Hassan & Azam Sagvand
| Town/City | Sydney |
|---|---|
| First name | Hassan & Azam |
| Last name | Sagvand |
| Country of Origin | Persia |
| Date of Birth | 25/07/57 |
| Year of Arrival in Australia | 1982 |
| Submitted by | Hassan Sagvand |
Story
I Hassan Sagvand, migrated to Australia, in 1982, from Susa, Persia, in search of freedom and democracy.
As one of the Commanders of the Imperial Iranian Navy and having been educated in Europe and the USA, I found it easy to integrate within the multi-cultural Australian community.
In my past life before migrating to Australia, I sailed the seven seas on board various navy ships. I served in NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) CENTO (Central Treaty Organisation) and SEATO (South-East Asia Treaty Organisation). These were, and some still are, military, political and economic regional cooperation organisations trying to establish peace and prosperity throughout the world.
As an engineer, I contributed to the Australian industry through my involvement in many infrastructure projects around Australia, including the Sydney Harbor Tunnel and the Eastern Distributer.
As a businessman, I promoted Australian exports and business overseas. With my wife Azam Sagvand (Ghobadi), we set up a business, named Pitco, to promote Australian trade in the Middle East and elsewhere.
Active in community affairs, we established the Liverpool Persian School & the Persian Cultural & Social Association, to preserve our Persian culture in Australia and enrich the Australian rich culture.
We encouraged our community members to wholeheartedly embrace Australia, respect the Australian laws, culture, history and the Australian people, while trying hard to become proud Australian citizens
In recognition of our contribution to Australia and our community, we were nominated to receive the ‘Pride of Australia Medal 2008’.
Both our daughters, Sarah & Susann, were born in Fairfield Hospital, NSW & were raised as ‘True Blue’ Aussies, while still aware of their Persian cultural background.
Sarah and Susann are graduates of the University of Western Sydney and are now working in reputable companies in Sydney.
Our journey was by plane through Asia, China and Japan, finally landing at Sydney airport
We were absorbed by Sydney’s attaractive port and city, and thus chose Sydney to be our new found home.