Q: So… your name?
A: My name is Angelo Antonio Di Florio.

Q: Wow… what a name!
A: The name is aaaah… sumptuous… are you kidding?

Q: What year did you come to Tasmania?
A: 1968

Q: How old were you?
A: I was 21. I was very green.

Q: And what brought you out here?
A: Well I used to live in Germany before I came here.

Q: How long for?
A: 5 years. I left Italy when I was 16. (Wow..) And I was in Germany for 5 years. Oh I used to go back and forth obviously… and then I found out one day the migration was open for Australia. It was assisted passage… and I put my application together and they accepted me and I left Germany in August 1968.

Q: So what were you doing for work in Germany?
A: Ohhh… a jack of all trades. I used to work with plumbers, electricians, I used to do some factory work…

Q: So that kind of work… okay so here if you want to get a job you go to Tafe 3 years blah blah blah…
A: No I used to work with the electricians…

Q: Right but did you have experience?
A: No. I just used to lay the wires and the electricians used to come and do the rest you see?

Q: So you heard of this transfer… assisted? What does that mean?
A: You applied to migrate here, it was assisted passage, which meant a free ticket. It only cost me to come to Australia $17. So…. I came. Because there was a contract for two years you see.. so I said I’ll go around have a look for a couple of years and then come back. But it didn’t happen did it? I got stuck in here…

Q: Do you feel like you got stuck in here?
A: Well… nah just like a figure of speech y’know I got stuck. At the beginning I didn’t really like it because of the language problem. Then when I learnt English a bit it wasn’t a big issue and I used to get around pretty well and y’know… 50 years later… still here (laughs)

Q: And was it always in your mind to go back?
A: In the beginning yeah.. but y’know after I got married with Rosa we thought we’ll try and we went back and stayed there for 5 months. With the wife and three kids for 5 months.

Q: Knowing you’d come back? Or to have a look?
A: To try and stay there, to see because we didn’t sell the house… and after 5 months we thought nah… Australia is better. (Yeah?) Oh yeah… in everry way. It’s better here. It’s… work wise and… it’s better.

Q: So.. one thing I found when I’ve been in Italy, and what me and my friends talk about the difference between Australia and Italy… Here, you can get work, you can start a business, you can buy a house, you can start a family… It’s a safe easy life. But… for us, and I don’t know what' it’s like for everyone else but, there doesn’t seem to be…. how can I say it… people like to live in Italy.
A: In Italy it’s good to live, if you don’t have to go to work. That’s fine. But, went you want something done, or you want to start a business you got that many red tapes and that (large) a length of time to start the business it’s not funny. Unless you start, regardless and you don’t care for no body…. but then you get caught.

Q: Right…
A: Oh it’s ridiculous really.

Q: There’s no organisation?
A: Well there is but… everyone wants, y’know, everyone wants a little cut. “ You pay me and I’ll push it forward quicker”. That’s what I think anyway, so… I heard, I never tried myself but y’know you hear. The problem is they get paid to do that job for you but they still want a little bit on the side. Otherwise it’ll never get done. But y’know I’m quite happy here now, I’ve got kids, one grandson.

Q: Thank you Angelo

*for more of the interview please listen below from 06:30 minutes onwards.