Angelo Conway remembers a time he felt embarrassed about his South-East Asian culture.
The Filipino-Australian is part of a 300,000-strong nationwide population of people who have migrated from the Philippines or are descendants of Filipinos.
The group is the fifth-largest ethnic community in Australia.
Three decades after Mr Conway arrived in Rockhampton as a toddler, the 33-year-old is teaching his daughter Charlotte to embrace a culture he was once bullied for being part of.
"She's a quarter Filipino, I think that's something to be proud of regardless of where you are from," he said.
"You should know where your family tree lies and be proud of your culture."
Mr Conway has scattered memories of his childhood, but some moments were unforgettable.
"I wasn't able to speak English at all when we first came here," he said.
"It took me until about grade five to realise that people didn't have rice for dinner every night because, obviously, that was a staple part of our diet, and realising that wasn't a normal thing was a bit of an eye-opener.
"I remember feeling a little bit embarrassed.
"I distinctly felt that in the primary school days, but then [I became] really proud of it as I got older."
Culture shock
His mother, Remy Conway, lived in the Philippines with her Australian husband, Tony, before the family moved to the rural town of Baralaba 30 years ago.
"It was the saddest time of my life because it was far away from everything," Ms Conway said.
The chance to meet other Filipino women in Rockhampton through Father Mick Hayes changed her world.
"That gave me a bit of hope that I'm not alone, that some people here are like me," she said.
"There were only around 10 or 15 [Filipino] families at the time.
"The Filipino community that we have, it's huge now."
In 2011, the mother-of-two published a book on the local history of Filipinos.
She has also held executive positions in the Central Queensland Filipino Australian Association since 1998.
"I learnt so much and at the same time I was able to tell a little bit of my story in that book," she said.
The history of Filipino-Australians
Department of Home Affairs records show Filipinos worked as divers in Broome and Thursday Island's pearling industry in the late 1800s.
By the early 1900s, about 700 Philippine-born people lived in Australia.
But at the 1947 census, it had dropped to 141 due to the White Australia Policy.
The easing of immigration restrictions from the mid-1900s saw the rapid growth of the community with students, spouses, and skilled migrants making the move.
Gaby Nagel migrated to Blackwater in 1978 with a degree in home economics and experience as an aged care nurse in Switzerland.
Now a 77-year-old, she helped many women adjust to the culture shock of life in Australia.
"I used to visit Filipinos in rural areas because I was hired by the parish to visit all those Filipinos who they called 'mail-order brides'," she said.
Like more than 80 per cent of people living in the Philippines, Manang Gaby hoped future generations would keep their Catholic roots.
"Parents should be the ones to teach their children about the culture and the tradition of Filipinos so that it won't disappear," she said.
'We've been invisible'
Adelaide entrepreneur Carmen Garcia is the youngest and first Australian-born Filipino to be appointed as president of the Filipino Communities Council of Australia.
"We've very much been invisible as quiet achievers, contributing in our own way to the social, economic, and cultural prosperity of Australia," she said.
"[Filipinos] are a big part of Australia's successful migration story.
"Although we have great food and great cultural performances, there's actually a lot that Filipinos contribute economically to grow this country, [just] as they have back to the pearl farmers, and I just think it's a story that's quite untold."
Ms Garcia runs a diversity and inclusion company. Filipino values, culture, and traditions are at her core.
"When my mum [Aida] migrated from the Philippines, she was a qualified and practising solicitor," she said.
"On arrival, like many migrants, her overseas qualification wasn't recognised, so she did many odd jobs … and then studied at night to work her way up and pass the Australian bar exam.
"I really felt that for many migrants and refugees who don't have their overseas qualifications recognised we're actually taking away their passion, which is their profession.
"There are quite a number of skilled migrants who have come over to Australia to fill key skill shortages. That's not what gets the media's attention."
May marks the 75th anniversary of Australian-Philippine diplomatic relations.
"Many [politicians] are surprised. Many don't realise that Filipinos are the fifth-largest ethnicity in Australia," Ms Garcia said.
"Devastatingly, we do not have a Filipino representative in either federal or state parliaments of Filipino descent, which is quite concerning.
"The Filipino community, [while] not asking for a seat at the table, are actually quite an influential cohort of the community that really haven't had a voice for quite a long time."
An enduring stigma
Ms Garcia is disappointed the mail-order bride stigma continues to thrive.
"That's not the story anymore," she said.
"Somewhere along the line, we forgot to talk about their resilience — the scholars, the educational geniuses, and entrepreneurs that Filipinos have become in Australia — because Australia has been so welcoming and nurturing.
"But that story is not being told.
"It really disheartened me, as a young Filipino, hearing the next generation feeling a bit apprehensive about declaring their cultural identity. It's quite upsetting.
"I would just love us to change that narrative so that the future generations of Filipino-Australians feel really proud of what we've brought to Australia."