The History of my Aunty Liana 

My Aunty was absolutely beautiful but I never got to see her sweet face. She did whatever she could to make her life important. She was friendly and lots of fun to be around. She was a happy person and not sad very much.

She was born on the 4th of February 1957 in Perth WA. She was sister number one out of three sisters - my mum Laura is number two.  When she was three years old her family came to Alice Springs.  She went to a school that my mum used to go to, Alice Springs High School.  She was lucky enough to be a prefect and helped children with reading skills, which made children and her happy and proud.  She also helped with the school yearbook in 1975. Liana enjoyed her interest in performing arts and being with her friends. Her favorite subjects were English, art, and also drama.  Her favorite music was that of the Beatles, the Doors and Deep Purple.

My grandma had a video but I broke it.  The video features my mum when she was young and she was absolutely beautiful.  Her other sister Linda was in it, and so was their friend Jana.  Liana had beautiful long hair that suited her perfectly. They were in Italy and also Alice Springs in that video. My mum doesn't like seeing herself on videos or pictures because she is like that, but I tell her that she is beautiful and it's true.

It was Liana’s time to go, a time of sadness and sorrow as she said farewell. That happened on January the 5^th 1977, which was a disaster in Alice Springs, and she was badly hurt.  She was working in an office at the airport when a plane crashed into it.  She was nearly 20 years old and she had only worked for 2 weeks there.  She died a few days later.

After she died the Rotoract Club set up the Liana Nappi Memorial Award to perpetuate her memory.  It is given to the most outstanding students in the field of the Arts, Drama, and Theatre Production.  The Rotary Club organise it now and the winner gets a hundred dollars.  One student from each secondary school gets it at the speech night at the end of every year.

It was interesting to find that Centralian College still have the original Liana Nappi Shield – it has been there since 1991.

For more information about Liana you can look in the Alice Springs book The History of Alice Springs [through landmarks and street names] by Jose Petrick.  I would like to congratulate Jose Petrick for doing such good work in remembering Liana.  I thank you lots and lots - may you keep on remembering her in your prayers.

If she were still alive she would still be working in a theater or other artistic areas.  I'd like people to know that Liana did what she desired and she never said no, she went for it and I would like you to remember her as a great woman.

Monique Sebastiani