My Warm Table ... with Sonia
My Warm Table ... with Sonia
Weaving Identities: Multiculturalism in Western Australia with Karla Benitez
Can multiculturalism truly shape the identity of a region? Join us as Sonia Nolan welcomes Karla Benitez, a dedicated advocate for culturally and linguistically diverse communities, to explore the vibrant tapestry and challenges of multicultural life in Western Australia.
Karla shares her compelling journey from Mexico to Australia and her impactful work with the Multicultural Labor Organisation. Together, we reflect on the significance of multicultural input in shaping Western Australia’s identity, and the essential efforts needed to ensure representation and inclusion across all facets of society.
Boldly addressing the intersection of gender and cultural diversity, Karla recounts her early political career in Mexico, marked by gender discrimination and harassment, and her subsequent challenges as a skilled migrant in Australia. Despite initially working in aged care, her passion for politics remained undeterred. Listen as she discusses her advocacy for better representation of culturally and linguistically diverse communities and the collective empowerment that strengthens Australia's social and economic fabric.
This episode is a testament to the power of diversity, unity, and the ways individual stories contribute to a richer, more inclusive Australian society.
Links:
Facebook page for Multicultural Labor Organisation: https://www.facebook.com/mlowalabor.org.au/
Karla Benitez: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karla-benitez-au/?originalSubdomain=au
LinkedIn page for Multicultural Labor Organisation:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/multicultural-labor-organisation/
Warm thanks to:
Sponsor: Females Over Forty-five Fitness in Victoria Park
Sound Engineering: Damon Sutton
Music: William A Spence
... and all our generous and inspiring guests around the warm table this season!
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My Warm Table, translated into Italian is Tavola Calda. These were the words my Papa used to describe a table of good friends, good food and good conversation. I always aim to create a tavola calda in my life and I hope this podcast encourages you to do so too!
Australia is the house of more than 200 different ancestries. Here in Western Australia we speak more than 400 languages. We have more than 100 faiths, so it's not easy. It's a big, big challenge working with multicultural communities. The reality of established Australian is different from an emerging Australian. You know, we have different experiences but at the same time we have a lot of skills. We have a lot of qualifications around. It's hard for them to find their pathway, to find their career. It's about facilitating, to feel that this is their country and, you know, just make our country stronger.
Speaker 2:Thanks for joining me, sonia Nolan, around the warm table, or the tabula calda, as my Italian papa used to call a welcoming table of acceptance, positivity and curiosity. My Warm Table podcast aims to create that and more, as we amplify stories of Western Australians making our communities better. My Warm Table, season 3, is proud to be sponsored by Females Over 45 Fitness, with a studio in Victoria Park and also online all over Australia. So now please take a seat and join us for Season 3 as we explore stories of hope. Did you know that Australia is the most diverse country in the world? Half of our population was born overseas, or at least one parent was Western?
Speaker 2:Australia has been built from multicultural input and innovation. Multiculturalism is part of our national identity, but it's not always reflected in our parliament or workplaces. One woman who is working tirelessly to advocate for communities and advance the opportunities for multiculturalism is Karla Benitez. Born in Mexico, karla migrated to Australia in 2012, and over the past decade, she has forged many paths to create opportunity and equality for people like her from a culturally and linguistically diverse background. She's the founder and driving force of the Multicultural Labor Organization here in Western Australia and she joins us around the warm table today to inspire us with her hope for an Australia where every person, no matter where they come from, can participate and feel as though they belong and are contributing to a brighter future for our country. Carla, thank you so much for joining me around La Tavola Calda.
Speaker 1:Thank you very much, sonia. I love the way you pronounce my name Carla. Carla with the R's. Exactly, sonia, I love the way you pronounce my name Carla Carla, with the R's.
Speaker 2:Exactly, I know. Yes, you either have it or you don't have it the R's, Is that true?
Speaker 1:100%.
Speaker 2:So, carla, when I first saw you I mean actually I hadn't met you at the time and I didn't go up and introduce myself because I was a little bit in awe of you the very first time I met you, I saw you at the Diverse Women in Leadership program as a guest speaker about community activism and getting involved in your community. As a leader from all walks of life, like every one of us, can step up and do something in the community and lead and make change, and you were such a passionate voice for that, karla, and, like I said, I was in awe of you and the work that you're doing, and so I would love you to share that, the work that you're doing to advocate for women from multicultural backgrounds and to actually show how much we can contribute to society in Western Australia.
