Ten years at SBS: From Richard to Ricardo

Ten years ago I was asked if Richard or Ricardo was my real name. It prompted a rediscovery of who I am.

My family migrated to Australia from the Portuguese island of Madeira in the late 1970s and I was born in a very multicultural and working class part of Wollongong on the New South Wales South Coast, with a common Portuguese name, Ricardo Jorge Goncalves.

But when I started primary school, the teachers called me ‘Richard’ instead of ‘Ricardo’. 

To this day, I’m not sure why, but it stuck with me for more than twenty years.

Knowing that I wanted to work in the media, and without many on-air ethnic role models, part of me thought it might be an easier ride into the industry if I kept my new name.

I even anglicised the pronunciation of my surname to “Gone-calves”.

Of course, the road to television news is tough, and success takes more than just a name, but I managed to work across a number of commercial news outlets for more than a decade.

Did my name make a difference? Who knows. 

But If I wanted to sound less ethnic, my physical appearance certainly gave it away.

It wasn’t until the Executive Producer of SBS World News at the time, asked me during my job interview at the network, if ‘Richard’ or ‘Ricardo’ was my real name.

Given the purpose of SBS is to tell stories which reflect Australia’s multicultural society, it made me reflect on my own experiences.

Why wasn’t I using my birth name?

I was far from embarrassed about my ethnic background, in fact, I revelled in it. 

Growing up, I participated in the local Portuguese folkloric dancing group, I attended Portuguese language school, ate very traditional Portuguese food and participated in Portuguese community events.

I guess, without exposure to diversity on mainstream news, I may have subconsciously thought that there must be something wrong with having an ethnic name in the industry. 

But as I got older and became more confident, comfortable and empowered with my own identity and work history, I realised that my differences are what truly makes me unique, and ultimately relatable. 

However, working for an employer, which stands for diversity and inclusion was the turning point.

So, in 2010, I asked my friends and family to call me ‘Ricardo’ instead of ‘Richard’ and I welcomed SBS World News viewers with my birth name for the very first time, Ricardo Goncalves (Pronounced: Gon-sarl-ves).

To mark my ten years at SBS, I even made a point of using the cedilha (?) in my surname during my on air presentations. 

Sure, it’s a bit of a branding exercise, but it’s also making a point. 

I’m Australian, I’ve got an ethnic background and I’m proud of that.

It’s because I believe visibility and authenticity can really make a difference to making genuine connections, whether they are personal, or with an audience and as with any organisation, diversity of talent, encourages diversity of thought and that's great for any business.