Luigi (Gino) CATTONI

Story

Luigi (Gino) CATTONI was born at Rovato, Brescia, Italy on 19 February, 1894 and died at Ingham, North Queensland on 22 June, 1969. Luigi was the second of seven children of the marriage between Vittorio Domenico CATTONI (blacksmith & builder of fine coaches, haberdasher; born 10 September, 1860 at Rovato, Brescia) and his wife, Amalia PEZZOTTI.

Luigi was a merchant and served in the Italian Alpine Corps during World War I (Artiglieri da Montagna Alpini). He was awarded two medals and conferred the title Cavaliere. Luigi left Italy to migrate to Australia in 1921 and arrived at Brisbane on 9 February 1922 on the steamship ‘Ormonde’. Luigi paid his own way to Australia to find work and escape political issues with the then fascist government. He settled and worked in the sugarcane industry at Ingham, North Queensland.

His future wife, Pierina Cattoni (nee Accornero) was born in Viarigi, Asti, Italy 5 September, 1901 and arrived at Sydney, Australia 17 October, 1924 on the steamship ‘Citta di Genova’. They married at Ingham on 22 April, 1926 and had two sons; Vittorio (Victor) CATTONI and Bruno CATTONI. Pierina died at Ingham 6 August, 1989. Pierina was a vintager in Italy and worked as a cook for the Ingham sugarcane cutter gangs.

At Brisbane, Luigi boarded a smaller vessel called the ‘Bingara’ to Townsville and claimed that it was a frightfully rough journey. From Townsville he travelled to Ingham by train. At the time Ingham Railway Station consisted of a small tin shanty. He arrived in the middle of the night, pitch black and raining heavily. Luigi opened the door and stepped out expecting to stand on a platform but there was none. He lost his footing and tumbled down into a deep drain alongside of the track which was filled with running water. He lost his suitcase with all his worldly possessions and almost drowned as he could not swim. All soaking wet, Luigi found accommodation at Cattana\’s East Ingham Hotel which was also a tin shanty. At this stage he was ready to walk all the way back to his hometown of Rovato, Italy. However, after he had settled down, Luigi joined a sugarcane cutting gang. The cane cutters had a demanding occupation. They were expected to not only cut the cane but also do shoulder loading of green (unburnt) cane plus carrying 5 meter long portable steel rails which were the tracks for the cane carriages used for transporting the cane to the mills. This work was carried out come rain, hail or shine. In rain-soaked paddocks he would sink to his knees carrying the rails across furrows.

In the early days Luigi cleared virgin scrub by axe, mattock and hand saw. This was done during the ‘slack’ season just for tobacco and food on the slim promise of a cane cutting contract next season only to be told that it was given to someone else when the season started. At one stage while cutting cane at Upper Stone River his gang went on strike and refused to cut green cane because of the number of rats and snakes which would hide in cane bundles for warmth in winter. Some men were bitten while rats caused Weils’ Disease. Quite a few men died this way. They won the case and were permitted to burn the cane thus making it much safer.

Luigi did many different jobs in the ‘slack’ season. He loaded bagged sugar into ships at Lucinda, worked on building the Queensland government railway line between Ingham and Cardwell, cutting timber at Mt Fox, cutting wood for the mill boilers and also on farms. He eventually had the opportunity to lease a farm at Stone River. However, pests such as the cane grub and beetle caused financial hardship. Luigi also worked on a quarry at Mt Catherina known locally as Mt Cordelia.

During World War II, Luigi was notified by the police to prepare for internment. He was given a week\’s notice to pack his belongings. Luckily for him when the police returned they brought the good news that the orders had been cancelled. Internment was often manipulated by unscrupulous people to rid the farms of men so that they would go bankrupt and sell cheaply.

It can be concluded that Luigi and his wife Pierina had a difficult and challenging life but approached it in a positive spirit thus paving the way for future generations of the Cattoni family to prosper in Australia.

The CATTONI surname (CASA DI TONI) and family originated from Laguna, Trento, Italy. The town is now called Cavedine and is located north east of Lake Garda.

A VIRIS METUENDUS A FEMINIS AMANDUS – Delenda Est Carthago.

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