Vincenzo Russo releases book Scarred For Life: The Cry for Help at Cairns Italian Festival

A man who migrated from Italy at a young age, only to be put in an orphanage years later, will debut his book at a major Cairns event. WHY HE HAD TO TELL HIS STORY

A MAN who migrated from Italy when he was just four, only to be put in an orphanage years later, will debut his book at the Cairns Italian Festival this weekend.

Vincenzo Russo has written Scarred For Life: The Cry for Help and will launch the book at La Festa on Saturday at Fogarty Park.

“It’s basically my life story from the time of birth and being an Italian child migrant, we came here in 1958 with my mother and four other siblings,” he said.

“So I write about the various experiences of being a child migrant, going to an entirely different country and lifestyle and the trying to fit into a new country.

Mr Russo said the story tells how he was put in an orphanage at a young age.

“I came to Australia with my mum because my father had died back in Italy when I was two,” he said.

“Mum brought all five children to live in Adelaide, we were evicted from our home after a year.

“So she had to put all five children into an orphanage because of how things were at the time and that’s where I spent three years.

“Because of the separation from family, culture and language, that caused all sorts of problems to how I grew up and felt about myself.”

Mr Russo said the book reflects on historical events.

“I tried to put my story into context with the wider world,” he said.

Mr Russo was able to complete the book when he moved to Cairns a couple of years ago.

“I moved here because my daughter was diagnosed with breast cancer, so I moved up here to support her while she was going through the treatment,” he said.

“While I was living here I managed to finish the writing and get the book published to where it is now.”
Mr Russo will be selling the book at La Festa to show what post-war migration was like and how Italians adapted to Australian traditions.

The book is available online at Amazon, Dymocks and Barnes and Noble.

Originally published as Vincenzo Russo releases book Scarred For Life: The Cry for Help at Cairns Italian Festival