Angelo Traini

Story

Angelo Traini was born in the small farming village of Poggio di Bretta in the province of Ascoli Piceno, Marche, Italy on 18th August 1935, the ninth and youngest child of Caterina Gagliardi and Giovanni Traini. He was named Angelo after his paternal grandfather.

The Traini family were share farmers and although poor were a very happy family. However, conditions on the farm were not always ideal and life was difficult at times, especially when compared with current living standards. There was no electricity, no radio, newspapers or TV, and no refrigeration. Meals were cooked over an open fire in the kitchen.

Unfortunately for Angelo, opportunities for young men were limited in this post war Italian farming community of the 1950’s, so he decided to migrate to Australia in search of a better life. Under the sponsorship of Mario Giacobetti, his childhood friend who had migrated to Australia in 1952, Angelo left his family and all that was familiar. Having never travelled far from Poggio di Bretta, and with little education, no vocational qualifications, no English language skills and no money, in December 1955 he set off for the unknown in Australia.

Everything his family considered necessary to start life in a new country was contained in a specially built wooden trunk. As well as clothes and manchester, Angelo was also given a salami and a full wheel of cheese to take to Australia. During the voyage it was found that taking food into Australia was prohibited and so these had to be consumed before arrival.

After spending 31 days aboard the Paolo Toscanelli, which berthed in Sydney on 27th January 1956, Angelo travelled by train to Brisbane which a group of new Italian immigrants, accompanied by an English speaking chaperone. En route the Italians were told that they would be stopping at Casino. As a 20 year old Angelo thought he had indeed come to ‘the lucky country’ as ‘casino’ in Italian meant brothel. What a disappointment it was to find that Casino was just a railway station where they were to be given a meal of lamb chops served with mashed potato and pumpkin!

On arrival in Brisbane it was a relief to find Mario waiting as there had been no communication possible between the two for 3 months. Together they travelled to Mullumbimby where Angelo started work on a banana plantation during an extremely hot and humid Australian summer. Neither Angelo nor his Macedonian employer could speak a word of English, and with no common language, communication was rather difficult. Being unaccustomed to such hard physical work, in combination with the heat and humidity, the inability to communicate and homesickness, Angelo desperately wanted to go home. However, this was not possible, as he had arrived in Australia with only $20 in his pocket and with a $600 debt to his family.

This was to be the start of many years of hard physical work for Angelo as he worked for other banana growers, cut sugar cane and went fruit picking to earn enough money to repay his debt and eventually buy his own banana plantation. Life continued to be hard during these years. To save money Angelo lived in an unlined timber house on the plantation with no electricity or plumbing connected. Primus stoves were used for cooking and a kerosene fridge and lanterns provided refrigeration and lighting. A 20 litre kerosene tin with holes punched in the bottom provided a functional shower. Fortunately Angelo was not afraid of snakes as they frequently found their way into the unlined ceiling of the house.

After 18 years in Australia, Angelo met and married Cheryl Major and they moved to Lismore, where they built their new home. Two sons, Mathew and Luke were born in the following years and in 1989 Angelo was very proud to take his family to meet their Italian relatives for the first time.

Throughout the years, Angelo continued to work at a variety of jobs to support his family, although almost inevitably the jobs involved hard physical labour. He spent many years as a tradesman’s assistant with engineering firms and also worked as a spray painter and builder’s labourer. His final jobs before retiring were on macadamia plantations.

Despite the fact that he had had only 3 years of formal education in Italy, Angelo was always very proud that through his hard work and the opportunities provided by his adopted country, he was able to provide his family with a comfortable home, and his sons with every opportunity in life. He was determined that they should have the best possible education and to see his sons graduate from university filled him with pride.

In 2001 Angelo travelled to Europe and visited Italy to see his family for probably the last time. In retirement he fills his days contentedly pottering in his vegetable garden

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