Shaher (Abu Nasser) Mashni
| First name | Shaher (Abu Nasser) |
|---|---|
| Last name | Mashni |
| Country of Origin | Palestine |
| Date of Birth | 10/5/2026 |
| Year of Arrival in Australia | 1959 |
| Submitted by | Moammar Mashni |
Story
Our father was born almost 81 years ago in 1926 in a town call Deir Dibwan in Palestine. He was born and raised in a magical but tumultuous time but our fathers\’ village was stable and peaceful. Our father lived in Palestine in a time when regardless of which day you celebrated your God, be you Jew, Christian or Muslim, you were first and foremost a citizen of Palestine.
When our father came to Australia, Palestine was a word that was rarely used, and if used, only ever whispered. When many urged, with the best of intention that our father be cautious in his pursuit of justice for Palestine he would scorn and ridicule them asking, ‘What can they do to me, they took Palestine!’ all the while challenging them to uphold the cause of justice.
Regardless of how people felt about our father; whether they loved or hated him, there were two things you could not help but do; the first was notice him and the second was respect him. His strength of character and charisma stood out wherever we went, his presence in a room would demand and command attention. Our father was Mr Palestine!
Slowly and over a period of many years his unwavering commitment and resolute defiance of the antipathy and fear within the wider Arab community inspired many by his example.
We are proud to say that our father was no spectator in history; nor did he sit by and merely express his opinion. Our father lived history with every beat of his heart and we are extremely proud of him being our father, mentor and our idol.
Our father\’s life was a perpetual struggle, a struggle for justice, a struggle for his homeland, a struggle to unite his people, a struggle to keep the memory of Palestine alive, a struggle to assimilate into a new country, and a struggle to balance Palestine, a business and his family. All of these challenges he faced head on and he did so successfully with the steadfast and absolute support of his wife, our mother Victoria. He would be the first to declare that he could not have done it without her.
Whilst our father\’s life has been filled with many challenges and much adversity, it gives us great personal satisfaction to be able to say that our father thoroughly enjoyed the twilight years of his life. He saw his sons\’ businesses flourish, the planting of some 4000 olive tress, the production of his own olive oil, he gained three daughters-in-law Samar, Georgina and Rosa, four grandsons, Nasser Shaher, Khaled Arafat, Yasser and Jamal and two granddaughters Jenin Areen Al\’Ousoud and Leila Philasteen.
Our father had a great love for Australia, he was acutely aware of his debt to his adopted country. Australia had offered him a new home when he had been cast out from his birth land. Australia gave him an opportunity to settle down, build a home, get married, raise and educate his children and see them married and raising his grandchildren. Our father truly lived the great Australian dream.
Our father symbolised to our family all that is beautiful about Palestine: his strength, his warmth, his great love and understanding, his warm hugs and his big smile, his generous spirit, but most of all, his determination and unwavering commitment, love and patriotism.