Albertina Quintal Freitas
| First name | Albertina Quintal |
|---|---|
| Last name | Freitas |
| Country of Origin | Portugal |
| Date of Birth | 20/02/55 |
| Year of Arrival in Australia | 1974 |
| Submitted by | Susy Leal |
Story
Albertina grew up on a farming property, overlooking the sea, on a hillside of Madeira Island, Portugal. She was the second eldest of 11 children in a happy family. With the equivalent of only year 4 primary school education, she worked on the family farm looking after crops and became an wicker worker making cane furniture at the age of 12. As a teenager, Albertina learnt to crochet and do traditional embroidery work and completed short sewing and cooking courses, in preparation for her life in Australia.
She left Madeira Island, in search of a new life with greater opportunities. Albertina flew to Sydney in August 1974 to meet her fiancŽ Norberto who had been living in Sydney for 2 years preparing a life for them both. They were married just 1 week after Albertina arrived. The wedding guests were mostly strangers to Albertina but they soon became long-life friends.
Albertina did her best to fit into Australian society and decided to attend adult English classes for 6 weeks soon after she arrived in Sydney.
Her first job was working in a chocolate factory, followed by an electrical factory. She travelled 45 minutes on foot to and from work each day. Later, Albertina took on cleaning, waitressing, cooking and ironing jobs for well-off families in affluent areas, learning most of her English from them over the years.
Her first child, Susy, was born in 1978, followed by the birth of her son Gary in 1982. As fate would have it, both of her children were born on February 5th so they celebrated their birthday together in one huge party every year which Albertina hosted at home, single-handedly cooking every dish. She constantly strived to improve her skills, completing a dress-making course after her son was born and later doing a childcare course with her teenage daughter in 1994. Eventually, Albertina started a cleaning business with her husband. In the early years, there were many struggles but persistence, faith and hard work meant Albertina was able to establish a good life with her husband and children. She later sponsored 3 of her sisters and their families to immigrate to Australia. Albertina and her husband helped them start their new lives in Sydney, often sharing their home with them for as long as they needed support.
Albertina and her husband 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. Albertina and her husband continued to practice their Christian faith throughout the years. Her proudest moments were watching both her children graduate from university, making them the first family members to ever do so in Portugal or Australia. Through her many jobs and experiences she made friends in all walks of life. Over the years she created a great life in Australia and a bright future for her children. Albertina finally became an Australian citizen in 2006 and joined the National Senior\’s Group of Australia.