Key Points
- George Gregorio migrated to Australia from Bicol, Philippines in 1990.
- He is one of the founders of the longest running community paper in Victoria, The Philippine Times.
- He is one of the recipients of the 2023 Victorian Multicultural Honour Roll
Everyone has a story to tell. Pinoys in Australia feature stories about new beginnings. challenges, failures and successes, faith, hope, and bayanihan. It is all about being Filipino in Australia.
He recalls a very different Australia, on his first day he was greeted by a different world from the life he left behind in Bicol. The streets were bare and empty, ‘the buildings weren’t as tall (as they are now), it was a very gloomy winter’s day and the trees stood lifeless in the cold.’
George Gregorio on the day he left the Philippines in June 1990 and arrived in Melbourne, Queen's birthday Credit: with permission from George Gregorio
When reality hit, his first job and meeting new friends
Weekends were spent touring Melbourne, but weekdays were slow and very quiet; the television became his only company. ‘Most shows were still in black and white’ recalls George ‘I started drawing, and painting to fill in my days.'
Back in 1990, George would paint when to fill his weekdays while Mira worked. Credit: with permission from George Gregorio
‘Then I found a job, I was what you called a part-time walker, I handed out leaflets, ads (junk mail) to homes in North Balwyn.’ It was a job he wasn’t particularly fond of as the houses were in a hilly spot and were in huge cuts of land, it took a long while to get from one mailbox to the next. ‘By the time I finished ten houses, I was exhausted.’ He was paid $20 for every 1,000 leaflets.
His wife, Mira introduced him to several Filipinos, ‘I remember she told me to meet up with fellow Bicolanos in the city. Mira saw how homesick I was and made every effort to make me at home.’ He first met fellow Bicolano, Andy Cabrera, who was then hosting the Filipino Radio Program at the 3ZZZ. ‘I thought I was just going to volunteer for the radio program, little did I know that day he was meeting with other Filipinos to discuss setting up a community paper, The Philippine Times.’
During the initial meeting, he was introduced not only to a new set of friends with whom he would form lifelong friendships, but he also met with the founders of the community paper that would occupy a huge part of his life.
Little did he know then that his longing for home led him to the life he would live for the next thirty years and counting of community service. It was then that he found his place in Australia.
Acting gig at the ABC
It took around seven months before things fell into place for George, he found acting jobs for television shows that aired at the ABC. A full-time job working for the Yellow Pages and his free time devoted to building the Philippine Times.
In the 1990s, during a shoot for a mini-series that aired at the ABC. Credit: Andy Cabrera with permission from George Gregorio
George Gregorio did support roles for mini-series in the 1990s. Credit: Andy Cabrera with permission from George Gregorio
George Gregorio was also an active member of Dulaang Bayan ng Melbourne, a community theatre group under Manny Asuncion. Credit: with permission from George Gregorio
He then focused his energies on preparing the very first edition of The Philippine Times, ‘the headline back then was the establishment of FILLCA, Filipino Communities Council of Australia. It was being held in Melbourne,’ It wasn’t an easy task as they did most of the preparations. Some used the typewriter as computers were expensive and rare back then, we had to do everything manually, from typesetting to the layout and redo it all over again if we had to edit some articles.’
The very first group was composed of active Filipinos in the community to led various roles in the service of fellow Pinoys in Australia, Marina Garcia-Ruivivar, Raul Hernandez served as an Honorary Consul for the Philippines in Victoria, Sonny Castillo, former SBS Filipino Producer and Manny Asuncion, founder of Filipino Community Theatre, Dulaang Bayan ng Melbourne; they became lifelong friends.
It took them nearly three months before they were able to publish in November 1990.
However, not everyone was able to devote their time to the demands of publishing a newspaper. Many of them had full-time employment that was not as flexible as George’s employment.
After a few years, the Philippine Times was able to invest in equipment that made publishing easier and more affordable. Credit: with permission from George Gregorio
In 1996 George Gregorio took over the production of The Philippine Times, ‘it was very difficult back then, with limited Filipino businesses we had difficulty getting advertisers and if we did, collecting fees was another issue. We suffered for two years and after three years of publication, they recommended we close shop. I said, let’s give it more time. Technology was changing and it became easier to publish, we also had consistent supporters like Gigi Kalong and her business, Philippine Tours. She always supported us through front-page advertisements.’
