Follow My Dream

This is a true story, rich in suspense, passion, violence, intrigue, pain and poetry. It is the tale of a whole generation told through the real life experiences of one man and his family. It is a journey into the traditions of an Italy which has now disappeared, but which was throbbing with colours, flavours and smells made more intense by the contrasts encountered in a new world: Australia, a land made up of both challenges and promises. It is a warning to both the old and the new generations not to forget how we were and what we have become.

A poor boy abandons the olive fields of Calabria and embarks on a journey by ship, holding a cardboard suitcase and a basket full of lemons in his hand. He starts working when he is thirteen and a half years of age. He becomes a young man among the skyscrapers of Melbourne with his head full of dreams and his fists clenched, dealing out blows in clandestine boxing matches. He hasn't studied, and he doesn't speak either Italian or English well, but he knows how to bluff.

And he has courage enough to discover that the world doesn't end behind the mountain, as he used to believe when he was a little boy. Only having crossed an ocean full of uncertainty was he able to become aware of his own convictions and build his own future.

"For me, coming to Victoria has been my victory. Never stop dreaming big: when you lose everything you are finally free to do anything you want."
John Volpe's life story was written by Eleonora Borghesani.