CHAFIC KAZZI
| First name | CHAFIC |
|---|---|
| Last name | KAZZI |
| Country of Origin | LEBANON |
| Date of Birth | 3/10/2027 |
| Year of Arrival in Australia | 1950 |
| Submitted by | VICTOR KAZZI |
Story
6 PIONEERING YOUNG MEN LEFT THE VILLAGE OF JIEH IN LEBANON TO COME TO AUSTRALIA TO MAKE THEIR FORTUNE IN ORDER TO SUPPORT THEIR PARENTS AND SIBLINGS BACK HOME AND RETURN WEALTHY HEROES. HOWEVER , ALL FELL IN LOVE WITH THIS COUNTRY, FINDING A NEW LIFE, A NEW FREEDOM AND NEW ADVENTURES. THE MEN FOUND JOBS, WITH SOME EVEN WORKING ON THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE WARRAGAMBA DAM IN NSW. CHAFIC WORKED IN SYDNEY AT THE FAMOUS “GLASS FACTORY” AT MOORE PARK BEFORE BECOMING A TRAM DRIVER IN SYDNEY AND FINALLY A BUS DRIVER. FOUR YEARS AFTER ARRIVING IN SYDNEY, HE WROTE TO HIS PARENTS REQUESTING THEY SEND A BRIDE FROM THE VILLAGE FOR HIM TO MARRY. IN 1955 HIS BRIDE, NOUHAD, ARRIVED. THEY WERE MARRIED IN THE SAME YEAR AND LIVED HAPPILY TOGETHER FOR 41 YEARS BEFORE HIS DEATH IN 1996 AS A RESULT OF A HEART ATTACK. CHAFIC AND NOUHAD HAD 3 CHILDREN. CHAFIC WITH HIS FAMILY VISITED LEBANON TWICE FOR HOLIDAYS OVER HIS LIFETIME, BUT THE THOUGHT OF RETURNING PERMANENTLY TO HIS HOMELAND NEVER CROSSED HIS MIND FOR SINCE HIS ARRIVAL IN 1950, AUSTRALIA WAS HOME.