General News
16 December, 2019
From war torn Italy to the fertile fields of Atherton
ONE woman’s story of leaving her childhood home in Calabria in Italy for the hard graft of a life spent farming on the Atherton Tablelands will be celebrated at a book launch in Atherton this month.
ONE woman’s story of leaving her childhood home in Calabria in Italy for the hard graft of a life spent farming on the Atherton Tablelands will be celebrated at a book launch in Atherton this month.
Mrs Gallo (pictured) is throwing open the doors of the Atherton International Club on Wednesday, December 18 (today) at 3pm, welcoming the public to witness and help celebrate the official launch of her memoir, The Woman I’ve Become – Calabria to Atherton by Member for Kennedy Bob Katter.
When Antonia Gallo was just eight years old, she set sail with her family from the shores of Calabria bound for Australia where she would write her own history over the next 69 years.
Her memoir, which took 16 years to write, documents a life that stretches back to a childhood of hard times, little money and acclimatising to a vastly different country and culture.
Mrs Gallo started writing her memoir as a gift for her family comprising four children, 11 grandchildren and four great grandchildren; however it was only this year that she decided to publish in response to encouragement from her neighbour, Patterson Ngwira.
Mr Ngwira said that after reading Antonia’s memoir he felt very strongly that her story was a remarkable one and needed to be shared.
“Reading Ann’s memoir gave me an insight into the many misfortunes of immigrant life and how our multicultural society is built from the hardships of others. This book is a true story of love, resilience and fortitude and is an opportunity for this very strong and capable woman to shine and get the credit she deserves,” Mr Ngwira said.
For those interested in attending, the launch will take place today (Wednesday, December 18) at the Atherton International Club beginning at 3pm.
The launch will include refreshments and entertainment along with sales of a special limited edition of the book and signing.
The Woman I’ve become will be available in hardcover, softcover and eBook from Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Google Books.
