Domenico Pezzutto

Story

My mother-in-law, Gina Pezzutto has told us over the years of the harsh life in Italy during WWII – giving birth to 3 children during curfew times, unable to go to a hospital; trying to escape German bombers which used Italian citizens as target practice & the constant worry of having to feed and clothe her family in those uncertain times. She came from the northern Italian province of Pordenone in the region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. Her husband Domenico Pezzutto worked building the military roads from northern Italy to Switzerland. He too came from the same region.

Domenico had a brother living near Griffith NSW. He had migrated to Australia in 1925. As Erico had been interned during the war, there had been no correspondence allowed between the 2 brothers for 5 years, presumably because of national security. Neither brother knew of the welfare of the other. I can only imagine how very distressing this must have been. Erico had acquired some land and a mechanical repair garage prior to being interned. However all his property had been lost during internment. After the war, Erico wanted to be reunited with his brother, having once again acquired some more land in Yenda (Griffith). So Erico invited & paid for the family to settle in Australia.

Aboard the ship which left from Genova were Domenico Pezzutto, Giacomo (Domenico’s father), Gina (Domenico’s wife), Antonio, Armando and Maria Gabriella (baby). I often wonder how difficult the decision would have been to come to a foreign country, particularly as one child had been buried and left behind (Gabriella who died in infancy).

The journey for the two boys was very exciting with free rein over the ship being the order of the day. Antonio said the food served on the ship was magnificent and he was able to explore almost every part of the vessel especially the engine room. Men and women were separated. Gina was responsible for the baby. Gina was seasick for whole 6 weeks of the trip.

They arrived in Melbourne on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception (8.12.1951). Then there was the 2 day trip to Yenda in Erico’s car. The heat was oppressive and the country was dry and barren. Domenico’s first impression was “What on earth do the sheep eat?” Gina’s first impression was how spacious everything was & why do the houses have so much land with fences around every one of them? In Italy, everyone lives together enclosed safely within the city walls. Everyone would be able to socialise quite well, this way. Gina told Domenico that they should immediately go home. Domenico said that that was impossible as they had no money left.

Antonio and Armando completed a few years of schooling in Griffith and they talk of discrimination by way of taunting from the Australian children at school. Anna was born in 1952, Giacomo returned to Italy and John was born in 1956. Shortly after, the family moved to Katoomba (NSW) as Domenico had found work transporting petrol to garages. In those days, petrol was carried in huge portable tanks, which had to be rolled from the vehicle onto a concrete cradle with a winch. One day in 1958, the chain became dislodged and a tank rolled on Domenico and he was killed. It was the feeling of the day that Gina was not strong enough to be able to identify Domenico’s body. If they only knew what sort of hardships she had faced up till that point, they would have realised how mistaken they really were.

So one day Gina said goodbye to her husband and he never returned. She was left in a foreign country after only 7 years with 5 children and little English. I imagine Gina wanted to return to Italy, but lack of finances would have prevented this and by this stage Antonio was settled into secure work as an electrical apprentice in Wollongong.

Fortunately Domenico had bought property in Corrimal near Wollongong NSW before his death. (The Italians seem to have a love affair with land and the acquiring of such an asset is vital to their existence). He probably hoped to work there in the Steelworks at Port Kembla. As part of a compenstaion settlement, an old weatherboard cottage was relocated from Bulli (20 kms north) & this is still the family home today. Gina worked the land to supply vegetables for the family and chooks were an essential part of the backyard.

All 5 children are well educated and have had successful lives raising families. Gina Pezzutto can now boast 17 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren. John, Janet, Aidan, Tristan, Robin and Dominique Pezzutto have managed to obtain dual Italian-Australian citizenship. Celebrated milestones have been bitter sweet with Gina’s 80th birthday in 1995, her 50th year in Australia in 2001 and the 50th anniversary of Domenico’s death in 2008. Gina has now lived a longer time in Australia than Italy.

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