Some of them have since returned home, while others have made a home here.
Pizza chef Giovanni Barbera belongs to the latter, having traded in his “backpacker” status for that of a Mildura local back in 2013.
Only, the ambitious Sicilian has done much more than settle into the laidback lifestyle of a rural township since his arrival.
In fact, Giovanni has had such a tremendous impact on the community of Mildura over the past three years through various initiatives and programs, that he has earned official recognition for his efforts.
On January 26, Mildura residents gathered for the annual Australia Day Awards at Nowingi Place on the city’s riverfront.
Mildura Mayor Glenn Milne presented awards to recipients in the three categories, announcing Giovanni as the municipality’s Young Citizen of the Year.
“Through his experience and community work in both hospitality and cookery, as well as his involvement in the New and Emerging Communities Leadership Program, Giovanni has already achieved and contributed so much,” Cr Milne said.
“Giovanni is an inspirational young man and we are proud that he now calls Mildura home.”
Born and raised in the province of Messina, Giovanni journeyed to Australia seeking an adventure.
“By mistake or by luck”, he happened to stumble upon Mildura and found work twirling pizza dough at local hotspot Pizza Cafe at the Grand.
In 2014, Giovanni began studying Hospitality and Commercial Cookery, and the following year he was named SuniTAFE International Student of the Year, while in 2016 he was also awarded the Council of International Students Australia, International Student of the Year award.
During his studies, Giovanni discovered Slow Food Mildura, a non-profit organisation which seeks to support and promote local growers and producers.
“That was what changed my attitude towards community and towards big issues like changing the food system and how we can make the right food choices,” he explains.
Mildura’s slow food community is one of the largest in the nation, perhaps thanks to the strong presence of Italians in the area.
“Having a very large Italian community here gives us an advantage because we have many people who show us the traditional methods of preserving and processing food,” Giovanni says.
“It gives people more knowledge about how we used to preserve, cook and eat food and it’s a way to remember our food culture.”
As a member of the movement, Giovanni helps organise Slow Food Mildura events in which he often participates, holding cooking demonstrations and workshops for the public.
“I’m happy to volunteer my time because I enjoy it and I believe in what slow food stands for,” he says.
Extending on his work with the slow food community, Giovanni is also involved in the Sunraysia Local Food Future project, with the aim of maximising the use of the myriad products which are available within the local area to foster a sustainable food system.
“I believe regional towns or cities like Mildura should be a bit more self-sufficient and rely more on local products rather than importing food,” he explains.
Giovanni also participated in the ‘New and Emerging Communities Leadership Program’, organised by Leadership Victoria, undertaking a project to establish a community kitchen in Mildura particularly for migrants, refugees, foreign students and tourists.
“It would be great to have a space where everyone could come and share a meal and an experience,” he says.
In August 2016, Giovanni also began working with Zoe Support Australia, a local organisation which provides support to young mothers, especially those trying to return to study.
Once a week, he conducts a cooking program with young mums, teaching them simple meals that they can recreate at home for their kids.
Between working at Pizza Cafe and volunteering for various initiatives and organisations, Giovanni has also recently begun working part-time at SuniTAFE, providing assistance to international students.
“I see it more as community involvement rather than a job, because we have a lot of international students here in Mildura and most of them don’t initially know anyone or have much support,” he says.
“It’s good for them to have a friendly face who has also been in their position, who can welcome them and show them around.”
Giovanni’s big heart and innate interpersonal skills have made him one of Mildura’s most popular imports.
While he may have achieved more in three years than most people will in a lifetime, Giovanni explains that dedicating time to the things he loves comes easy to him.
“My advice is to do the things that you love with passion and care and it will be easy,” he says.
“Being recognised for things that I really love doing makes me happy; I put a lot of effort in but I don’t see it as work.”
While the pizza maker-turned-community superstar admits he isn’t quite sure how he ended up contributing so much to Mildura, the rest of the residents are certainly glad that his Australian adventure landed him there.
