Louisa Perroni

Always look forwards, not backwards.

Credit: Louisa Perroni

Louisa was born in Perth in 1947, a remarkable time of change and opportunity. After the Second World War, an influx of European immigrants helped shape a vibrant Italian–Australian community in Western Australia. For families like Louisa’s, there were new chances to build  businesses and secure a home. Her parents seized them – long hours of work saw her father succeed in business, always supported by her mother.

The eldest of six, Louisa was a dutiful and responsible child who cared deeply for her siblings. As a migrant’s daughter, she ‘grew up Italian’, spending her childhood and teenage years in what she fondly called ‘Louisa’s bubble’ – a happy space where she felt secure and truly belonged.

Louisa’s Confirmation Day, 1958 – a spiritual milestone. 
Credit: Louisa Perroni

Louisa with her parents, Umberto (Bert) and Felicia (holding baby brother Christopher) alongside siblings Jeanette, Joseph and Robert in the backyard of their Northbridge home. 
Credit: Louisa Perroni

Louisa’s parents, Umberto (Bert) and Felicia, owned Re Butchers in Mount Hawthorn – among the first continental smallgoods producers in Perth. Life was busy but rewarding. Between school and home duties, Louisa helped her father prepare orders for fishers, dutifully weighing and mixing kilos of mince without complaint.

Bert’s business vehicle, parked at Kings Park, 1952.
Credit: Louisa Perroni

Her parents were deeply involved in the community. Bert served on committees for the WA Italian Club (Casa d’Italia) and the Azzuri Soccer Club and was a founding member of the Sicilian Club Perth. These organisations were lifelines for many migrants, helping preserve culture and traditions while building strong social networks. Louisa remembers sitting at the committee table during events,  surrounded by the excitement of dinner dances, balls and family celebrations. She also recalls the colour and energy of large outdoor festivals such as St Joseph’s procession, the Blessing of the Fleet in Fremantle and feasts at St Anthony’s in Wanneroo and St Theresa  in Gwelup. For her, ‘Life couldn’t be better!’

In 1961, Louisa and her sister Jeanette joined the annual Blessing of the Fleet festival in Fremantle. 
Credit: Louisa Perroni

Louisa with friends Julie, Marisa and Liliana cheering on their team at the Azzurri Soccer Club, 1963 – a lively afternoon of sport, friendship and fun 
Credit: Louisa Perroni

Outside Louisa’s ‘bubble’, life was not always easy. She often felt caught between two worlds – Australian and Italian – and never fully belonging to either. ‘I felt in the middle and didn’t quite fit in,’ she said. At primary school, she recalls Irish nuns telling her she would ‘never amount to anything’, leaving her with the sense she was dismissed. ‘I knew they didn’t think much of me.’

Louisa left school at 15, later marrying and raising three beloved children. The family settled in Wembley among many other migrant families, where they shared years of happiness. Between home and family life, Louisa enjoyed a lively social circle, playing squash in Wembley and Floreat Beach and joining the Floreat Tennis Club, where she felt warmly welcomed.

Louisa was crowned ‘Miss Azzurri’ at the Azzurri Soccer Club Ball by Perth’s Lord Mayor, Charles Veryard, 1964.
Credit: Louisa Perroni

Louisa and fiance Stellario cut their engagement cake, 20 September 1966. 
Credit: Louisa Perroni

In the 1970s, once the children were older, the family moved to a new subdivision in Marmion – where discrimination became more overt. One morning they found ‘WOGS’ chalked across the road in front of their house. Another time, ‘WOGS GO HOME’ was carved into wet cement on the kerb, where it remained for 20 years. Louisa also recalls being subtly snubbed by mothers at her children’s school.

Two of her children faced regular anti-Italian taunts that affected their schoolwork, while the third – with fair hair – was left alone. ‘Everything to do with Italians was negative,’ Louisa remembers. Wartime prejudices lingered, with names like ‘garlic munchers’, ‘dings’ and ‘wogs’ commonplace. Her mother Felicia endured it too. As a child, she and her brothers often ended up in ‘fisticuffs’ against bullies.

Many families responded by anglicising their names – a change that struck at the heart of their identify. Louisa’ s siblings became Joseph (Giuseppe), Jeanette (Gianetta), Charlie (Angelo), Mary (Marianna) and Louisa (Luisa).

In time, multicultural policies helped foster more inclusive communities, enabling all Western Australians to participate in civic, social, economic and cultural life. Today, younger generations seek out Italian culture, looking to the figure of the nonna for inspiration, warmth and hospitality.

Louisa and her husband at the wedding reception of her brother Robert, hosted by the Sicilian Association Club – a joyful family celebration in the 1980s.
Credit: Louisa Perroni

At the age of 17, Louisa was engaged in work at the offices of D’Orsogna It was a wonderful chapter in her life, characterized by the friendships she built with her office associates. 
Credit: Louisa Perroni