Page 3046 - Week 09 - Thursday, 21 September 2006
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Jumping forward to 1949 and what happened in this region, construction commenced on the Snowy Mountains hydro-electric scheme. Then, as is the case today, Australia did not have enough skilled individuals to complete the task. We needed help. More than 100,000 Europeans, most of them refugees from war-torn Europe, came to the region to work on the project. None of them were asked to complete an English test before they arrived, but as they arrived they immediately spent enormous effort to learn enough English to obtain employment and build a new life.
The Snowy project holds an important place in the hearts and minds of all Australians. It is a symbol of the contribution that migrants have made in this country. But that contribution is not only reflected in symbols. It is around us every day. It is part of who we are. This is particularly apparent in the ACT, where many of the Snowy hydro workers settled.
They opened retail stores and restaurants, offering food and items the people of this city had never been exposed to. They used the good economic rationalist principles of giving the consumer what they wanted, providing products that were excellent value for money and produced at least cost. They built houses using modern and innovative techniques and worked hard to educate their children. Through their blood, sweat and tears they put in the hard yards and helped craft the cosmopolitan way of life that we all revel in today. One of them, Gus Petersilka, fought the commonwealth bureaucracy to introduce the sidewalk cafes that we all enjoy today.
They brought with them the values of hard work and strong family ties. Many of them remitted money to the families they left behind and saved to bring those families to this land. When they had reunited their families or commenced a new one with children born here, they worked to provide educational opportunities for the kids so that the next generation could take advantage of the opportunities on offer in our great city. That next generation, regardless of their country of origin, religion or colour, became entrepreneurs, lawyers, doctors, architects, brickies, teachers, public servants, retailers, mechanics, builders, artists and photographers and, yes, even politicians.
In other words, they became part of our community, our neighbours and our friends. They became us, and together we built one of the most socially cohesive nations on the planet. Most of them even chose to become Australian citizens without having to prove their Aussieness. By the way, I do not think that enough recognition is given to how difficult that decision to become an Australian citizen is to make, not even for the pommies among us. Those pioneering first generation families from Greece, Italy, Croatia and other countries were a vital part of the development of our city’s physical and retail infrastructure.
Underneath the slick veneer of a modern, planned and professional city accommodating and sustaining a public service work force, these first-generation families were building the foundations of a strong, vibrant and culturally rich diverse community. Many without English language skills made enormous contributions to numerous aspects of life in our community, from seeing their children go to Vietnam and to other conflicts around the world to contributing to local charities and sacrificing their own social life to ensure they were able to resource their children’s education and acquisition of skills.
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