Emily Tonna
| Town/City | Broken Hill |
|---|---|
| First name | Emily |
| Last name | Tonna |
| Country of Origin | Naxxar Malta |
| Date of Birth | 1907 |
| Year of Arrival in Australia | 1923 |
| Submitted by | Christine Adams |
Story
My father, Frank and eldest brother Joe, left Malta during the First World War because there was no work and it was very restrictive during that time in Malta. They came to Broken Hill and worked around the district on the railway sites and roads before starting to work on the mine.
Our family joined our father in 1923. We left from Malta to Sicily in a small boat that went up and down in the sea. We came from Sicily on the Citta De Geneva. The ship was sunk during the war and they fixed it up to transport migrants after the war because there were no other ships to use. The journey was dreadful. We met two big storms. The boat went up and down, always splashing with water. We thought we were all drowned!
We travelled from Adelaide to Broken Hill by train. Dad had a house ready for us in Crystal Street. There were two or three houses in one yard. The families were all Maltese and we lived three to four in a room.
During the Depression, dad only worked six half days a week on the North Mine. There were seven of us and the wages were about six pounds every week. We used to get rations from the Government from the Police Station. I had turned seventeen by that time so I had to go on my own. The others were with dad, but because I had turned sixteen I was an adult so I had to have some separate assistance. When I get to the Police Station I didn\’t want to go in there! It was very hard.
I met my husband, Tony Tonna at the hospital when my mum was sick and the doctor said we should take her to the hospital. Tony was also in hospital at that time and neither of them could speak English! I married Tony Tonna at the Cathedral in 1933. We had two children- George and Maryann.
I prepared meals at the St Vincent de Paul Meal Centre since it was opened in 1962. While I can I will keep going. I love talking to people, the cooking and meeting other people in the shop and the meal centre.
Emily received an Australia Day Citizenship Award for her lifetime service to the Society of St Vincent de Paul in Broken Hill. She was still an active member of that society at the age of ninety-two.
She died in Broken Hill on 2001.