Attilio CALGARO

Story

Attilio Calgaro was born in Tretto, Schio in Northern Italy on the 13th February 1894. He was the eldest and only son in a family of 6 children.

At the age of 12, Attilio and his father, Giovanni, worked in the stone mines in Germany.

Attilio served 2 years in the Alpine Infantry and 4 years in the 505 Company Machine Gun Appini and was discharged from the army in 1919.

At the age of 26 years, Attilio was a resident of Isola Vicentina, where he now owned some property.

He met and married Caterina Marangoni on the 11th February 1921.

At age 33 years Attilio left Italy for Australia. He embarked the “Regina d’Italia” at Genoa. The passenger list showed his occupation as a miner. He arrived in Sydney on the 1st May 1927.

Attilio left behind his wife, Caterina and three daughters – Irma 4 years, Elisa 3 years and Caterina 2 years. After his departure a 4th daughter, Maria, was born on the 17th April 1927.

As was the custom, Attilio lived with various Italian families until he was able to secure a miner’s shack in Tarrawanna, a village just north of Wollongong on the south coast of NSW. Work was difficult to find because of the depression but in 1930 he wrote Caterina to “sell up in Italy and join him in Australia.” So, on the 27th May 1930, Caterina Marangoni and her 4 daughters boarded the SS Oransay and arrived in Sydney on the 3rd July 1930.

In January 1932 another daughter, Olga, was born. Later that year the family moved into a proper house in Tarrawanna with enough land to cultivate fruit trees, grape vines, vegetables and plenty of feed for a cow and chooks. He also reared pigs which, when fully grown, were slaughtered by the local butcher. Attilio used the meat to make salami and sausages plus many meals for the family.

In May 1933 twin daughters were born. Attilio now had 7 daughters and I can only imagine how disappointed he must have been not to have had a son. The twins were named Monica and Veronica.

Money must have been very scarce but food was always plentiful and income was supplemented by selling vegetables, eggs and milk to neighbours. This produce was keenly sought after. The daughters gathered mushrooms in the surrounding paddocks. Coal, which had fallen from the skips while travelling to the cokeworks, was collected for use in the fuel stove and wood was collected in the nearby woods.

I cannot recall Attilio ever speaking to his family about his life in Italy and I believe he left his country of birth because of the harsh times being experienced there and to escape having to join the ‘Blackshirts’.

He did not teach his children to speak or write Italian and Irma recalls being told, “You live in Australia now and Australian is your language”.

Attilio Calgaro died from a coronary occlusion, myocardial degeneration and pneumoconiosis – probably caused by being ‘dusted’ in the mines. He died one week short of his 54th birthday.

Prior to his death on 6th February 1948, he had been employed in the coal mines.

Life would always have been a struggle for Attilio. He managed to pay off the mortgage when he bought the house and land in 1942, having borrowed money from his Italian friends.

Attilio, Caterina and their 4 eldest children became naturalised Australians on the 1st November 1932.

Olga applied for, and received, Italian citizenship and hopes that some of her children and grandchildren will continue to learn the Italian language.

His descendants, to date, number 86. Well done Attilio!

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