By Esther Lauaki
What’s your connection to Werribee?
My dad and his brother moved to Werribee South from Greece in 1955, a year before the rest of our family came.
How long have you lived in the area?
Just 63 years in Werribee South. We moved to Hoppers Crossing for about 10 years but we came back.
What was Werribee like when you first moved here?
Times were tough, not just for us, for everybody in Greece where I’m from. They’d just come out of a war and there was a recession before that so people left Greece to find a better life. When we moved to Werribee a loaf of bread was 20 cents and there were no roads, just farms. We had vegetable farms growing up, I was five years old, and I went to school. I was farming for 45 years, 10 years with my father running Con Marinis and Sons, until he retired.
What are you passionate about?
Football. Werribee Football Club.
Tell us about your involvement with the Werribee Football Club.
I used to always go to games as a kid. When we were going to school I used to go and watch my cousins play footy. Before Werribee Football Club was formed, there was a team from the Werribee South farmers but they didn’t have a home ground – they’d play in a paddock. But later they found a home at Chirnside Park and formed the Werribee Football Club in 1965. I joined up in 1991 and have been a member since. I joined as a Golden Tiger, then became a White Tiger and now I’m a Gold Label member – I love the club.
What’s something people would be surprised to know about you?
There’s nothing to be surprised about. I worked hard for much of my life and now I run around picking up my grandkids.
What do you love about Werribee?
I just love the area. When we first came here, Werribee was just a spot on the map and there would have been five or 10,000 people here. There was only one tractor in the area and three cars. They still used horse and cart. Watton Street (or Geelong Road back then) was empty, only one car would pass every hour. But ever since then, there’s been a lot of changes and that’s progress.
What would you like to see improved?
The infrastructure needs to be improved.
