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I still call Australia home

Posted on September 16, 2011

BOOK OF LIFE: Frank and Gabriela Grivec relax at their Mildura home. Frank, who celebrates his 90th birthday on September 30, is holding a copy of his book.

By ALAN ERSKINE

THE tall teenager stares right into the camera, unsmiling…a little nervous if anything, but standing ramrod straight, tall and proud, holding a suitcase filled with his meagre belongings, alongside loved ones who are about to bid him farewell.

This is Croatia, 1938, and 17-year-old Frank Grivec is the first of his family to set sail for another country in search of a better life. Destination – Australia.

That was almost 73 years ago, and today, fast approaching his 90th birthday, Frank is still an imposing figure…lean, still well dressed, although a bit more casual these days, very alert, and with a beaming smile of welcome and, as always, impeccable manners.

And close by, as always, is his Croatian-born wife and fellow migrant Gabriela, charming, hospitable – and like Frank, gifted with an amazing memory for faces, names, places and events. They recently celebrated their 69th wedding anniversary, and are looking forward to many more, but first they’ll get over Frank’s 90th birthday on September 30.

I’m catching up with Frank and Gabriela at the invitation of their son Ken, now 68, and a long-time owner and contractor in the Sunraysia fresh fruit and vegetable business under his Vecsun label.

Ken says his Dad might have a few stories to share. It’s something of an understatement. Frank is a walking, talking story-book on all things Mildura…the river, the weather, tourism, dried fruit and citrus industry, opportunities for migrants, business and investment opportunities, good times, bad times, sad times…thank goodness he decided to write a book documenting it all…although it did take a lot of prompting from his family.

Ken gives me a copy to read. Frank writes how he was 70 when he started writing (after teaching himself to use a computer) and 80 when he finished. He called his book; “A Glimpse from the Past.” But it’s far more than a glimpse…almost 650 pages that make interesting, sometimes fascinating and humorous, reading, documenting one man’s journey through life…so far.

Frank tells me over a cuppa that in hindsight, he probably should have come up with a more catchy name for the book…something like ‘The Peasant’s Son.’ But the title doesn’t really matter. This is a quality publication, thanks to Frank and his graphic design granddaughter Nerrida.

It’s probably not the kind of book that will be picked up by a publisher, so Frank self-funded the initial print run of 100 copies that went to family and friends.

“The younger ones probably won’t be that interestered for a while,” Frank says. “But once they start learning a bit of their Croation history the book will be a good reference for them.”

And Frank and Gabriela have dangled the carrot to make sure the kids learn some family history…a few years ago they bought a beautiful little Croatian holiday home with sweeping views over a lush green and productive valley about 30 kilometres from the village where Frank was born…not far from the border with Slovenia…it’s there whenever anyone wants to go back to the old country for a break.

Their daughter Danice, recently retired after finishing a long teaching career as head mistress at a Canberra school, is enjoying the holiday house this month. Danice was another family member who encouraged her father to complete his book.

Frank writes with honesty, sincerity and purpose…mixed with a dose of humour. He casts his mind back to when he made the decision to leave home, describing how his family didn’t want him to go…and writes; “I loved my parents, my sister and brothers…I loved my home. And yet, something whispered in my ear…you must go.”

It was a heart-breaking decision all round, and there were plenty of tears, but once Frank reached Australia and met his relatives, he was happy with the decision he had made. Since then it has just been one adventure after another, and Frank and Gabriela have been rewarded for a life of hard work, astute investments, and careful planning.

They have had several extended trips back home, taking the opportunity to visit many countries as part of their journey. Often they would stay at least nine months, sometimes over a year, knowing that their properties back home were in the safe hands of Ken and reliable block workers.

Frank took advantage of several of these trips to buy luxury cars, driving them around Europe to see the sights before bringing them back to Australia, savings thousands of dollars in import duties. He remembers the first one, a Zepher, and there have been two Mercedes Benz cars since then…Ken is still driving around in one.

Frank says he got by in those early years with a basic grasp of English, and he gradually improved after buying a dictionary and taking lessons, but admits he is still learning the Australian variant of the English language. It made the task of writing his book more difficult, and there were many times when he wanted to abandon the project, but finally completed it with the help, support and encouragement of family members.

‘A Glimpse from the Past’ is far too involved for an in-depth critique. It may not mean much to the general Australian-born population either, but it’s the type of book that should be given pride of place among local historical collections, certainly in our library, and with the Sunraysia Ethnic Communities Council records.

Historically it is a significant chapter in the role that Frank and Gabriela, and many of their fellow migrants from a variety of cultures, played in the development of the Mildura irrigation area, if only for the sweeping changes they have experienced in the past seven decades.

And it will no doubt be fascinating, interesting and educational reading to the many descendants of the extended Grivec family in the years ahead.

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