KLARA STEFAN
| Town/City | melbourne |
|---|---|
| First name | KLARA |
| Last name | STEFAN |
| Country of Origin | CROATIA |
| Date of Birth | 14/12/39 |
| Year of Arrival in Australia | Jun-57 |
| Submitted by | CLARE MOLNAR |
Story
MY MOTHER MYSELF AND MY BROTHER WERE PERSECUTED BY THE NEW REGIME WHICH CAME INTO OUR CITY (RIJEKA-FIUME) AFTER THE SECOND WORLD WAR. MY FATHER WAS AN ENLISTED SOLDIER IN THE ITALIAN ARMY. HE SURVIVED THE WAR, BUT ONCE HOME HE DECIDED TO FIGHT FOR THE INDEPENDENCE OF OUR CITY AND THE RETURN TO A FREE PORT STATUS, WHICH THE CITY WAS FOR DECADES PRIOR TO 1945. MY FATHER DISAPPEARED AS SO MANY OTHERS IN THOSE DAYS NEVER TO BE HEARD OF SINCE.
OUR SMALL FAMILY WERE REGARDED AS ENEMIES OF THE COUNTRY. AFTER YEARS OF HOPING WE WOULD HEAR FROM MY FATHER, OR LEARN OF HIS WHERE ABOUTS, OR DEATH, MY MOTHER DECIDED TO ESCAPE TO ITALY AND WITH THE HELP OF OUR RELATIVES RESIDING IN VARIOUS PARTS, WE APPLIED TO MIGRATE TO AUTRALIA. WE LEFT OUR CITY AND EVENTUALLY EUROPE WITH ONLY A SUITCASE EACH.
WE BOARDED THE ITALIAN LINER FLAMINIA, IN NAPOLI AFTER SPENDING 15MONTHS IN A CAMP NEAR ROME FOR THE CHANCE TO MIGRATE TO AUSTRALIA. THE PASSAGE TOOK THREE WEEKS. OUR FIRST PORT OF CALL ON AUSTRALIAN SOIL WAS FREMANTLE AND THEN SYDNEY.
COMING FROM EUROPE IN 1957 IT WAS A CULTURAL SHOCK, AS WE WERE SPONSORED BY A FAMILY IN SERPENTINE, VICTORIA, WE SPENT THE FIRST MONTH ON A FARM. IT WAS DEFINITELY NOT THE KIND OF LIFE OR FUTURE I WAS LOOKING FOR SO WE ARRIVED IN MELBOURNE. AT THE TIME I REALLY THOUGHT THAT IF I HAD ANY MONEY I WOULD HAVE TAKEN THE FIRST PLANE BACK TO EUROPE. BUT I DID NOT HAVE THAT KIND OF MONEY, WHICH TURNED OUT TO BE FOR THE BEST. I MADE A WONDERFUL LIFE FOR MYSELF AND EVENTUALLY MY TWO SONS.
I AM NOW MARRIED FOR MANY YEARS TO A WONDERFUL MAN. THIS COUNTRY GAVE ME SO MANY OPPORTUNITIES AND I DEFINITELY CONSIDER MYSELF AN AUSTRALIAN, AND EXTREMELY PROUD TO BE SO.