Mr Remine, a tailor, came to Australia in 1961 and initially stayed at the Bonegilla Migrant Camp before he moved to Seymour.

He then heard about a clothing factory near sea in south-west Victoria and knew it was the place for him.

Mr Remine said he quickly decided to become an Australian citizen because he knew it would always be his home. 

“In my mind I knew I was going to be here forever,” he said.

He said on the day the citizenship ceremony was held he was enormously proud. 

“It was also good publicity for Fletcher Jones to show the migrant workers,” he said. 

“We were so thrilled.”

When Mr Remine was 25 he met his future wife Heather, nee Forrester, at Fletcher Jones.

Mrs Remine was 16 at the time and the couple later married in 1970 and had three children together.

“I worked there for 26 years, Heather was there for 30 years and my father worked there for eight years,” he said.

Mr Remine’s memories was one of the dozens shared as part of the Fletcher Jones Stories From Our Community Project on Wednesday.

He said the project was a fantastic idea and he’d caught up with lots of old friends. 

“Things like this is good for the soul,” he said. 

“Everybody worked hard.”

Project coordinator Julie Eagles said about 28 people attended the morning tea and the project had a lot of good will from the community. 

“Fletcher Jones the man and Fletcher Jones the business was a major employer of the town, but it’s the ethos of that business that lives on,” she said. 

“It was the special nature of the business and the man that people do feel happy to share.”

The next morning tea will be on Wednesday, September 16 at 10am at the Archie Graham Centre.

People who attend have been encouraged to bring a photo or an object from their story and catch up with former colleagues and friends.

It’s expected that once the stories are collected they will end up part of a display at the site with the potential in the future for a book. 

Those wanting to attend need to book via the Archie Graham Centre on 5559 4920 or email Ms Ealges on julie.eagles@bigpond.com