Speaker 1:The sky is the limit it is, isn't it?
Speaker 2:It is, it's so true.
Speaker 1:It is. There's a lot of work that needs to get done, but a little bit about this advocacy. I started politics back in Mexico when I was 18 years old. I remember being there and people telling me what are you doing in parliament? You know why you are not cooking or cleaning instead.
Speaker 2:Exactly. Why aren't you in the kitchen Like?
Speaker 1:what are you doing in?
Speaker 2:a man's world.
Speaker 1:Indeed, that was intense. I remember, you know, as a young woman back then. Well, not that I'm too old, no, you're not. You're much younger than I am, no, you're not, you're much younger than I am. But I remember this girl is just coming here to serve the coffee and just that's it. Now you have to work one, two, three, four times more. I remember going to a little bit of harassment. I remember that part because now I think Mexico has improved in terms of participation of women in politics. But still I remember I can say members of parliament asking me let's go out tomorrow, you know. And I said I used to tell them I'm better at telling you what you have to say tomorrow than going out with you. So just move over. Yes good, yes good, good answer. It takes time. You know, I was like I was 18 years old.
Speaker 2:It takes a lot of courage to be able to stand up at that age because that's a young, vulnerable age to be able to counter that sort of really sexual harassment and discrimination at that time.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because I think that you are kind of useless there because I had been around, are kind of useless there because I had been around for a lot of years and well, that was hard, but I think that's what you learn, you know, from those experiences.
Speaker 1:But that was back then, so I remember people telling me that. And then I, just as I I said, when I was 18 years old and I became parliamentary head advisor by 21, I was advising federal and state legislation. Tourism is the third biggest economy in Mexico, so I was drafting the federal legislation that regulates activity.
Speaker 2:So activity in tourism, tourism yes, yes, all right. So you were advising on tourism legislation and policy.
Speaker 1:I was in charge of the federal law At 21?
Speaker 2:Yes, excellent Congratulations. That's a real testament to your ability. Well done.
Speaker 1:Well, you know you have to be determined. You know that was hard because I was not a lawyer drafting a legislation. So I remember working 20 hours a day Like that was intense, very intense, but I was determined, I was committed. And then I moved to Australia and I remember people telling me here you won't get anywhere without accent. You know your qualifications and experience are useless here in Australia. And again and again and again and not just me, you know, I have been involved in the multicultural sector for the last 10 years and that's the story of not just Carla Benitez, that's the story of thousands of migrants, skilled migrants, that migrate to Australia and, yes, they have to start their career from zero and most of them they never get there. So that's why we have the experience of all kinds of professionals doctors, engineers you know being doing like cleaners or taxi drivers or just keep working hard, hoping their kids have a better future.
Speaker 2:It's such a sacrifice for so many families, isn't it coming to Australia and having the hope for a safe and prosperous future for your children? But in the meantime, you're swallowing frustration, resentment, disappointment of the fact that you have got so much more potential to give and you're not being seen for it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's. Look, I'm getting goosebumps because I have been going through that journey, for I have been here for 12 years and, yes, I was one day advised in federal and state parliaments back in Mexico. And here I have to start from zero as an aged care worker Nothing wrong with that, but I was feeling like a waste. Yeah, and then, well, I just identify a gap where I love politics, as I said, and I joined a political party a few years ago and I identified that I was normally the only non-English speaking background and I identified that the lack of a representation. And I understand that politics is a vehicle to get things done.
Speaker 1:Yes, some people ask me kind of why you love politics, because it's all about. It's all about serving, make things done. You know, really, you have in your hands the future of a community, a state, a country, so I love that. I was always as a parliamentary advisor I had back in Mexico, I was very involved into political campaigns and I was missing that part. And as soon as I became a citizen, so I said, okay, I'm going to join a political party and I'm going to start.
