Saidin Salkic feature in a new book that tells the stories of second-generation migrant Australians.
Titled ‘At the Heart of Identity’, the book is a collection of reflections from Australians who share their families’ settlement journeys and their own search for identity.
It includes inspirational and heart-wrenching stories of migrant families as well as the sense of hope and opportunity that characterises Australia’s migration history.
Contributors include South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas, whose family hails from Lithuania, and former Socceroo Archie Thompson, who has a New Zealand-born father and mother from Papua New Guinea.
Also sharing their stories are federal MP Cassandra Fernando, whose parents are from Sri Lanka, and Victorian state MP Lee Tarlamis, who has Greek heritage.
Artist Saidin Salkic, whose father was victim of the Srebrenica massacre in Bosnia, is also a contributor, along with others from Africa, Kurdistan, Vietnam, Malta, Yugoslavia, Burma, Italy and Ukraine.
Launched in Parliament House, Canberra, this week as part of migrant and refugee settlement agency AMES Australia’s annual ‘Heartlands’ cultural project, the book is a reflection of Australia’s long and diverse history as a nation of migrants.
AMES CEO Cath Scarth said the book was timely at a point in history when polarisation and divisiveness are on the rise across the globe.
“Stories of settlement in Australia, no matter where you have come from, are things that unite us,” Ms Scarth said.
“These stories are reflection of how migrants have helped to build Australia and helped to create the successful brand of multiculturalism we enjoy along with the high levels of social cohesion that we have built,” she said.
One of the contributors is Carmen Capp-Calleya, who came to Australia from Malta with her parents in 1958 – surviving a shipwreck along the way.
“The tragic incident, the first major shipping disaster since the end of WW11, had an enduring impact on me and my family. It left us with an indelible sense that we were indeed migrants who had crossed the seas to make a new life,” she says in the book.
Former Socceroo Archie Thompson tells of his trouble childhood.
“I grew up in country town in NSW and I was pretty much the only dark-skinned kid in town. That made things difficult at times, but I was able to find a community through football,” he says.
SA Premier Peter Malinauskas’ family came to Australia in 1949 escaping war-torn Europe.
“When my grandparents got married, they bought a block of land on Trimmer Parade, Seaton, where they built their home and, for many years, operated a fish and chip shop. I distinctly remember as a young boy standing at that fish and chip shop my grandfather built with his own bare hands as he told me about the importance of taking opportunities,” he says.
Federal MP Cassandra Fernando tells of growing up in a vibrant multicultural community.
“I loved the diversity in South-East Melbourne, a cultural melting pot of Greeks, Italians, Vietnamese, and more. Here, I learned the true meaning of community as people from
different backgrounds came together,” she says.
Victorian MP Lee Tarlamis tells of reconnecting with his heritage.
“I became determined to reconnect with Greek culture. Embracing both the Greek community and my wife’s Vietnamese culture helped me value diversity and the importance of preserving it,” he says in the book.
Park Ranger James Brincat, whose parts came from Malta in the 1950s, says racism was part of his childhood.
“Growing up in a migrant family was challenging due to racism and being unsure of my identity because of the media’s mixed messages. These experiences strengthened me and now guide my work with refugee communities,” he says.
Architect and artist Maru Jarockyj’s parents fled Ukraine after WWII and settled in the UK. She came to Australia as a young woman.
“Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent devastating war has sparked some deep latent emotions in me and reignited a sense of patriotism. Ukrainian culture
has always been important to me, and I’ve been involved in folk music and art throughout my life,” she says.