From Antofagasta (Chile) to Ambarvale (Australia): In Conversation with Sergio Vera

Listen to Sergio share his story as a young university student in the northern Chilean town of Antofagasta during the early 1980s. After joining the student federation Sergio and his classmates were pursued and monitored by agents of the Pinochet Regime which led to his arrest and imprisonment.  

Sergio Vera is featured in the current Liverpool Regional Museum exhibition Exilio (Exiled) Chile to South-West Sydney.   Included are three artworks created during his time as a political prisoner, a single photograph documenting the airport departure of Sergio with his family; and concludes with a newly commissioned filmed interview (2024) marking 39 years since he was forced to leave his homeland Chile and build a new life in Australia. 

Born in 1957, Sergio and his family lived in the población Davila neighbourhood of the San Miguel Commune, Santiago. While studying electrical engineering at the University of Antofagasta in northern Chile he joined the student federation, eventually becoming the treasurer. Members of the federation were pursued and monitored by agents of the Pinochet Regime. Sergio was arrested in 1983, sentenced to four years and one day, and served 13 months in Antofagasta Prison.

After his release he was assisted by the Vicariate of Solidarity, a human rights agency organised by Cardenal Raúl Silva Henríquez. In 1985 Sergio sought refuge in Australia with his wife and young daughter.

Join Sergio as he shares his story, and his journey… from Antofagsta to Ambarvale.