The last man standing
It was a wish that fellow publisher Marina, Manang as he fondly calls her that stuck with George, ‘hopefully, she said, this newspaper will last for many years’. That was the driving force that led to his decision to continue publishing.
Life wasn’t getting any easier
A full-time job, raising a young family, attending community events, and publishing a community paper took over George’s life. It was the support of his wife, Mira that allowed him to attend community events. He has a congenital condition that impaired the vision of one of his eyes and hindered him from driving. Mira with his two young daughters in the passenger seat drove him to and from every event.
Mira and George met as teenagers in Bicol, they have been married for more than thirty years. Credit: with permission from George Gregorio
To help with the expenses of running the paper and supporting his family, George learned how to pivot, he accepted jobs as a wedding photographer/videographer, and did graphic design work and contracts.
Things weren’t getting any better, the paper was drowning in debt and had to find a way out before he submerged. ‘There was a time when I had applied and used credit cards to pay for our printers. I accumulated seven credit cards and to this day, I am still paying off that debt.’ George adds, ‘there were days when our lounge room was filled with papers, I had to sort them for delivery and make sure a copy was sent to our subscribers as we were selling them back then, I would close my eyes from exhaustion and realise the next morning that I fell asleep in our hallway. It wasn’t easy.’
Mira and their two daughters. On weekends, Mira with their two daughters would drive George around Victoria to cover community events. Credit: with permission from George Gregorio
Alice Nicholas came at the perfect time; she took on the editorial side of the paper while George focused on marketing and online publishing. He needed to learn how to adapt to the changing way people consumed information.
George (from left ) with Anthony Mandap former Philippine Deputy Consul General in Melbourne, Alice Nicholas who served as editor-in-chief for the Philippine Times and current editor-in-chief Jason Cordi. Credit: with permission from George Gregorio
Alice Nicholas served as editor-in-chief for a period, a role that is currently held by Jason Cordi.
George Gregorio migrated to Australia in 1990 to begin a new life with his wife Mira, more than thirty years later he leads the longest-running Filipino community paper in Melbourne. Credit: with permission from George Gregorio
Jason Cordi and Raine Cabral now manage the paper’s content ‘ I am hoping that these two, the next generation will continue to nurture and look after that paper.’ On its 33rd year, George looks recalls all the hardships and wins, ‘I am grateful for the people who willingly supported us over the past three decades. It wasn’t easy, it isn’t easy, it is a huge part of my life. For me, it isn’t just about running a business, it is my passion.’
George Gregorio is a recipient of the 2023 Victorian Multicultural Honour Roll with Ingrid Stitt MP, Victorian Minister for Multicultural Affairs (left), and Governor of Victoria Margaret Gardner (right) Credit: Tim Mullane/© sustainableimage.com.au
Multicultural Honour Roll
In 2023, George Gregorio was added to Victoria’s Multicultural Honour Roll, an acknowledgment of his contribution to Victoria’s multicultural society. ‘It didn’t sink in until the day I received the award. It was then that it finally dawned on me, wow, this is recognition of all my sacrifices. This is what 33 years of service feels like. It felt good to be recognised.’
However, George can’t take all the credit. Most of it wouldn’t have been possible without the support of Mira, ‘this award belongs to her, I wouldn’t have been able to do all this without her support. Most of all, after all these years, she has stuck it out with me, we are still together. Many couples aren’t as fortunate and have parted ways, I am in awe. Mira is a saint. I must have done something right.’ George shares with indescribable gratitude.
‘This award belongs to her, I wouldn’t have been able to do all this without her support. Most of all, after all these years, she has stuck it out with me, we are still together. Many couples aren’t as fortunate and have parted ways, I am in awe. Mira is a saint. I must have done something right.’ George Gregorio on Mira's support and receiving the 2023 Victorian Multicultural Honour Roll. Credit: with permission from George Gregorio
Most importantly he says, ‘we should never forget our identity, our culture, our being Filipino. In a country where diversity is highly valued, it is important to make sure we take that opportunity that we never forget our identity and culture and that it continues to be a part of our multicultural community.’
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