Norberto Jardim Freitas

Story

Norberto was raised on a family farm in the mountain area of Camacha on Madeira Island, Portugal. He was the second youngest of 5 children and worked as a wicker worker making cane baskets from the age of 12. His love of soccer meant he grew up playing in village teams until he joined the Portuguese Military Service at the age of 19, serving two years in Timor. Norberto decided to immigrate to Australia 4 years later, in 1972, to create a life for himself and his fiancŽ, who remained in Madeira. Two years later, in 1974, his fiancŽ, Albertina arrived in Sydney and within one week they were married. They began to build their new life together.

With the equivalent of only year 4 education and 1 year of English study in Portugal, Norberto had some struggles beginning a new life in Australia, but his persistence and self confidence led him to many interesting places and experiences. His first job was working in a beer factory. Then for 19 years he owned a milk run, until finally working for himself in a cleaning business with his wife Albertina. His first child, Susy, was born in 1978 followed by the birth of his son Gary in 1982. As fate would have it, both children were born on February 5th and so they celebrated their birthday together every year in one huge party. Norberto brought with him the skills of wine making, growing many vines at home and producing barrels of wonderful red wine every year which he shared with his many friends. He and his wife continued to practice their Christian faith throughout the years. Norberto never lost his love of soccer, actively playing in various Sydney teams and continues to be a huge soccer fan.

Norberto always strived to improve his skills, including welding, tiling etc, and became an exceptional handyman, often creating or building things and repairing his own home and eventually his children’s. Norberto always wanted to fit in and be accepted into Australian society. He developed a love for the Aussie BBQ and quickly became an expert at cooking BBQ feasts for family and friends. Norberto and his wife felt it was important for their children to learn about their cultural background, so they sent them to Portuguese school every weekday afternoon for 6 years where they learnt to read, write and most importantly speak Portuguese fluently. Norberto\’s proudest moments were watching both his children graduate from university, making them the first family members to ever do so in Portugal or Australia.

Throughout the years Norberto created a good life for himself and a bright future for his family. He finally became an Australian Citizen in 2006 and joined the National Senior\’s Club of Australia.

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