Speaker 1:And, yeah, as I said, I identify a gap and I present an addition to the constitution, to this political party, where we establish a representation of culturally and linguistically diverse members and the objectives are to have more representation, to empower those communities, to facilitate training, mentorship. It's all about, for me, it's about empowering them, because more than 50% of the population here in Australia was born overseas or has at least one parent born overseas. So it's not about that. We are migrants and you are not migrant. It's not about them, it's not about us. It's about we are all Australians. If we can empower those Australians, we empower our economy, we empower our culture, our social connection to the world. So there's a lot of benefits. It's not just about social justice. To me it's a little bit more.
Speaker 2:I would agree and I'm the child of migrants, so I'm first-generation Australian and with you know, I think, a really good understanding and deep understanding of the benefit and the contribution of migrants to Australia and how, not just in building a physical infrastructure but also in culture and change and different work approaches and yeah, language, culture, food, all of that.
Speaker 2:It's just so important. And just going back to your comment about politics and why you're passionate about it and why you want to get involved in it and people may not understand, I really do believe that politics is about policy changes and until you are disadvantaged by a policy, you don't actually understand how important politics is. So when politics is in your favour and everything's going swimmingly, you don't have to think about it. But when there's a significant policy change, that then really affects you personally and deeply. You know that's the first time often that we think about politics or we think about policy. And I guess for you, coming to Australia as a woman from a different country with an accent, with vast experience but not being recognised here, I guess there were so many policies that disadvantaged you and I just applaud the fact that you are just not sitting there and just taking it, but actually doing something about it.
Speaker 1:So there's a lot of in terms of policy. There's a lot of needs because we have a model of 50 years that well, I can say I feel like has been redundant. The model of dancing and celebrating is not to me. It's not about just celebrating our cultural diversity. To me is identifying the needs of the community. You know the needs of what? That? What will happen if we can empower those australians that they have a business connection to the world?
Speaker 1:You know that can mean exporting, importing. That can mean a lot of economic development. That can mean that, instead of, to me, strategic funding, instead of grants going to dancing and cooking, that can go to programs like empowering women, empowering our youth, that can go to English classes. That can go to English classes that can go to, you know, in the multicultural communities a lot of people. They find hard to find a job so they have to become entrepreneurs, but sometimes the lack of those strategies marketing skills. So how can we empower, use that money into meaningful programs that can help the Australian economy? We have the skills here already.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, so it's interesting. So our, I guess, reflection of culture and our celebration of culture is really quite a limited and one-dimensional and probably I don't want to say frivolous, because I do think that celebrating dance and culture and all of those things is important, but there's so much more we can do to amplify the culture. Is that what I'm hearing you saying?
Speaker 1:100%. As I said, cultural diversity is not just cooking and dancing. It's what we represent, the skills that we come, that we have with us already here in our country to serve our country. So it's a little bit about a different perspective. We need fresh ideas, we need policies that will impact our community Because, as I said, this model has been in Australia for the last 50 years and I think that that model is redundant, because going to community events where we celebrate our traditions, take a photo and say we're ticking the box for diversity is not good enough.
Speaker 2:So if you had a wish list. What are the three things you would want to see changed for multicultural women particularly?
Speaker 1:Probably strategic funding. So I have to say no more cooking and dancing. That can go directly to social programs for women to empower those women into different sectors and industries. I will go to. That is a hard one. Systematic discrimination no, that's a big one. So according to statistics, there's from the 3,000 highest positions in Australia, 76 of those ones go to, you know, white Australians.
Speaker 1:Yes 16% goes to like European background Australians and just 4% goes to non-English speaking. How interesting. And that's not just politics. You know, if I go with statistics and I can say that in Most of the parliaments in Australia, just 4% of their parliamentarians are women of colour. So we are working hard, but I think that we have to work harder.
Speaker 2:And do you think it's a case of there are so many women who want to get in there, or do you think they need I mean, you've talked about having programs to support women, to encourage them and empower them programs to support women, to encourage them and empower them. Do you think that there needs to be a lot more work there so that they actually want to partake in a political or even not even politics, but just in community leadership roles?
