Manuela
My name is Manuela Vázquez Blas. I was born in La Corunna, in the north west of Spain. My mother died when I was 3 years old. I grew up with my aunts and my grandmother, who was the centre of my universe, until I came to Australia when I was 14. I came by myself to Australia to my Aunty Josefa. When I arrived I spoke no English at all. Learning English was difficult.
At 17 I decided to go back to Spain where I met my husband and three years later got married. We moved back to Australia and after our daughters were born moved to our house in rural NSW.
Success and adversity in my life
Because I had no parents and no one to back me up, I always knew that I would have to find my own way in life. Even though my aunties were nice to me, and I was sent to a private school in Spain as a charity, I still knew that I had to look after myself. People who meet with my aunts refer to me as the little orphan girl.
Even though I was young, I understood I was different. I was very nice to my aunties. I was a very boring child because I never tried to do anything wrong. The worst thing I did was break a neighbour's window, but no-one knew it was me and they probably never suspected me because I was quite nice.
When I look back, my life was difficult. We didn't have toys or presents. We had a coat or a dress for winter. I was lucky because I was the oldest of my cousins and I got the new coats. I had a lot of responsibility as the oldest. I didn't have many friends. I always saw the best in everyone, and wanted very much to please everybody.
Later in life I realised I wasn't pleasing anybody. Now I tell people what I think in their faces, so they can reply, and I might learn more about you. I hate people talking behind other's backs. I am very blunt now, but I can get away with it because I am an older woman who is a migrant with not very correct sentences in English. These two things are a plus.
I never thought my difficulties were anything except part of my life. I never blamed anyone for the way things were. I wished I had a mother and a father, but I never really expected much. I only wanted very basic things. A job was the most important thing, and that is why I came to Australia.
Coming to Australia I learned to take the good things, like I don't have to lick people's shoes, a cleaner is as good as a prime minister.
We all need each other, we are a chain, one person is no more important than any other. No matter how important you are, you want your office clean. Nobody is more important than anybody else. In Spain, your job tells you what you are. An office worker in Spain is the bee's knees. Australia is becoming more like this now. Forty years ago it was more equal.
I never expected to become rich by working, I hoped for the best. I had common sense. I was very hard working, and when I finished my job I always helped other people.
I am a down to earth person, I don't believe in fairy tales, but even though my life wass hard I had a fairy tale life. I never thought I was that good, but I did think you had to do a job properly.
Nothing changes in jobs, I was a cleaner, a clerical officer and a technical officer, but nothing changed in work. You worked in a group, and the groups would change one year then they would change back the year after that. So much time was wasted reorganising. Every boss would say this is better for the customer, but I thought nothing was changing and never improved for the customer. They didn't change. I had to change, I didn't even see a phone until I was 15. I didn't see a computer until I was in my late twenties - they didn't have to change like I did.
I thought how lucky I was to have a dress, even if it is only one. My family did the best thing for me. Now everybody blames society because they can't have this brand name or that toy. The important things are having a house, with food on the table. I don't need a big house, or a big TV. We lived in our means. My children didn't have a car at 17 but I try to help them as much as I can.
I look at my childhood, and think it would be nice if it could hae been better, but it wasn't. I don't blame my Mum. I believe it was very hard for her.
Sometimes I wish I had my children's life, but I didn't. I don't blame anybody, you can't regret your life. I hope I am honest enough to be nice to everyone and to do the best I can for everybody - whether or not I like them. Even if I don't like someone, it doesn't mean that person is bad. It is just that they don't click with me.
My dreams for 2020 women
I would like women to have the freedom to make a choice, doing the same jobs at the same pay as men. But not to become more than men. We need to know our roles, we shouldn't become worse than men. Women getting drunker than men is ridiculous. We need to understand our bodies, and how far we can go. We will always have the restriction of having children, men don't, and we need to understand this. Women need to understand how to be a woman. Husbands can look after the children, but we must understand the roles are different.
I hope women will be more sensible - we have been through oppression, so we shouldn't make the same mistakes as men. We should be proud of what we have, including our bodies. I think feminists make a mistake, if they are not proud of being a woman. Women are becoming worse than men, they should stop being bitchy to each other and be nice to each other.
No-one wants to be different. People tell me my accent is beautiful, but I didn't want to be different. I wanted to be like you. But now I can handle it. I have been a very naïve mother; I was the foreigner, I didn't want my children to be foreigners, but life doesn't work the way you want it to. My second child is always asked where she comes from. Australians want to know where you come from, where you work and how much you earn. There is still a lot of bigotry.
I want my grandchildren to be proud of their different backgrounds: Spanish, Scot and Australian. I would like them to be able to chose any job they like. If the girls want to be miners or prime ministers or homemakers, good luck to them. The boys should choose anything they like too.
The important person in my life
My husband is the most important person in my life. My husband is very confident in himself and he has passed that confidence to me and to our children. They believe in themselves and are very sure of who they are. He taught me to have confidence and believe in yourself.