Maria Pagotto is the kind of person who greets you at the door with a big smile and a huge hug, even if you've only just met. And by the time you leave, you feel like family.
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Mrs Pagotto exudes kindness and caring. And it's those qualities that have seen the Tullera resident mentioned in the Federal Parliament; Page MP Kevin Hogan thanking her for 44 years of volunteering in the community.
Mrs Pagotto is humble about the acknowledgement. But it is well deserved.
Over four decades, she has volunteered with the Red Cross, doing hair and beauty for rehabilitation patients for 28 years.
Maria worked in the day surgery handing out cups of tea and sandwiches to patients, and spent 17 years volunteering at the Italian's Aged Care.
After transferring to the South Lismore Catholic Parish Church, Mrs Pagotto spent 15 years there volunteering, continuing to become the Eucharist Minister at the Saturday evening mass.
Turning 97 this year, she still finds the time to volunteer at St Vincent's Hospital in Lismore, and over 44 years, has brought comfort to many people needing medical treatment.
Mr Hogan thanked her for her "important contribution to the community".
Mrs Pagotto said she was proud to receive the recognition and was "really, really happy"
She said working with people, doing the hair and nails of people who had health issues broadened her experience.
"I found so much happiness to see what happened to people who we helped."
Sitting down for a chat to share her life story, Maria is surrounded by photos of loved ones, depicting a life well lived.
Maria came to Australia from Italy when she was 10-years-old. Astonishingly, it would lead to the first time she met her father.
He had gone to Australia in 1926 to forge a new life in the "promised land" before she was born, and it took 10 years before the family could follow.
Mrs Pagotto says coming to Australia "was the best day of my life. And my mother's".
For a young girl brought up with rationed food, the ship with 350 people on board presented an eye opening adventure. The memory of the food and the delights on offer onboard still still bring a twinkle to her eye.
She remembers playing games, singing for chocolate, getting spoilt by the ship's crew with ice cream and food from first class.
"Did I remember the trip!" she says. "Yum yum!"
She says coming to Australia "was different". It was a big change for a young girl who came from Vicenza, the tourist town famous for mineral water.
For a start, they couldn't drive the car all the way to the house on a farm at Fernside and had to lug everything up the path.
But they were overjoyed to be back together and to meet her dad.
She said it must have been hard for her father to travel across the world, not knowing the language, and correspondence was very slow.
Then when World War II broke out, they were regarded as the enemy and had restrictions on what they could do and where they could go. They were not allowed to use the family car or speak Italian.
She said they did what they were told, worked hard, and had few issues.
Her brother was sent to Nowra when he was 18 and placed in a camp during the war. But he said it wasn't an arduous experience.
"When he came home, he said he had a ball. They were treated well, but we didn't know, because he couldn't write very well."
Mrs Pagotto married Ernesto "when I was young", she said.
Her future husband was the first person she met after meeting her family, and he made an impression when he came to meet the new arrival.
They had four children together, Ives, Linda, Gildo, and Ernesto.
Mr and Mrs Pagotto were well known in the Lismore community.
Together, they owned a business called Magellan Fruit Market in Magellan St and then a fish shop on Woodlark St.
"It was called Ernie's Fish Shop," Mrs Pagotto said. "But it should have been called Maria's Fish Shop.
"He was really good at getting everything ready, but Maria was there much longer hours," she says.
After they retired from businesses, Mrs Pagotto found herself with time on her hands.
Irene Scheibel started the beauty program for patients in Lismore in the 1970s, and she reached out to Mrs Pagotto when she was 53 saying "I've got something I think you will be alright doing. Would you like to be a volunteer for this new program I've got".
At first, she was hesitant, but it was the beginning of her service to the community that spanned 44 years.
"I always thanked her for that," Mrs Pagotto said. "I learned so much, I wouldn't have it any other way.
"It was the best thing that I could have done.
"She was a beautiful lady. You're a volunteer, you keep doing it until it makes you feel good. Till you go home happy."
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