Speaker 1:I remember starting this movement three years ago and I can say that since then I have seen a lot of improvement, because this organization impact even other states. So now we have a representation in New South Wales, queensland. We fight for a national representation and I can see that even the last local elections and I can see that even the last local elections we were supporting I can count something like 50 candidates from Cal background, we got around seven. But I think that we are getting there. The momentum is, it's happening. Now. I feel very grateful because I have. I feel that this is a contribution to the democratic system.
Speaker 1:It's not easy because, you know, be an activist, be an activist and it's something that really you have to be committed 24 by 7. And social and political movement takes generations. So it's. There's not a magical. We know exactly what we need. There is an agenda, as I say, strategic founding, you know, address systematic discrimination. One size doesn't fit all. So multicultural communities have very particular needs.
Speaker 1:And but let me tell you, I'm very grateful to be Australian, you know, and I'm doing all this advocacy because I would like to see, you know, a stronger economy, a better future for us and for our kids. To me it's a little bit about bring unity. Yes, you know it's about not to differ in class of citizens. It's like like we are the same. You know it doesn't matter if you arrive like 50 years ago. You know you are part of established communities or you are part of emerging communities. Australia is our present and it's our future. And you know, for me it's just to give everything for the country that you know you can walk and it's safe. You can tag your children in at night and know that they are fed and safe at home. You know, a country where you can say you're right what you think, a country where you can have an idea and, you know, make a business out of it. It's amazing. So I'm very grateful and I just would like to see an Australia, you know, where values of unity, the values of fairness, the values of equity and respect for everyone it's our, you know, it's our day by day. I just want to see their values every day.
Speaker 1:I think that we are a modern society now. We have been working very hard to achieve that equality and equity, but there's always a lot of things that needs to get done and that's, I think, for me, that's part of the reason of why I'm waking up every day, so motivating, trying to empower more women, to empower more communities. Let them know that, guys, yes, we are very, very proud of our cultural heritage, but this is our country. We need to develop in those Australians a sense of belonging, because you cannot love something that you don't know. So it's a little bit about.
Speaker 1:It's not just the system, because the system, as I say, is progressing. We're getting there. I'm very positive. Even that will take another 50 there, I'm very positive. Even that will take another 50 years, but I'm positive.
Speaker 1:But it's not just the political and economic system, it's as well the people, the communities. What I have seen is that sometimes they feel that they don't feel Australians and that is a risk for our country. You know it's like, guys, this is our country. You know where kids are growing here. It's all about to work in you know, as Australians, in unity, and it's all about respect each other, because we also see a lot of discrimination from our own communities. You know our own different nationalities. Fighting with oh, mine is, you know, greeks with Italians, macedonians with Serbians. You know Latin Omanis. You know Greeks with Italians, Macedonians with Serbians. You know Latin Americans with.
Speaker 1:You know it's very hard because Australia is the house of more than 200 different ancestries. Now here in Western Australia we have we speak more than 400 languages. We have more than 100 faiths. So it's not easy. It's a big, big challenge working with multicultural communities. As I said, it's not easy. One size doesn't fit all because we are so different. The reality of established Australian is different from an emerging Australian. You know, we have different experiences but at the same time we have a lot of skills, we have a lot of qualifications around, we have a lot of power in this nation. It's just about identify, you know, and help those Australians that sometimes it's hard for them to find their pathway to find their career. It's about facilitating pathway to find their career. It's about facilitating. It's about giving them the tools to feel that this is their country and, you know, just make our country stronger.
Speaker 2:Again, it's like when I first saw you speak, karla. You speak with such passion and with ideas that make so much sense. Like, just make so much sense. So you said that you know Australia is the house of so many different cultures and faiths and backgrounds and languages. I think it's one of the most diverse countries in the world. Is that right to say that?
Speaker 1:Yes, I think there's top three. We're in the top three and Western Australia is the most diverse of all the states.
Speaker 2:How interesting.
Speaker 1:It is amazing. So, as I said, it's beautiful because we have such a variety of colours and beliefs, but at the same time that also there's some challenges, you know, because we are so different that sometimes we have a little bit of challenges there.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, yes, absolutely. Well, we've got a lot of stereotypes to break down. We've got a lot of cultural beliefs to change. Racism, bullying, discrimination all of that is still very alive in our workplaces and in our communities. But it is interesting because certainly, you know, the Australia that we enjoy and we have now is very different to the Australia I grew up in as well. You know, you look around and there are so many more faiths and, like you said, the colours and the languages. It's so much richer. I think it's richer we're richer for it than certainly we were 50 years ago.
