Kayla Calabro
Village Voices enabled me to express and conceptualise my grandparent’s beginnings in Surry Hills. During post-war migration to Australia, my grandparents came by ship in the late 50s to early 60s from Italy and the Greek Islands. My Mother being Greek and my Father being Italian, their parents shared a very similar story settling in Surry Hills. My first line refers to my Italian grandparents. ‘Terra Australis’ is a Latin term which means “unknown southern land” and ‘La Dolce Vita’ translating to “the sweet life”. They came to Australia with one suitcase and an address to the Italian Immigration Centre in Surry Hills. This is where they met, and the rest is history. My second line refers to my Greek grandparents. My papou (grandfather) was one of the first out of his family to settle in Australia. He worked at Holden and eventually saved enough money to buy a terrace for his wife and the rest of his extended family who he sponsored to come from Greece. Everybody would live in the terrace until they could financially support themselves and be part of the wider community. This terrace allowed many Greek families to start their future and open businesses in the community. I dedicate my work to my beloved grandparents. Rest in peace. Love you always- Domenico and Vera Calabro, Nicholas and Kaliopi Kambouroglou.
Kayla is a Social Work/Social Research and Policy student at the University of New South Wales. She is passionate about human rights, social justice and advocacy.