This documentary was an initiative of the Italian Social Welfare Organisation of Wollongong (It.So.Wel.) which aims to increase the wellbeing of the ageing Italian-Australian community and the promotion of its heritage and culture.
The Italian-Australian community is ageing rapidly and their biggest issues are isolation and frail health. How do these elderly people spend their days? What skills did they learn when they were growing up in Italy? Did they use these skills in Australia? The documentary is the story of seven people who have left their mark on the Illawarra through their talents and skills to create the fabric of the multicultural society in which we live.
The project was made possible through the support of the Community Relations Commission of NSW.
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- “I found my work to be a refined art; needing a lot of patience, I liked achieving something beautiful and long lasting.”
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- “I bought a trunk from Italy, filled with handmade linen: towels, ten pairs of sheets, pillowcases, tablecloths, tea towels and blankets.”
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- “In Italy, nobody makes these things anymore; all true Italians were exported.”
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- “To live a beautiful life… love, love, love”
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- “We met on a passeggiatta and have been together since; first as tailors, then building delicatessens. Now we sew together again.”
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- “I dreamt of building the biggest boat in NSW and that was the Santa Rosa A.”
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- “I get satisfaction from customers returning… licking their lips and saying how much they enjoy my food.”
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- “I like to make people happy and see making pasta as an art: taking time and great passion.”
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- “I enjoy my work because I talk to people, help them relax, build a relationship and be with them while they smile.”
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- “I take pride in my work because I love it, I prefer making shoes to selling them.”
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- “My wife still uses a chair I made 40 years ago; it’s the right height to make pasta and gnocchi.”
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- “It is most satisfying doing something I first saw more than sixty years ago.”
