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Author: Evan Hatziklimnios
Storyteller: Evan Hatzikalimnios
Community Language School: Hellenic Orthodox Community of Bexley North and Districts
Main School: Bexley North Public School

My grandfather's search for a better life in Australia.

When my grandfather arrived in Australia in 1956, he came with one suitcase and not much money. He is the eldest child in his family. He left his family to come to a country that he didn't even know, and didn't know the language.

He didn't know what his new country looked like or what it really had to offer besides what he was told. He travelled by ship for one month and arrived in Adelaide, He lived in a hostel with many more migrants; people he didn't know but then became friends with. All these people had come to Australia with the same purpose, to have a better life.

My grandfather worked very hard to support himself and also his parents and sisters and brothers who lived in Greece. He moved around and finally reached Sydney. In 1959 my grandmother arrived in Australia. She met my grandfather and then they got married in 1960.

They both worked very hard. Never did they stop working and saving. Even after my mother and uncle were born, they worked. My grandfather did shift work so he could be at home during the day while my grandmother was at work and looked after the children. Both my grandparents worked very hard. My grandmother stopped work about 8 years ago and my grandfather stopped work in April 2002. He worked from the day he got to Australia and stopped working 46 years later. With all their hard work, they bought all their properties and travelled often and supported their children.

Evan Hatzikalimnios