Aristide (Harry) Ferrante

Aristide (Harry) Ferrante was born in 1941 in the Molise region of Italy,

after obtaining a diploma in science he migrated to Australia, worked in

various professions and industries. He owned and operated several

restaurants, hotels, taverns and cabarets which received the highest

Awards and accolades in WA. He was the president of the Restaurant and

Catering Association, the founding member and President Elect of the

Rotary Club; He was honoured with: The Australia Medal by the Governor of

Australia; Hall of Fame by the Restaurant and Catering Industry Association;

Lifetime Achievers Award by the Australian Government Award to Legends of

Hospitality and Tourism Industry Certified Professional Restaurateur.

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The Caribbeans

Nadene Lewis:

Nadene is from St. Vincent and the Grenadines in the Caribbean, and grew up in Prospect (south of the island) in the countryside.

After spending time in the UK to study, she moved to Australia in 2013..

Nadene has been promoting her Caribbean culture heavily in Western Australia, and was a 2016 finalised in the Miss Africa Perth Pageant, representing her country. 

She has been an active executive team member of the Perth Caribbean Association (PCA) since early 2015, and recently become the President in August 2016.

Guy Garconnette:

Originally from the Caribbean island of St. Lucia, Guy moved to Perth in September 2012.

An information technology professional. He has lived and worked all over the Caribbean including St. Lucia, Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, Guyana, Aruba and the Turks & Caicos Islands.

He considers himself a true Caribbean person having ancestry from Trinidad, Barbados, the French Caribbean and of course St. Lucia. 

"I look forward to making a positive contribution to the Perth Caribbean Association. When I first moved here, I had no idea that there were other Caribbean people or people of Caribbean descent here in Perth."

"We have a fantastic opportunity with our association to showcase our Caribbean culture to the people of Western Australia"

Vinnie Molina:

He was born in Guatemala, Central America. migrated to Australia in 1995 and lives in Perth since 1996.

Became involved with the Australia-Cuba Friendship Society (ACFS) in 1996 and has been its President since.

Currently working as a union organiser with the Construction union (CFMEU).

Elizabeth Hulm:

Born in Australia, lives in Perth and became involved in Cuban solidarity after visiting Cuba in 2006. She was elected as the ACFS branch secretary in 2007.

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Alex James - Part 2

Alex was born in Nottingham, England in 1947. He completed a degree in Geography and Economics at Kings College and London School of Economics followed by a Graduate Diploma in Education at Sheffield College. After teaching in Sheffield for two years, he travelled through Africa and Asia, arriving in Perth, Western Australia in 1974.  He retired in 2010 after teaching Geography and Social Science in Geraldton, Hedland and Perth.  He has an Australian wife, Viv, two children and three grandchildren; two in Australia and one in Japan.  He continues to treat life as one big adventure.

In this program Alex continues his journey first into Africa, then South East Asia and finally reaches Australia.

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Salvatore Scigura

Salvatore was born in Riesi (province of Caltanisetta, Sicily, Italy) in 1936. His parents were Francesco and Vincenzina (nee Mule`). His father ran a transport business using the old horse and cart system before the world was motorised.  His father migrated to Belgium in 1952. Salvatore joined his father in 1954. In due course he took up hairdressing, he had also learnt in Sicily. He decided to migrate to Africa. In different parts of Afrrca he established a successful hairdressing business. Eventually he decided to migrate to Australia in 1984 due to the worsening conditions in Southern Rhodesia, with wife Hester and two daughters Vincenzina & Francesca.

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Alex James

Alex was born in Nottingham, England in 1947. He completed a degree in Geography and Economics at Kings College and London School of Economics followed by a Graduate Diploma in Education at Sheffield College. After teaching in Sheffield for two years, he traveled through Africa and Asia, arriving in Perth, Western Australia in 1974.  He retired in 2010 after teaching Geography and Social Science in Geraldton, Hedland and Perth.  He has an Australian wife, Viv, two children and three grandchildren; two in Australia and one in Japan.  He continues to treat life as one big adventure.

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Antonia Grasso Radcliffe

Antonia was born in Fremantle of Sicilian parents. She graduated from the

University of Western Australia as a lawyer and practiced law for over 20

years. Antonia was the National Youth Vice President of the Federation of

the Ethnic Communities Council of Australia and enjoys public speaking.

One of her main interests has always been to assist people who may be

disadvantaged in any way. She has recently started a mediation business

called Albany Mediation Services to assist people to resolve their

disputes without the need to go to Court. Her other interests include

writing (Antonia has published books of poetry), reading, theatre and

dancing. Antonia has her own dancing studio where she teaches Latin

American, Ballroom and fun dances.

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Tony & Bev Noakes

Tony Noakes was born in London in 1935, and as a child lived through the Blitz in WW2. He became an architect specializing in hospital design, and also worked and studied in USA, where he met his first wife.  After her death, he came to WA in 1998, where he met and married Bev. All his adult life he has sung in choirs and composed music, mainly songs. Two of his songs in the broadcast are among his many settings of Australian poems.

Bev Noakes was born in Jamaica in 1937, and won a scholarship to study modern languages at Cambridge and in France.  She lectured at the University of the West Indies for eight years, and then came to Perth in 1970 to join the staff of the Department of French Studies at UWA, where she taught French literature and also the literature of the French-speaking Caribbean and Africa.  After retiring in 2002 she became a volunteer worker with refugees.

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