Silvana came to Australia in 1997 from Europe. She had to adjust to settling into a new country, and learn everything, as well as adapt to vision loss.
Silvana likes walking, especially with her guide dog Mal. She is an experimental gardener; growing vegetables, olives, lemons, apples, oranges, mandarins and herbs.
Since 2017, Silvana has been an active participant in Blind Sports and Recreation Victoria's Blind Tennis program. She also loves 'Walking with Willpower', table tennis and the online fitness sessions. She finds joy in walking to the Tennis Centre.
Silvana says "I love the city atmosphere because Melbourne is a unique place, completely different to the cities in Europe. I also love meeting and talking to the people at Blind Tennis, as friendship is important to me. I enjoy sharing experiences and giving motivation and inspiration to people who are blind”.
Silvana says she is very thankful to Maurice (BSRV President) for introducing her to Blind Tennis, for his ongoing support, and for offering her the opportunity to be an Ambassador. She especially enjoyed the 2021 trip to Wangaratta for the Blind Tennis tournament and is so grateful for all the support she received getting there and also during her stay. She described the time there as ‘brilliant’ and was thrilled to meet and chat with a representative from the local Tennis club, who was from her home country.
Silvana visited Singapore as part of an International exchange in 2022. It was a special experience for her, and she had a brilliant time with the Blind Tennis players from Singapore.
She’d like to continue competing in events and promoting Blind Tennis to the public. Since becoming involved with Blind Sports, Silvana says "things are getting better and better" and that she has gained confidence to speak in public including radio interviews.
Silvana is looking forward to contributing to BSRV as an Ambassador, saying "I want to give back to Blind Tennis. I have received so much, and I really want to help out."
Click here to read more about BSRV's other wonderful Ambassadors
