The latest Glebe Voices Is the Past Another Country? featuring Mira Crouch was held at the Blackwattle Cafe on October 14.
Mira, a long term Glebe resident shared her experiences of arriving and settling in Sydney from Belgrade, by way of Israel, as a young woman in the 1950s. She reminded us vividly not only of the differences in the customs and array of foods available when the choice was between Mild or Tasty cheese, but also of the mindset of the residents of the inner-city where she lived at the time.
As a European city-dweller she delighted in exploring the city of Sydney to the puzzlement of her Stanmore landlady who enquired as to the location of Taylor’s Square when Mira recounted a weekend excursion; clearly the family’s universe began and ended at the boundaries of their neighbourhood.
Mira also talked of her joy in being a part of a small university as the University of Sydney then was and the sense of warmth and encouragement she felt as a student.
Mira eventually went on to a successful academic career at UNSW and since retirement in 2003 has written two memoirs including Nearly Home which recounts her transition from alien to citizen and the significant events that contributed to her finally identifying as an Australiann
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