ITALIAN migrant Franco Smargiassi shared stories about his family’s move to Australia in the first of a series of interactive storytelling sessions.
Held at Wanneroo Library during Harmony Week, it was the first event in the City of Wanneroo’s Living Books project.
City community and place director Debbie Terelinck said Mr Smargiassi’s stories focused on him and his family’s experiences after moving to Australia from Italy.
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READ NOW“One such story was about how his dad bought land and built a house, with the intention of selling it,” she said.
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“Unlike other houses in Australia that were all built from timber during that period, Franco’s father built his house using terrazzo tiles.
“Unfortunately no one liked the house and he was not able to sell it.”
Ms Terelinck said the City had sought expressions of interest to find the storytellers.
“All the storytellers were amazing, stepping out of their comfort zone in order to share their life experiences with the community,” she said.
“Most of them speak English as a second language and being able to share their stories with others was a great achievement.
The next session will be held at the Alkimos pop-up library on May 30, followed by Clarkson Library on July 4.
For details, call 9405 5918.