Maria Maddalena Gustin MBE emigrated from Italy to Australia with her husband and two children in 1956.

In the late 1950s Maria pioneered the development of community language programming on Australian commercial radio. She was regarded as the voice of Sydney’s Italian community. She was awarded the Order of the British Empire, MBE, in 1968 and the Centenary Medal in 2001. Maria’s radio work, and her support of the Italian community earned her the nickname Mamma Lena.