Speaker 1:Indeed, and that means, as I said, advantages and sometimes challenges, but it's just to identify those advantages and put it into service to our country and just trying to identify those challenges and improve the ways that we can get things done in order to facilitate economic, social and cultural development for everyone.
Speaker 2:So how are you doing that? So you're the leader of a multicultural party? Tell me more about that.
Speaker 1:Well, I'm the founder of the first organisation in Australia that promotes political empowerment and participation to culturally and linguistically diverse Australians. This is a Labour Party organisation, so really, labour Party has been placing this organisation as a priority and I'm grateful for that. It took 100 years, but we're getting there.
Speaker 2:And I did see that Mark McGowan, who was our Premier, did launch the party or was part of the organisation. Sorry, launched the organisation. Was it 2022, 21?, 2021., 2021.? And I think we all remember 2020 and 2021 in Western Australia and, yeah, there was great celebration at the time of that organisation being launched and such hope, which is, of course, the theme of our podcast series this season.
Speaker 1:You know what you just said. The word hope, and I get again goosebumps. Yes, good, because I remember that day we had close to 400 community leaders from so many different nationalities, you know, all there together for hope, for hope of their kids to have better opportunities, for hope to see that systematic racism to change or to improve, for hope to have, as I say, more equal opportunities. As I said, it took 100 years. We are moving forward. Movements take generations.
Speaker 3:They do.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I hope it doesn't take that long. I'm very positive because you know what I remember during the last few years of advocacy people calling me activists from the United States. Linkedin is very powerful, it's like that. It's amazing how you get things, how's all this movement happening? It's because you get things. You know how's all this movement happening?
Speaker 1:It's because, as I said, australia is very, very diverse and the people want to participate. It's just that they don't find the way. It's very hard to find the pathway, the networks, because we migrate here and then we don't have those political networks that you know, if we were being, you know, australians by birth, yes, so it's hard. So the idea is to facilitate those pathways if they want to get involved, because, you know, a healthy democracy is people that participate in their political activities and that, again, that will our, our country, stronger, because when we have more voices or we have more points of view, we have more skills, you know, to serve, serve in our, our country. So it's, it's a win-win. And but I just want to go back into the fact that I just want to rescue that. It's not about them, it's not about us, we're all the same.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we are.
Speaker 1:It doesn't matter our color of skin, it doesn't matter, you know how long we have been living in Australia. I'm very grateful because I have seen that a lot of improvement. You know I moved to Australia 12 years ago and I have seen that a lot of improvement. You know I moved to Australia 12 years ago and I have seen that we are moving forward. It's a reality. You know diversity it's part of our schools, workplaces, communities. This is the face of the modern Australia.
Speaker 2:It is, and I'm very hopeful and excited about modern Australia because I think it's so much more interesting. So much more interesting and all the things that we can learn and the fun we can have. I know that I've got friends who are from Venezuela and every time I'm invited to one of their birthday parties or some sort of celebration gosh, it's so joyful. There's dancing, there's singing, there's a beautiful birthday song that they sing to each other, which is everyone sings and claps about. We're so glad you were born. It's just. There's so much life and celebration in other cultures I'm not suggesting it's not in an Australian culture, but it's not as overt than you find in some of the other cultures. So I'm excited about some of that beautiful energy and history, intelligence, wisdom, different points of view that we can really harness here in Australia if we let ourselves do it.
Speaker 1:I think that our nation is ready because, as I said, it's all about the skills, it's all about all that value that you just mentioned. It's all about. I can feel that australia is like united nations we have so much, so much. We just have to make the most of it. So much, we just have to make the most of it. As I said, we have to identify challenges and just work to improve them, but I can see a bright future for our country. Talking about the passion I remember that day, on the day of the launch of the organization. Of course, I'm a Latin woman and I use a lot of my hands, probably like you, like Italians.
Speaker 2:Yes, we're very good with our hands.
