Perth Voice Interactive

IT is 1975 when Caroline Wood begins looking for work in Perth, just days after flying in from her birthplace, Singapore.

The migrant, with Indian heritage, suspects her accent is working against her.

“It felt like I wasn’t given much of a chance and that it had a lot to do with how I sounded,” the 62-year-old says.

“I would call up, but it was very hard to get a foot in the door.”

It’s memories like these—which make her feel unaccepted in WA because of her race—that’s motivated her to set up the Centre for Stories with her husband, John.

“Everyone’s voices are important and by sharing stories, I think we can create a more inclusive society. People will be able to understand each other better.”

The centre is for sharing stories from all walks of life, but there is a particular focus on shedding a light on marginalised lives.

Published by the couple — they’re also business partners who own Margaret River Press — a book called Our Life, Our Journey: A Parent’s Perspective of the Child Protection System sits on a coffee table at the Northbridge centre, on Aberdeen Street.

Mrs Wood picks it up and reads an excerpt to the Voice: “I’ll miss her firsts; her first step; her first tooth; her first word…”

It’s a piece written by a woman who’d had her daughter taken away from her by the state.

“It’s anonymous to protect the parents from judgement,” Mrs Wood says.

“You don’t often hear these voices because people think they deserved to have their children taken away from them. But it’s more complicated than that. Sometimes there are economic factors or they’re disabled.”

Mrs Wood says the centre, in a 19th century restored house which used to house the Perth Centre for Photography, is a hub for stories written, performed and recorded.

She is also planning to host book launches and other events with Perth International Arts Festival and Perth Writers Festival, and will collect stories from refugees and Family Inclusion Network of WA. The centre’s official launch is scheduled for December 1.

by EMMIE DOWLING