cultural diversity

I was always curious about my cultural heritage beyond what I knew about my family being from Singapore, with Chinese ancestry. Growing up in a predominantly white Australian community, with a few Greek and Italian families, I was always fascinated about how far and wide they knew their family tree.

Our Chef Ambassador Chung Jae Lee took a DNA test to discover more about his Korean heritage. We spoke with him to find out what he learnt and what surprised him most from his results.

How much do you know about your cultural heritage? Our ambassador chef Dominique Rizzo recently undertook a DNA test to discover more about her cultural heritage.

When Lisa Macdonald, Operations Supervisor at Autocare Townsville comes to work each day, she has one expectation from her team working as vehicle processors and drivers in the trucking business. And that is to come through the door with a smile, and say hello (even if they might be still waking up for the day).

Tessa is Australian, as are her parents, grandparents and great grandparents. Her father’s ancestors came from Scandinavia.

Emma was born in Australia and grew up in Melbourne with her three brothers.  Her father’s ancestors were from Ireland, with a large family of Fays (including a couple and their six sons) first arriving in Port Melbourne on a ship from Liverpool in 1864.  Her mother’s ancestors were also Irish. 

Ayca is from Istanbul in Turkey and both her parents are Turkish. There is also some Greek blood, with some family members two generations back on her mother’s side hailing from Thessaloniki in Northern Greece.  Her father’s parents have Mongolian heritage but always lived in Turkey.

Angel was born in Sydney, New South Wales and currently lives in Mt Druitt. Her mother is Aboriginal, her ancestors originating from the Gamilaraay/Kamilaroi Tribe in Moree NSW. Her father is Fijian and most of his family still live in Fiji.

Gilad’s family history is complicated. There is a mix of cultures including French, Israeli, Lithuanian, Polish and Tunisian with both of his parents being migrants.