A story of hopes and dreams

And going a bit beyond

Once upon a time there was a young girl at St Paul's whose favourite thing in the whole world was books.

She loved reading the stories, learning new things, and admiring the pictures that went with them. When anyone asked what she would like to do when she grew up, she knew straight away. "I want to write and illustrate children's books." (Her extensive reading gave her an excellent vocabulary).

Now, she has grown up, and yes, after many years and hours of study she has achieved her goal.

Her first book (not for children, and not illustrated, although it does have some historical photographs) has been published and launched to great acclaim by none other than former Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser (among others).

The author

The young girl who dreamed of writing is Bronwyn Hinz, daughter of John and Rose, and the book that she has authored is Many Hopes, One Dream.

It records the history, journey and achievements of the Ethnic Communities' Council of Victoria (ECCV), Australia's oldest federation of migrant, ethnic and refugee groups, from its creation in 1974 to the present day. Both the ECCV's history and the writing of Bronwyn's book are stories about passion and perseverance.

It is also about producing a quality work that goes further than just doing a job or making a living. It is about the integrity that goes with the finished work and the importance of documenting a major influential force that has caused Australia to re-evaluate its attitude to migrants and their contribution to our present day society.

In Bronwyn's words, "It is about bringing to light the 'inside story' and unacknowledged facts in our history, so we can better understand, and improve, our society."

Bronwyn's passion for learning and helping others was present, and nurtured, from early childhood. Growing up in the Hinz household gave her an insight and appreciation of many issues confronting disadvantaged people in the community. Her parents, John and Rose, took to heart Jesus' teaching 'do unto others' and never held back from helping someone in need, a principle they ingrained in their four daughters. "They were real role models and inspiration for me," Bronwyn says.

This attitude fed her interest in politics and social activism, researching and discussing issues in society to bring about change. Bronwyn had been involved in school debating, children's parliament and various clubs throughout school, but her political involvement really began at University when she joined the campaign against the Howard government's proposed changes to reduce higher education funding and access. She went on to become one of Melbourne University's delegates to the Senate Inquiry on the proposed reforms, where the Chair of the Committee, Senator Kim Carr, was so impressed that he offered her an internship position in his office. A few short months later, on the eve of her 21st birthday, Bronwyn was hired as the primary speech writer and researcher for Maria Vamvakinou MP, travelling to and from Canberra for parliamentary sittings, where a typical day could include standing in a coffee queue behind Peter Costello or Mark Latham, sitting in meetings with Indigenous leaders or the head of Macquarie Bank, and running up and down the corridors of parliament with final speaking notes for her boss. This experience was complemented by an Honours degree in Political Science and French, from the University of Melbourne, and a Bachelor's degree in International Studies from Sciences Po, in Paris, and work as an academic researcher for the Contemporary Europe Research Centre and Education Foundation.

It was her experience, empathy, and passion for researching and writing that led to the ECCV approaching her to be their official historian and write their history — despite only being 24 years old at the time.

The ECCV

The ECCV was formed in 1974 by a group of migrants from over 22 different backgrounds, concerned about the many obstacles and challenges facing migrants and refugees in Australia.

While the racially-discriminatory White Australia Policy had been recently abolished, many barriers prevented migrants and refugees from fully participating in Australian society. Foreign languages and customs were frowned upon by government and society. They were not treated as valued and equal members of the community, and had negligible political voice and influence. This group of migrants and refugees decided that by joining together, to speak in one voice, they had a better chance of being heard and responded to.

They were right. In their first year alone, they met with Prime Minister Gough Whitlam, and future Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser (who was then Opposition Labour and Immigration spokesman), introducing him to multicultural ideas which were later introduced as official government policy. Some of the ECCV's achievements over the years include the introduction of Australia's first dedicated refugee program in 1976, the introduction of SBS and ethnic community radio, the dramatic increase in immigration intake, the Multicultural Act of Victoria, and most recently the revisions to the citizenship test.

Today, the ECCV is the peak non-government body for culturally and linguistically diverse Victorians, helping them to access services, settle in Australia, and have their voices heard in the corridors of power. As political historian Dr John Chesterman said, "This book tells a fascinating story of the way the ECCV moved (remarkably quickly) from being a fringe player to occupying a central role as an advocate for people of culturally and linguistically diverse communities. It should be recommended reading for anyone who is interested in knowing how Victoria, and in particular Melbourne, has managed its remarkable transformation into one of the world's leading centres of peaceful multicultural cohabitation."

And finally

Bronwyn is currently completing a PhD in Education at the University of Melbourne, where she also works as a tutor, researcher, and policy consultant. Her work and reputation have recently earned her a visiting Scholar position at Columbia University, New York in 2010.

The book was the result of almost two years' work, and involved interviews with more than 15 key leaders within and beyond the Council, months of sorting through boxes of reports and minutes in people's storerooms and garages, and hundreds of emails. The hard work paid off, with the book published by Australian Scholarly Publishing to coincide with the Council's 35th anniversary celebrations starting a new ECCV era.

The book was officially launched on September 23 by Sam Afra (ECCV Chair), Lindsay Tanner (Federal Minister for Finance and Deregulation), James Merlino (Victorian Minister for Multicultural Affairs), Nick Kotsiros (Victorian Shadow Minister for Multicultural Affairs), George Lekakis (Chairman of the Victorian Multicultural Commission), and, last but not least, former Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser.

For more information on Bronwyn and the project (including book reviews, launch photos and purchasing details) visit www.bronwynhinz.com

Karen Cramer