Angelo & Marcella Salvestro

Story

Angelo Salvestro was born on the 10th March, 1910 in Cavaso Del Tomba, Treviso, Italy.

Marcella Salvestro (ne Salvestrin) was born on the 28th June, 1910 in Cavaso Del Tomba, Treviso, Italy.

At that time things were very hard in Italy and Angelo followed an elder brother to Australia hoping to better his life. Angelo left Italy as a 17 year old on the 27th October, 1927 from Genoa on board the ship “Caprera” disembarking in Sydney on the 29th December, 1927 (Sydney Harbour Bridge still being constructed) then traveled by train to Cairns, North Queensland.

Angelo married Marcella Anna Salvestrin by proxy (as only wives were allowed to immigrate to Australia at that time) on 22nd July, 1933, both aged 23 years. Marcella worked in a silk factory in Italy called “La Filanda” from the age of 13 years till she left for Australia. Marcella left Italy on the 24th December, 1933 from Genoa on board the ship “Romolo” and arrived in Brisbane on 2nd February, 1934 where she was assisted by the Italian consul and boarded a train to Cairns to join her husband Angelo.

Angelo worked as a Cane Cutter in the Gordonvale area for 11 years. When Marcella arrived they lived in a small tin shed with dirt floor, no water or electricity and were miles away from the local town. Their first two daughters, Mary born 1935 and Lidia born 1939 were born in Gordonvale, North Queensland. Angelo at this time was still cane cutting.

In 1939 the family purchased a corn and peanut farm in Tolga on the Atherton Tableland. They were almost self sufficient having poultry, growing vegetables and tropical fruit, and having cows for milk, cheese and butter making also Marcella did all the sewing needed. Their third daughter Elsie was born in 1944 in Atherton.

During World War Two sections of the farm was taken over by army storage sheds and army camps.

In 1948 the family relocated to Griffith, NSW, where parents and some other family members of Angelo were by then living. The journey to Griffith was done in an ex-army truck and with limited possessions. The journey done mainly on gravel roads and taking ten days to complete, camping at night near a town. Coupons were used for buying fuel.

In Griffith they purchased farm 1689, Beelbangera, a mixed fruit farm and remained there for almost 10 years, then in 1958 they moved to a smaller fruit farm at now 20 Watson Road, Griffith which is now a suburb of Griffith.

Angelo spent his last year in a nursing home due to ill health and sadly passed away in 1999 at the age of 89 years and rests at the Griffith Cemetery.

Currently (March, 2009) Marcella still lives at 20 Watson Road at the age of soon to be 99 years.

They only revisited Italy on one occasion in 1961 and Marcella was able to see her parents again.

They have lived a happy simple life and enjoyed seeing their extended family around them.

Their daughters all live in Griffith.

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