Speaker 1:yes, Part of that is, as well, how to adapt to this country, because normally I go to community events and there's a lot of passion. You know where we come from. It's politicians are a little bit like you know, I don't know. It's different a little bit like you know, I don't know. It's different. Cultural is different.
Speaker 1:It's like we use our hands, we raise our voice and we get so like and I'm trying to control myself here in Australia I have to say I remember. I said, oh, I have some, I'm going to all those community events, I'm going to have the launch of this organization, and I remember taking accent reduction classes. Oh really, I said, jesus, it's not easy because even that I you know, english is not my first language and sometimes a lot of people says that normally when people have like two languages, we have two different personalities. I used to be a little bit more passionate back in Mexico and I remember the date of the speech, the Minister for Multicultural Interest telling me Jesus, carla, so much passion on you, and I behaved myself.
Speaker 2:Imagine, if you didn't behave yourself, how much passion would have come out.
Speaker 1:I'm trying to adapt. You know, even politically I'm trying to adapt. About how can I? I don't want to change my accent, Even that I try.
Speaker 2:I think that's going to be like, but I think that's part of what it is we're trying to keep, and this is the idea is that we actually don't want people to change. We want to be accepted and belong as we are, and I also again, having come from a non-English speaking background, I applaud people who know more than two languages and who can speak fluently in a language that is not their native tongue. I just think it's incredible, and so when people say, oh, you're saying that wrong, or that person can't speak English properly, I just sort of think you know what they're so amazing that they can speak English at all you know, because it's not their native tongue and they've had to learn it as an adult, which we all know.
Speaker 2:It's harder to learn languages as an adult. So I just think that being fluent in another language that's not yours is just incredible achievement and just shows how willing people are able to, you know, adapt and try to you know, try to make change in another country.
Speaker 1:And as well. It's all about respect, and that's a reality. 29% of Australians speak a different language at home. So it is what it is. Well, that's right, it is Exactly right. That's a reality again to our modern Australia, and there's something called accentism. So it's like discrimination, because of your accent. And yes, we have that one, and as well we have because of your last name.
Speaker 1:Okay, you know there's a lot of cases that's statistics and research, People applying for a job, and then just your last name will make the difference. You know there's like a lot of recruits just scrolling because you know you have a difficult name to pronounce. So just a little bit of a few things, as I said, a challenge that we can improve, but I think that we're evolving.
Speaker 1:We are evolving, probably that's those challenges that are facing first generations. I think our second generations are going to be in a better position, but we're still undertaking new migrants, yeah. So we just have to prepare, be more open mind. You know, those values that I just mentioned about unity, fairness, equity and respect to me are like my bread and butter for all the activities that I do. And, yes, I'm just excited. As I said, there's a lot of work that needs to get done. There's a lot of advocacy because there's so many different communities, because there are so many different communities, and to me, I think it's not just that advocacy is not just for multicultural communities, that advocacy is for everyone.
Speaker 2:So were you actively going out into all the different, culturally and linguistically diverse communities and talking to them and trying to motivate and activate them? That's what I do, wow, and I love it. That's such a busy job. There are so many, like you've said.
Speaker 1:I love it. You know what? I can attend to an event every day, even twice a day. It's intense. It's intense.
Speaker 1:I have a family and then, as I said, this takes generations. But you know what? It's my contribution and I'm more than happy to do it. You need to be passionate too. You know, when there's passion, when it's in your heart, it's like, whatever it takes, it's if I have to.
Speaker 1:Sometimes, if I go to a next week I have a Zimbabwean event, last week I had a Filipino, the previous week I have an Iranian, and then it's about go there and then just spread the message about that Community empowerment, that collaboration. How can we just facilitate each other? You know those networks, how can we support each other? And let me tell you that the support for this multicultural movement has been coming from probably six generation Australians. Movement has been coming from from probably six generation australians is they are the first one that I can tell you they are. They are like the big supporters of this multicultural movement because, as I said, they they understand this country can get better if we have, you know, the talent, people to make it grow. So they are very supportive and I'm very happy to see that because you know it's about involving everyone, so it's intense. I have been involved, probably doing political advocacy for women and multicultural communities, for the last six years, but back in Mexico, probably for the last 20 years, I have been doing this.
