«Comunque non mi dispero, ho due buone braccia e un buon cervello per lavorare». La migrazione femminile in Australia raccontata alla radio da Dina Luce

In 1968, a lifestyle journalist known for a radio program titled Il Giornale delle Donne – aired every Sunday morning on Italy’s Second Channel just before Gran Varietà – became the author and narrator of a reportage on migration to Australia. The project was developed over an entire summer spent aboard the ship Galileo Galilei. The journalist, Dina Luce (1931–2020), narrated her experience across three episodes of the program, each with a distinct focus. The third episode, in particular, centers on women: those traveling alone, those joining family members, and those already settled in Australia who are ready to welcome and support new arrivals. This essay seeks primarily to explore the role of late-1960s radio in narrating and accompanying migratory phenomena, while also examining the structure, language, tone, and imagery employed by the journalist. Dina Luce emerges as a reflective figure, mirroring the experiences of women who embark alone in search of work and better living conditions in Australia – many of whom were seamstresses and embroiderers – as well as those listeners contemplating such a journey or simply dreaming of a long sea voyage.