Person: Regina (Shahan) Lutvey

Name:
Regina Lutvey

Occupation:
Storekeeper

Religion:
Catholic/Melkite

Birthplace:
Zahle, Syria/Lebanon

Arrival In Australia:
1891

Years Lived In Brisbane:
1906-1962

Date Of Naturalization:
12/01/1909

Year Of Birth:
1881

Place Of Death:
Brisbane

Date Of Death:
5/11/1962

Spouse

  • Marriage Date: 18/10/1906
    Birthplace of spouse: Zahle, Syria/Lebanon
    Heritage of spouse: Syrian/Lebanese
    Place of marriage: Brisbane

Story

Her brother, Russia Lutvey, had already been in Australia for more than a decade and had established a hawking business in Lismore when he was joined by his four siblings, Abraham, Joseph, Rachedy and Regina in about 1891. By the end of the nineteenth century, the Lutveys were living and working in Queensland and ultimately settled in Gayndah. However, when Regina married Salim Azar in 1906, they bought a store at 77 Grey Street, South Brisbane which was both their home and their business. Her presence in South Brisbane was a connecting thread with the family who lived in Gayndah. As Carmel King noted: ‘Russia always visited Regina and all this first generation had close interaction with each other’, including ‘a lot of picnics and getting around together. There were always parties mainly based on singing around the piano’.

Regina was well educated and able to speak English fluently when she arrived in Australia. According to Carmel King: ‘Regina and Salim Azar showed no leaning towards the boys with regards to education…They just wanted their children to be educated to follow the principles of life just as they did, and they were highly principled’.

References

Carmel King, A New Beginning, Brisbane: Author, 1994, p. 21 and pp. 85-87.