Local Filipino influence grows

I have been a resident of the Peninsula for the last 15 years.

I was born in the Philippines and married an Australian-born man and that's the reason why I was one of the growing number of Australia's cross-cultural union.

Before I came here to my second home country, I was a journalist in a Manila tabloid and had been a teacher for eight years prior to my migrating here.

My husband and I got married at the St John the Baptist Catholic Church in June 1988 and have two daughters who went to the local Catholic primary school.

They are now both in high school at St Josephs.

Before, I volunteered in some community work as a catechist or scripture teacher in the public school and now a contributing writer at The Philippine Community Herald, which is the newspaper of the Philippine-Australian community in Australia.

It had been a long sojourn just like any other migrant coming from different parts of the world.

The Filipino-Australian community of the Central Coast is one of the fastest growing communities here on the coast.

Here in the Peninsula area, most Filipino women are married to locals in the community.

A lot of them just like myself generally met our Australian husbands in the Philippines.

Now, the Australian-Filipino population on the Peninsula has a second generation which basically either their children were born here or grew up on the Peninsula.

It has been found that of every four Australians one is born overseas.

Sometimes, I have asked my daughters to be proud and not be afraid of who or what they are.

I told them even if they come from a mixed bag of half Aussie and half Filipino, they were born here and that makes them 100% Australian.

The Peninsula's socio-economic population has changed over the last 20 years.

You just have to look to the sea of different faces in the shops.

I am now working part-time at the Peninsula Retirement Village to help supplement the family income.

I would like to teach children one day when I can become qualified enough some day.

At the moment some of the activities in the socio-cultural group of Filipino-Australian population is comprised of both the senior and the youth sector.

There are two organisations on the Central Coast.

Firstly, The Australian-Filipino Association of the Central Coast which has been going on for more than 10 years.

They have a cultural dance troupe and cultural presentations.

Secondly, the Ugnay Kabayan or the Central Coast Filipino People's link which organised the annual Filipino Fiesta on the Central Coast at the Gosford Waterfront.

They search for the Miss Philippine Australia to support charity projects for the benefit of the local community in general.

We have the El Shaddai Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group which gives a sense of camaraderie, identity, and support through faith.

We hold a prayer meeting every Saturday in the parish hall.

It is also our way of sharing our sense of faith in God in the Peninsula area.

It is basically a bible study fellowship group with ministry in the gospel and music.

It is also a way of involving ourselves through the parish life.

Lee Pendleton, St Huberts Island