I was born in Rapallo (Genoa) in 1946. I arrived in Australia in the early seventies having just married Marcello, who had obtained a fellowship at the University of Melbourne, and having myself just graduated in Medicine at the University of Turin. We were both enthusiastic to face this new world!

The first few years in Australia, first in Melbourne then in Adelaide, were certainly years of discovery, ranging from tackling the new language and customs, to the discovery of the Australian world of Medicine. Thinking back, probably the first contact with medicine in Australia came with the birth of Andre' in 1975 at the Royal Women's Hospital of Melbourne. Together with the emotion of becoming a mother, I found myself a first time patient in a very unfamiliar system. This journey of knowledge took several stages: firstly through the recognition of my degree and subsequently the experience in internal medicine and drug addiction gained through working in teaching hospitals and other public health organizations. I can thus say that I developed and matured my professional formation and experience entirely in Australia.

Since 1989 I have worked at Women's Health Statewide, where I have been involved in the field of physical, mental and social health of women, in particular of women of different cultural backgrounds. At the Centre I also developed education programs for the Italian Community, through community presentations, radio programs and the development of audiovisual material on screening for cervical and breast cancer. I have delivered papers at conferences and given university and professional development lectures on various themes related to women's health and on issues of cross-cultural medicine.

My work has enabled me to establish contacts with Italian women of different ages and of different migration experiences and, more recently, with refugee women for whom I currently hold outreach women's health clinics at the Migrant Health Service in Adelaide. I am currently undertaking a research study on the health of women who have recently arrived to South Australia.
I regard myself very priviledged to have had the opportunity to glimpse first-hand life experiences and issues of women of different cultures.

In the early nineties I obtained the Fellowship of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP), and I am the South Australian representative of the Women's Health Taskforce of the RACGP.

In 1990 I became member of the National Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI) where I am involved in aspects relating to the activities of translators and interpreters in the health area.

For almost ten years now I have been a member of the Board of the Theatre Company "doppio-parallelo", of which I have become deputy Chair. I feel that in this activity I can express in some way, in this country, my love for Art and in particular for Theatre. This activity is also part of an ongoing path of the exploration of cultural identity.

In 1998 I was chosen as a member of the "Committee of Italians Abroad"(COMITES) of South Australia. In October 1998 I was elected one of the four representatives from Australia to the General Council of Italians Abroad (CGIE). Due to my interest in the issue of networking, that is of creating contacts between women of Italian origin in Australia, the idea of this web page was born. This was made possible by the wonderful collaboration of the women that are responsible for this page.

August 1999