Francesco Pangallo
| Town/City | South Australia |
|---|---|
| First name | Francesco |
| Last name | Pangallo |
| Country of Origin | Reggio Calabria. Italy |
| Date of Birth | 1921 |
| Year of Arrival in Australia | 1937 |
| Submitted by | Mary Pangallo |
Story
Francesco left Italy for a better life in Australia and help his family back home pay their debts. It was tough for him to leave his beloved country for a new one, but circumstances were beyond their control in those days in Italy, poverty struck and the eventually the Second World War.
When Francesco arrived from Italy by boat, he arrived in a strange country that he didn’t understand the language, its culture and not many fellow friends and family were here to greet him – only one brother, Antonio. It was then straight to work on harsh rural land in Griffith NSW. At first he didn’t like Australia much, but gradually he became accustomed to Australia’s way of life, and met many of his fellow Italian friends here – that reminded him of the way things were back home.
Life for my dad Francesco wasn’t easy at all; he worked hard to send money to his poor parents back home, therefore life for him was difficult, firstly in a new land and secondly, away from his beloved family.