Lina migrated to Australia from Sicily in 1929, a country whose soil was bloodied by generations of violence, poverty and political oppression. Her family sought peace, freedom and prosperity, as far as possible, away from Fascist Italy. Lina's dream was to become a teacher. Despite the tragedies of her childhood, including the witnessed murder of her mother, her poverty, rural isolation, barriers of ethnicity and language, her will and resilience were inspirational. At 18 years of age in 1939, she was declared 'Enemy Alien No. 72' because Australia was at war with Fascist Italy. Despite daily police surveillance and prejudice, she became the first Italian woman migrant in Western Australia to become a school teacher. This is a story of grit, guts and grace — the triumph of the human spirit over the political and social adversities of the day.
