Damascus school captain Chiara Angeli makes no denial of the fact that having parents who emigrated to Australia from the central north of Italy does help in learning and speaking the language.
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“They arrived in ‘93 or ‘94. My mum spoke pretty good English, dad less so. They are from Cesena in the north,” says Chiara.
“So it was a bit of a headstart, yes.”
Chiara Angeli was awarded the prestigious 2016 Premier’s VCE Award for Italian, undertaken at the Victorian School of Languages in 2015. She undertook the Italian VCE subject via distance during Year 11 in 2015.
“The exam consists of an oral and a written component; speaking about yourself and a specific topic. We were talking about Italian immigration in the 1960s, so I chose Bonegilla.”
Bonegilla was a tough migrant reception and training camp in north-east Victoria.
“I learned it was cold in the winter, really hot in the summer. But also that the immigrants found ways to enjoy themselves while they were there; sports and trips.”
