“I feel like I have been reborn again,” exclaims 76-year-old Elbide Elham, as she is reunited with the lady she first thought she would never see again in her life. Asimoula gives her long lost friend a big hug as her eyes well up again.
In 1970, Elbide arrived in Melbourne, Australia with her husband and four children. Not being able to speak the language, understand her surroundings – she was well and truly a stranger in a strange land echoing the migrant story of many in her time. A chance meeting between her husband and Asimoula on the inner city Northcote train would change her life forever. Asimoula became Elbide’s first friend in Australia.
But more than just a friend, she found her work, helped her buy furniture for her house, clothe her young children, helped her do her grocery shopping. Because Asimoula spoke both Greek and Turkish, she was able to find someone to communicate with , and at a time when this young mother was negotiating her way through life, with a young family, found someone to confide in.
These women became each others rock, each others female champion. And alongside them Asimoula’s sister-in-law Aleka who lived with Asimoula, became the lady who would share every day with Eblide at Yarra Falls, the factory which all three ladies made their first livelihood as migrants in Australia. Throughout the reunion Asimoula remains as humble as ever confident that anyone would have done the same had they have been in that situation.
“I didn’t do that much,” she says completely bewildered by the attention, yet so honoured that someone thought so highly and has thought about her every day of her life, for forty years since they have been separated. One month ago, Eblide’s daughter Kerry came to the offices of Neos Kosmos looking for this Greek lady who meant so much to her mother.
Neos Kosmos printed the story in both the English and Greek edition to make sure there was more of a chance for this reunion. One week later, Asimoula called. In tears, Asimoula spoke about her past, a time in her life when things were different, difficult yes but exciting to navigate in a new place. A time when humans were there to help each other and no emphasis was placed on doing such a good deed – you just did it.
“This is the best day of my life,” says Elbide sitting between the two sister-in-laws who have filled her with so much gratitude and love.
Her daughter Kerry looking on watching her mum enjoy a moment in her life that she really felt would never happen. And the gratitude extends to the work done by journalist Claire Gazis and to all the readers and community members who helped out in locating Asimoula. The three ladies spent time together reliving stories from the factory, from Melbourne in the ’70s.
And their youthful demeanour and brightly spirit is seen as they, just like any co-workers being reunited, talk about their stroppy boss, funny coworkers and the job itself – the nature of the hard factory work. And as a young woman myself – who is now their age then – watching on this monumental moment in two women’s lives, you can’t help but feel pride and love for these two women who did so much for each other, without even realising the effect.
As Elbide looks on with so much love to her friend, Asimoula smiles her cheeky grin back and you can’t help but wonder what these women saw in their youth, what they went through and just how crucial it was that they had each other to lean on. And The strength you see in all three women, the light and spark they have in their eyes when they are together and their stories are amazing to watch as they reveal a time when life was just hard.
