This is the heart of the book written by Professor Nicola Sasanelli, a community broadcaster based in Adelaide, to celebrate 50 years of Radio Italiana 531, which first went on air on March 3, 1975, with the program Radio Paesani on 5UV.
Sasanelli, an electronics engineer by trade and an artist by passion, has had a long career spanning research, scientific diplomacy and technological development in Australia. From his role at the Italian Embassy in Canberra to the directorship of the South Australian Space Industry Centre, he has contributed to the growth of the Australian space sector and the innovation that has come with it.
“Through the radio and the newspaper, we’ve also brought to light those non-traditional players, such as Italian researchers,” he explains. “We’ve networked them, given them visibility. This has had a real impact on their journey and on the community as a whole.”
Sasanelli structures his book on Radio Italiana 531 into four sections: the importance of Italian cultural heritage, the evolution of immigration, the role of the radio as a promoter of Italian culture in Adelaide and, finally, a reflection on generational change.
“We wanted to tell a collective story,” Sasanelli explains, “but also to draw attention to how these tools - the radio, the community press - have become central to keeping a culture alive, adapting it to the present.”
The book reconstructs a journey that begins in the 1970s, when information in one’s mother tongue was scarce, and an Italian-language radio station could make the difference between feeling excluded or part of something.
From the outset, the aim was not only to inform, but to create a shared space, a point of reference for those arriving from afar with few certainties and a strong desire to start over.
Over the years, Radio Italiana 531 has been able to capture changes within the community. The launch of programs aimed at young people, such as Il Gap in 2006, marked a generational handover.
“When I arrived in 2000,” Sasanelli recalls, “it was thought that Italian identity would die out with the first generation.
“Instead, thanks to these tools, the opposite happened. The radio gave a home to those who arrived and meaning to those who were already here, building a bridge between those seeking integration and those wanting to rediscover their roots.”
The book also offers a contemporary reading of Italian-Australian identity. Between the lines emerges an awareness that culture evolves, and the tools we use must evolve with it.
“It is not just about accessing information, but also about creating a sense of belonging, keeping alive the Italian language, values and traditions for future generations, in a rapidly changing world,” writes the professor.
As Sasanelli explains, Italian-language radio in Australia has, over time, become a catalyst for identity.
Turning the pages, the reader is immersed in a work that goes beyond nostalgic celebration. The author writes of the role of the radio as an open space for new arrivals: researchers, students, young professionals.
“This involvement of young people helps the station remain dynamic and adaptable, ensuring it can … keep pace with the constantly evolving media landscape.”
Sasanelli describes how today, Italian identity is a “brand”, “something that attracts and intrigues, but must be cultivated and updated”. In this new scenario, the media “serve to give a voice to those arriving today from Italy, bringing [with them] a contemporary vision”, while “engaging young people raised here so that they can find in this culture something they feel is theirs”.
The narrative weaves together personal memories and historical analysis, including that of the various migratory waves: the 1950s and 1960s, economic and working-class migration and the need to prove that the choice to leave was the right one.
“Italians back then had little, but had to prove to themselves and their families that the choice they had made was the right one,” the professor asserts.
“This generation put itself to the test, bringing with it a strength made of work, dedication to family and the ability to adapt. This too has built today’s Australia.”
For the author, the present and the future is more promising than ever.
“Now I see a sustainability that didn’t exist ten or twenty years ago,” he says. “There is a balance: the radio promotes Italian culture, but at the same time engages with the market, with sponsors, with those who want to speak to a vibrant community. This makes it strong.”
He concludes the volume with a reflection: “Today this station represents our Italian heritage. Through its work, the station ensures that Italian traditions continue to thrive for generations to come.”
