Quote:
Originally Posted by Franco Cozzo
In more serious note, anyone of Mediterranean heritage in Melbourne or VIC, it's a local migrant success story which has a very sad undertone to it. Certainly worth a watch for those of us with that heritage or even just someone who admires someone with a great character and whose put in the hard yards.
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I'd like to think the vast majority of those migrants were all success stories, granted some had greater success than others.
My Italian Grandparents travelled from a town or province (I believe town) called Fiume to Melbourne in 1949 or 1950. This area had always been disputed territory between Italy, Austria and Yugoslavia. Shortly after they left it became Yugoslavian territory and when they returned 20 years later it was on a Yugoslavian passport.
During the war he was "forced" to work for the Nazis where they taught him how to be a mechanic. I am told he was an extremely talented jack of all trades, but his main trade was as a mechanic. Worked as a diesel mechanic in his later years for the City of Foot-es-cray. As I understand it he fell out of a truck he was repairing, which ended his working life and later caused his death.
2ish years after moving here they bought land in South Kingsville where he put his talents to work built a house. He spent many years working on the Snowy Mountains Project.
He loved working on and restoring cars, particularly Fiats, but apparently had a love for big wagons. Seen lots of pictures of various Ranch wagons he owned. He needed these cars to tow the caravans he built, in various sizes from big to fu*ken huge. And the boats he built. "Things" with big V8's, jet propulsion, wooden hulls, fibreglass hulls or plywood wrapped with fibreglass. Whatever was big and got him out to the snapper grounds quickly.
When he found out Mum was pregnant with me, apparently the second thing (after crying and celebrating) he did was go buy a block of land at Portarlington where built a holiday house. Somewhere he could retire to later and take his grandkid fishing.
Unfortunately he died when I was 3 and never fully go to relax and enjoy everything he worked hard for and built.
After Mum passed about 18 months ago we found various things that were hidden in boxes. Good luck trinkets from his family before leaving Italy. Passports and such. And books like this.
Some sort of a migrant travel loan repayment book. This one was for when they paid to bring his mother in-law and sisters out to Australia, after he settled and had Mum. Apparently they had something similar when migrated to Australia, which I'm yet to find.
Somewhere in another box that I will get to I will find the woollen blankets provided by the ship on their voyage here. They were told to keep them as the shipping company didn't want them back. I'm guessing they were worried about catching something.
I'm still hoping to find his framed fork and spoon, I know its there somewhere. Given to him by the Nazis while he worked and lived in their camp. The only one he was ever given and if lost would have to eat with his fingers.
Incidentally they also "lost" their family name on arrival in Australia. Customs recorded their name incorrectly on arrival, whether it was a language barrier or hard to understand writing, so they became someone new... And as far as I know are the only family in Australia to have that name. Whereas all their old paperwork and passports back overseas contain a different name or spelling of.
To me a pretty great success story. Even greater when you consider their success was what bought me into the world, which is cause for celebration in itself!
