Anna (Bordignon) Caon

Story

My husband, Federico Caon was a prisoner of war in Africa for four years. When he returned to Italy he was a thirty year old. He knew people that had come to Australia. They told him there was plenty of work. The Australian authorities approved his application so he came to Adelaide He heard Broken Hill was paying big money. He came here to Broken Hill and he earned more money than in Adelaide so he stayed.

I was sixteen when I met my future husband, Federico in Italy. When he came out to Australia in ’50, [1950] we sent letters to one another. I came to Australia in \’55 [1955] to join Federico.

The ship docked in Melbourne and Federico was there to meet me. Then, we travelled by plane to Adelaide, because Federico had driven the truck to Adelaide before coming to meet me.

We travelled to Broken Hill in the truck and with no bitumen on the road; Oh my God! Anyway not far away from Broken Hill, Federico said to me ‘Look there\’s Broken Hill\’ I looked at the streets and thought ‘Oh my God! What\’s wrong here!\’

Italy is not a very rich country but the houses are all made from brick! Here in Broken Hill, they were all iron! I never said anything to my husband-to-be but I had a very bad impression. I was amazed.

I married at the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Broken Hill on the 7th of May 1955 and I was happy for the rest of my life! It was a quiet wedding because we didn\’t have the money to spend. Now, you have big Italian weddings but not at that time.

My husband, who was a carpenter, had a workshop in Argent Street He worked in the business through the week and built our house on weekends. He was busy all the time. He was a clever man. He\’d do everything, plumbing; carpenter; even cement. I don\’t know how he could do it, because nobody taught him. He was afraid of nothing.

My husband and I were very close. I was never lonely until he died because I loved my husband and when you\’ve got someone close to you, doesn\’t matter whatever comes. We were a pair.

When I first arrived in Australia, I could read the paper-not everything but some. It isn\’t that easy. In Italia the ABC [alphabet] has twenty-two letters. In English, you\’ve got the x and the y. We never use x and y in the Italian language. The way you talk is the way you spell in Italian. Here, somebody says, ‘How do you spell your name?\’ ‘What do you mean spell?\’ Italians don\’t spell at all because, say Anna; the way you write Anna is the same. The languages are different altogether.

It was difficult for a start to understand the language but, I met a lot of people and I started learning English by myself. I never went to classes to learn. I tried to hear people talk; I started to pick up a bit here, a bit there and when I talked to a person, I\’d say ‘Look I\’m not English; I\’m Italian. Try to understand what I want to say to you\’. Then I say what I think I should say. If I make a mistake I just say ‘sorry.\’

When I first arrived in Australia my husband would give me the money. He\’d say ‘Can you pick up something?\’ I would give the shop-keeper the money because I didn\’t know its value. I wouldn\’t know if he took the right money or not!

My next-door neighbour was an Italian lady and I said many times, ‘I have to go to the butcher and I don\’t know what to ask!\’ She wrote down what I wanted on a piece of paper. and I\’d go to the butcher shop and give him this piece of paper. I\’d give him the money I think everyone did it that way because we didn\’t have the language. When we came here, we knew nothing.

We spoke Italian at home but when the children started school my daughter came home from school sometimes and talked to me in English. I didn\’t understand really properly. I\’d say, ‘Please, can you talk Italian?\’ I wanted the children to grow up speaking Italian -not because I\’m Italian; I just want them to learn another language.

If you need another language, you have to start to learn it. I try my best. I know that I miss something somewhere because it is not my language for a start but I try my best.

We had no trouble with anyone. In the beginning like I said, when I went into the shop, I couldn\’t ask properly and the shopkeeper would look at me but not now because, wherever you go, people try very hard to help you now. Not like a long time ago. Now, every where you go, even overseas there are many languages, even in Italy. A long time ago it was only Italian people.

Australia is different to live in. The way we live; the way we dress; a lot of different systems. Not hard but different and we have to understand. I love to go back to see my family in Italy but to live in Italy; no because I married here in Broken Hill and my family is here now. That’s it.

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