Indira Naidoo: From smuggled baby to media star

Indira Naidoo is a revered media personality and journalist, and an inspiration to many in Australia. Naidoo's parents were fifth generation Indian South Africans living under apartheid. They left the country when Indira was a baby to seek a better life, smuggling her out covered in blankets. The family arrived in Zambia before migrating to England, and then to a small town in Tasmania. She charts the hair-raising journey to Australia, her first impressions of her new home, and how she forged her career in the media.

Journalist and media personality Indira Naidoo Credit: supplied

Mum had covered me in blankets and just prayed that I wasn't going to make any noise… and the guard came and with the rifle butt they poked the blankets to make sure there was no one underneath. Mum was absolutely certain that they'd poke me, and that would wake me up, and I'd start crying. But miracle upon miracle, it didn't happen. I stayed quiet, stayed asleep, and they didn't find the baby under the blankets. They let the car go, and that was how I left South Africa.

Indira Naidoo

My First Year in Australia is hosted by comedian Suraj Kolarkar and produced by Danny Giles. Hear the stories of people who have found their feet in Australia, as they share their first impressions and the highs and lows of life in a new country.

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