Speaker 2:So what brought you to Australia, Carla?
Speaker 1:Destiny A mission. I strongly believe that has to be a mission and this is my mission. I met my husband in Thailand. I was traveling, I was finishing that legislation that took me like five years and I was a little bit of I need a break and I just I love to travel and I just visit a few countries in Asia. And then, yeah, I saw him and then I picked him up off the street.
Speaker 2:He's going to hear this.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and then, as I said, destiny Is he Australian. Yeah, uh-huh. Yes, I said, Destiny Is he Australian.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Uh-huh yes.
Speaker 1:Australian, second generation Italian.
Speaker 2:Uh-huh okay.
Speaker 1:I remember telling him you want to marry me, you have to speak Spanish and we will get married in Mexico and in Australia. Ah, very good For both familias?
Speaker 2:Yes, both familias beautiful. And then you've had two sons here in Australia. Yes, two boys, two boys, lovely.
Speaker 1:Very, very, yes, very multicultural family, because they are Australian but they speak Italian and they speak Spanish.
Speaker 2:Very good, Excellent, that they're learning all of that too and having those rich heritage. I don't know. I just think there's something really special about having and any families with traditions. You know, it doesn't just have to be from non-English speaking backgrounds, but just having tradition and belonging. I think it comes back to that, because I think that's a big key in everything that you're trying to do is to create belonging for people, and when you've got belonging, you can contribute and your contribution is then valued and used and it shapes a culture and a community.
Speaker 1:You feel that you can rest and you feel like this is your home. When you feel that sense of belonging, you feel in peace. You know it's like you're feeling that that hope is now with reality. You know, to me sense of belonging is the key, and maybe that can sound a little bit like like an utopia, but when migrants feel that, I can feel that they find peace and they are better Australians and it's all about facilitate that sense of belonging into a country that it's their country, our country, and I'm very proud of the opportunity. You know, as I said, I feel that I have a mission and I love to do this, whatever it takes. It's just a privilege.
Speaker 2:Carla, I'm so glad that you fell in love with an Australian. I think that's the first thing I'm really glad for, because that meant that you fell in love with an Australian. I think that's the first thing I'm really glad for, because that meant that you came here and that you were then able to take all of that amazing experience you, you know, developed in Mexico and then bring it to Western Australia to not just, you know, make the pathway for your own children brighter, but certainly for all of the culturally and linguistically diverse communities that we have in Western Australia, and celebrate them in a really meaningful way that we can all be better together. I'm just so inspired by you and I'm just so thankful that you came to tell us all about that around La Tavo, la Calda today.
Speaker 1:Oh gracias, Gracias, gracias. It has been an honour.
Speaker 4:Hi, I'm Kelly Riley, creator and head coach of Females Over 45 Fitness, or FOF as we are fondly called. Our studio is located in Victoria Park and we are also online all across Australia. At FOF, our members range in age from 45 through to 84 years of age at the moment. They're amazing examples of hope. Let's meet one of our members now and be inspired by her story.
Speaker 3:Hi, my name's Diane. I'm in my 60s. At the moment. I find myself that I'm separated after 30 years of marriage. I sort of each day just rolled on, rolled on, just trying to cope with life situations and where I find myself Just looking around for something to get myself out there and connecting with other people. Other like-minded people I do work, so I'm full-time, so that was a lifesaver. Other like-minded people I do work, so I'm full-time, so that was a lifesaver. So, looking around and I saw an ad for an over 45s ladies gym and I thought well, that would suit me. Down to the ground. I rang up. They were very friendly. The ladies on the phone just made me feel warm and welcome, just coming to the gym two days a week. So my hopes at the moment is just to keep moving forward. I can't go backwards, so it has to be just moving forward and upward and just seeing where I take myself.
Speaker 2:Thanks for joining us around the warm table. My Warm Table is produced, hosted and edited by me, sonia Nolan. It's my way of amplifying positivity and curiosity in our community. I invite you to share this conversation with family and friends and follow my Warm Table podcast on Facebook, instagram and LinkedIn. Also, you can subscribe and follow my Warm Table on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, and maybe even leave a review, because it helps others to find us more easily.
