An Australian-Greek Wife

This clip is an excerpt from the film George and Toula, an episode of Our Multicultural Society Series 1, produced in 1978.

Toula, an Australian-born Greek wife, is a workers’ compensation officer. Breaking free from traditional Greek women’s roles, she desires a career and creative freedom.

Born in Australia, Toula is the daughter of a Greek-born father and an Australian-born mother from a Greek background but, by her own admission, she doesn’t feel comfortable in a wholly Greek environment.

As a teenager she wanted to date but was pressured to marry instead. She’s been married ten years, has no children, lives in an apartment rather than a house, and works as a workers compensation officer – lifestyle choices that she feels attract the Greek community’s disapproval.

Her husband George, on the other hand, is Greek born – a welder who enjoys the races. The two don’t have much in common, according to Toula, who feels much greater ambivalence than her husband about the traditions in which she was raised.

Our Multicultural Society Series 1, produced by Film Australia, explores Australia’s cultural diversity. The 11 documentaries in this first series explore issues around identity, community, communication and lifestyle.

They consider specific problems or challenges faced by particular individuals or groups, and look at our similarities and differences. The people featured in the programs range from new arrivals and second generation Australians to Indigenous Australians.

The full title is available to purchase via sales@nfsa.gov.au.