Born in the Friulian town of Casarsa della Delizia in 1927, Praturlon’s strength and no-nonsense attitude has served her well.

Praturlon can recall memories of WWII: military planes flying overhead at night and gunning down anyone who did not obey the curfew, the lack of air-raid shelters, and people fleeing to the countryside or mountains to avoid bombing.

In Casarsa, around 1000 lives were lost due to the war.

Praturlon’s father, Domenico, worked in the United States of America for several years, before returning to Italy and becoming a council member.

Shortly before the end of the war, the German forces withdrew from Casarsa.

One soldier, desperate to desert, tried to plan his escape without his fellow soldiers noticing.

Domenico – who had fought in WWI and had been awarded a silver medal for bravery – helped him, hiding the soldier in his house until the end of the war.

Praturlon decided to migrate to Australia in 1952 as there was no work available in Friuli after the war.

Her husband, Ottaviano, had left for Sydney two years earlier, to scope out whether Australia could provide the couple with a better life.

Ottaviano wrote letters updating his wife, telling her that he was not overly fond of Australia.

Praturlon also found Australia to be a land of strange customs, questioning the multitude of people walking around the streets barefoot.

When Queen Elizabeth II visited Sydney, Praturlon watched the sovereign as she travelled down Cleveland Street near Redfern.

“The Queen was so close to the crowd that you could almost touch her hand,” she says.

Redfern was the first suburb Praturlon lived in, followed by Petersham and Ashfield.

She worked in the kitchen at Lewisham Hospital, while her husband was employed by a company that manufactured cement.

The couple had a son, Giuseppe, more commonly known as Joe.

Joe grew up with other Italo-Australians and was often frustrated by the southern dialects of his peers, as he was used to speaking the Friulian dialect at home.

Enrolled in kindergarten by his mother, Joe had no problems learning English, though the children of many other migrant families did.

Several decades later, Joe married and had two children, who are adored by their grandmother.

Praturlon returned to Italy three times, and during her second visit in 1976, she experienced the notorious earthquake that rocked Friuli.

She noticed that her town had changed drastically: there were new factories that employed local residents and an influx of southerners in the region.

After years living in Australia, Praturlon noticed the differences between life in both countries.

She observed that Australians try to plan every little detail for the future, while Italians live day to day.

Praturlon has seen Sydney change drastically from the city she first visited in 1952.

There was a lesser focus on capitalism, with shops closing earlier and not opening at all on public holidays, and it was much easier to walk everywhere.

Her advice to others looking to move to Australia for work is pragmatic: “You must adapt to everything when you migrate to a foreign country”.

These days, Praturlon enjoys a serene existence and time with her family, often offering up her signature pearls of wisdom.