DescriptionThis interview consists of two audio recordings and transcripts. Pedro Diaz was interviewed on 27 September 2002 at Dalziel Place, Fairfield by Sara Bressa. The audio components of this interview are recorded in Spanish. Interview SummaryPedro Luis Diaz Araya was born on the 29th June 1932 in Santiago, Chile. His father was Luis Maria Diaz Mazuela and his mother was Carmen Luisa Araya Silva. Pedro was the oldest of 10 children. He attended primary school in a small town named Illapel and then went to Santiago Escutti Orrego High School where he also worked as an inspector at the boarding school for a year.
Pedro was tested at the University of Chile for a Bachelor Scholarship while still in high school and afterwards applied to the Technical School of Detectives. He graduated as a detective, working for the Police Force for 6 years.
After leaving the Police Force, he started work at a chemical laboratory that produced matt and lustre thread and cellophane. He married Carmen Rivera in 1958 and together they have four children and six grandchildren. During the 1970’s, Pedro tells of his escape from Chile and Argentina due to political unrest and the danger he faced in trying to flee with a young family. They arrived safely in Australia in 1975 and lived at the Westbridge Villawood Hostel for a time. Pedro found work shortly after in a factory producing Victa lawn mowers. In 1976, Pedro and his family moved into a house in Cabramatta and eventually settled in Fairfield.
Facing the hardships of his youth and having to flee Chile, Pedro considers himself to be very fortunate to live in Australia and proudly calls Fairfield his home.
