From Sicily to Geelong - Honouring the legacy of Salvatore and Antonina Senia.
By Zoe Waters, Executive Director, Barwon Health Foundation.
Among Andrew Senia's most treasured possessions is an old mandolin.
It isn't valuable in the traditional sense. Its timber is worn with age, and its face is painted with colourful dancing girls by the hands of his father, Salvatore. But to Andrew, it is priceless.
It carries the story of where his family began.
When Andrew and his partner, Jennefer, recently visited the Barwon Health Foundation to add a leaf to our Living Legacy Tree at University Hospital Geelong, they weren't only recognising a generous commitment to the Barwon Women's and Children's Appeal. They were paying tribute to Andrew's late parents, Salvatore and Antonina.
Both were born in Alcamo, Sicily. During the Second World War, Salvatore served in the Italian Army before becoming a prisoner of war and being transported to Australia. Even in captivity, music stayed with him. He played his mandolin for fellow prisoners, guards and the camp warden.
After the war, he returned to Sicily, reunited with Antonina and their young family, but Australia had left its mark. Believing it offered greater opportunity, he made the difficult decision to return and build a new life. Two years later, Antonina and the children followed him to Colac.
Their fresh start was heartbreakingly short.
Soon after the family arrived, Salvatore was killed in a car accident.
Antonina was left to raise her children alone in a country that was still unfamiliar. She worked as a machinist in a clothing factory, kept poultry at home and did whatever she could to make ends meet. Andrew told me she was asked to marry again several times but never accepted. Her love for Salvatore never faded.
What struck me most wasn't just the hardship they endured. It was the way Andrew spoke about both of his parents.
There was enormous pride in his voice. Because of what they gave him. Their work ethic. Their resilience. Their determination to create opportunities they never had themselves.
Those are the things that shaped his life.
Andrew and Jennefer's gift to the Barwon Women's and Children's Appeal is a beautiful way of saying thank you. It honours two parents who made extraordinary sacrifices and ensures their story will continue to make a difference here in our own community.
Today, Salvatore and Antonina rest together at Geelong East Cemetery.
The little mandolin remains safely at home with Andrew, a reminder of where his family came from and everything his parents made possible.
And thanks to Andrew and Jennefer's generosity, their legacy will now reach far beyond their own family, helping support care for generations of women, children and families across our region.
