The Australian Women's Register

1 hour 52 minutes Maria Luisa Sheehan, nee Drescher, was born in Italy. Her mother was widowed two years later. In 1945, when the region was occupied by Yugoslavia, the family moved to Trieste. Luisa’s mother married an English officer and in 1952 the family joined him in Khartoum. From there they emigrated to South Australia in 1955 where two of Luisa’s uncles had already settled. Luisa found work immediately and within two years married a fellow employee at Philips Electrical Industries. She left the workforce for 21 years while raising her family. In 1978 she returned to paid work as one of the six original staff members of the Women’s Information Switchboard. Luisa worked there as an information officer until her retirement in 1993. She discusses a range of the Switchboard activities and her responsibilities, including her role in relation to the Italian community.