Aussie Way Of Life A Slowly Acquired Taste

Newcastle Herald

Thursday January 25, 2007

By DONNA SAWYER

AS a newly arrived Italian immigrant to Australia, Silvano "Steve" Clima found it difficult to stomach the amount of red meat he was served at meal times.

More than 50 years later, Mr Clima will celebrate Australia Day for the first time as an Australian citizen with a meal of barbecued lamb cutlets.

Mr Clima, 56, will take part in a citizenship ceremony at Speers Point Park on January 26.

"We're going to have a traditional Aussie barbecue on Australia Day after the ceremony," he said. "I feel like it's an honour to become an Australian citizen on Australia Day, so we'll be celebrating as Aussies."

"As a kid, I was always given mutton to eat which I didn't like, but I have since grown to like red meat."

Mr Clima arrived in Australia in 1955 and spent a year at Greta migrant hostel.

After his family settled in Sydney's western suburbs, Mr Clima began an engineering apprenticeship, which was interrupted when he was called up for national service.

When he returned from three years in the Army Reserves, Mr Clima was surprised and frustrated by the fact that he was not eligible to vote.

"I thought that if I fought for a country I would be entitled to vote, but it didn't," he said.

"I was always happy to live by the rules, but disappointed because I wanted to be an Australian citizen."

Mr Clima and his wife Carol moved to Cardiff in 1999 and bought a business in Newcastle.

With children and grandchildren living in the country, Mr Clima said he decided only recently to become an Australian citizen.

"I thought it was time," he said. "I love Australia. I'm looking forward to voting."

© 2007 Newcastle Herald

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