Aiko Howes

Name: Aiko Howes
First arrival in Australia: 1955
Occupation: Volunteer

In one of the many essays she has produced, Aiko Howes writes that she is probably the only person from the long line of her family, the Nishikawas, who are documented since the Tenmei Period, who married a foreigner. Soon after the war she married Australia Air Force Serviceman Ron Howes, who was stationed in Japan at the time. Soon after, they left the country for Australia. In their first year in the new land, they were able to build their own family home in south-western Sydney, and their daughter Janette was born there in 1957. Aiko worked in a factory in her local area all her life but when the factory closed down in 1990s, Aiko was at a loss. She had worked hard all her life and life without work was unthinkable to her. That’s when she discovered her passion for volunteer work. At 82, she continues to work as a volunteer for a range of organizations, including the Australian Red Cross. She was awarded the Red Cross Service Award in 2001.