Emilio Trignano

Story

My name is Emilio Trignano born 15th September 1932 and I grew up in Ariano, Irpino in Italy. I lived on a farm with eight brothers and sisters, Nicola, Antonio, Egidio, Buonaventura, Giovanni, Carlotta, Rosa and Carmelinda. My parents are Saveria Di Palma and Luigi Trignano. In 1952 I was 19 years old and heard you could go to Australia to work but you had to sign for a minimum of 2 years. I had no idea where the country was but thought it would be an adventure. My parents were upset but agreed for me to go.The ship Castello Bianco left Naples on 2nd July 1952. When we hit the Indian Ocean we had very rough seas and I was seasick for 3 days. The next morning the priest told us we had been in great danger the night before because the ship couldn\’t handle the rough seas. It went over on one side so they put out a mayday call but by the next morning everything was ok. Our first stop in Australia was Fremantle. I thought the country looked good and the people were nice. We boarded the ship again and arrived in Sydney on 1st August, 1952 at night. On the bridge I saw a double decker bus and wondered what it was because I had never seen one before. There were 1300 people all under 35 years old. Some of the men had families back home and needed work to get money. We went by steam train from Central Station to a camp at Greta on 3rd August 1952. All I could see was bush and I wondered ‘Where the hell are they taking us’. We arrived at an army camp sometime during the night and lived in a barrack. The food was very bad and there wasn\’t enough. The menu from the camp was a small plate of semolina and a cup of tea for breakfast. Lunch was 2 sandwiches and dinner was 2 slices of bread and 2 small rissoles. We heard some time later that the ones in charge were stealing most of the food. We were there for a few months. Some of us went out and caught rabbits in the bush. We used to block a log of wood at one end and wait for the rabbit to come out or dig up the burrows. There were so many rabbits it was no trouble to catch them. At night we barbecued them so we had enough to eat. In September 1952 some of us were moved to the camp at Villawood. The food was better and more of it. They had European cooks. The calm didn\’t last for long because there was no work available. A lot of men went to the Italian Consulate in Sydney to see if they could be sent back home. I didn\’t want to go so I stayed behind with my friend, Carmine D\’Angelo, and some other friends. We thought that sooner or later there would be work and things would be better. We had work at Casula Army Camp for about 3 weeks (I got 12 pound ($24) a week) ,but there wasn\’t much to do. We had the first Christmas in Australia at Villawood. On 15th January, 1953, the Government moved us to another camp at Cowra to ease the trouble. But once again there was no work. Most of the men – especially those with families – started to complain again. The food wasn\’t very good again. The beds were made of cyclone wire and the mattresses were stuffed with straw. There were no sheets, only a couple of blankets. After about 3 months the Government asked if we wanted to go and pick fruit. Some went to Queensland and some to Mildura. I went to Mildura. Four of us went to a place called Duredin near Mildura to pick grapes. We got 6 pence (5c) per basket. After that we went to a camp at Bonegilla (No.13) for about 2 months. We were without work again but there was no trouble here, although there were thousands of migrants at this camp. On 3rd June, 1953, we went to a camp at Cronulla and had work with the Water Board putting the main water pipe from Caringbah Station to the main water tank at West Caringbah, then another from Cronulla to Kurnell. The manager from Cronulla Camp helped me to find a job outside of the camp. With his help I went to work for the first time outside the Government, although I was still living at the camp. My boss got me in a private home with an Australian family at Wonoona Parade, Oatley. I had to leave the camp and the care of the Government but I was happy to go. The family\’s names were Gordon and Joan Bertutch. Since arriving from Italy I have gained a Welding Certificate, Panel Beating and Spray Painting Certificate, Boilermaking Certificate and Pressure Vessel Welding. I was Naturalized on 30th May 1975. I met my wife Margaret Thorn in November 1955. We got married on 17th May 1958 and bought a place at 19 Marks street, Chester Hill. In 1996 we moved to Umina Beach, Central Coast NSW. Margaret and I have been married for 50 years (2008) and have three children, Anthony (who sadly passed away from cardiomyopathy in 1979), Cristina and Linda, and five grandchildren, Stacey, Brendan, Daniel, Melissa and Jason.

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