Frank Ciancio
| Town/City | Canberra |
|---|---|
| First name | Frank |
| Last name | Ciancio |
| Country of Origin | Italy |
| Date of Birth | 6th April 1935 |
| Year of Arrival in Australia | 1965 |
| Submitted by | Giuseppe Ciancio |
Story
Frank Ciancio left Italy to settle in Australia with his new wife Marianna. Australia at that period in time was being marketed as the land of opportunity, so Frank left for the new country leaving behind the poverty that he was accustomed to in Italy.
The Journey was made by sea and took around two months to complete. They disembarked in Melbourne before making their way to Canberra were they would settle and make a family.
It was an extremely challenging experience being a New Australian from an Italian background. Language was a challenge and attitudes back in the mid sixties were very different from today. At that time only a small percentage of Australian people were welcoming of the European’s and new arrivals were constantly bombarded with racial taunts and slurs. After some years we were slowly becoming more accepted and embraced by this country. Australia is now a place that has a lot more tolerance and acceptance of new people.
Frank and Marianna have now raised their family and are retired. They worked hard to give their children the opportunities that they did not have. This is just an acknowledgement of their sacrifices to make sure that their children and grandchildren get the best chance to lead happy and fulfilling lives.