This article details the story of Moe Turaga and other Fijian teenagers who were exploited on a grape farm in Australia in the late 1980s. They were lured to the country with promises of a better life but faced harsh working conditions, inadequate pay, and isolation from their families.
Though the physical scars have healed, the emotional wounds still hold weight.Mr Turaga arrived in Australia in the late 1980s, in search of making money to send home to his family in Fiji . 'When I was 13, Dad died and my siblings and I watched Mum struggle to make ends meet,' Mr Turaga said. 'At 17 I was approached by one of my cousins to go to Australia for an 'opportunity' to support my family.
'ABC News: Adam GriffithsHis cousin promised him and other boys from their village that they could study and earn more than $25 per week to send back to loved ones. 'This cousin was a church minister and someone not to be questioned. I saw no signs that anything was wrong.'In April 1988, Mr Turaga and 13 fellow teenage boys arrived in Australia. His cousin had arranged the travel.They were told they had a debt to pay off due to the travel and visa costs. Mr Turaga was sent to work as a machinist in Western Sydney. Seven months later, he and nine of the boys were taken to a regional grape farm on the Victoria/NSW border. His cousin had assured the boys he would send money to their families back home, as did the farm's owner. 'We were good workers — we picked lettuces, watermelons, grapes and rockmelons. All our effort was towards our families' betterment.Moe Turaga and nine other boys would work dawn to dusk seven days a week on the grape farm but were not properly paid.In winter, the 10 workers would turn the oven on and leave its door open to sustain warmth. They were given $100 a week to pay for all their toiletries, essentials and groceries. It was barely enough money to keep their stomachs full.For two and a half years, this cycle continued. A phone call home changed everything.Mr Turaga and the boys had no contact with their Fijian families while on the farm. They had no phones, weren't allowed to use the farm owner's landline and the nearest payphone was hours away and cost mone
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