John Azzopardi

Story

John Anthony Azzopardi was born in Mellieha Malta on 22 July 1920. He attended school for seven years. As well as Maltese he was taught English and also some Italian. John was therefore able to communicate quite well on arriving in Australia. He worked as a labourer at a stone works before recruitment to the Royal Malta Artillery for duty during World War 2. As John\’s father had visited Australia and having four brothers living in Australia (two of whom he had never seen as they left before he was born) he was keen to migrate. John along with his wife Mary and three young children, Charles (3), Benjamin (2) and Jeanie (1) left Malta on 21 November 1949 on the ship SS ‘Columbia’ arriving in Sydney on 26 December 1949. Maria was seasick all the way and John was left to take care of the children.

As arrangements had already been made for the family to settle in North Queensland they travelled to Innisfail by train and then onto Japoonvale. The family had a lot of relatives living in Japoonvale and No 3 Branch Road. Japoonvale had a Post Office and a shop, a school, a dance hall and importantly a Catholic Church. It was a busy little village where a lot of migrant people settled and along with the local sugar cane farmers the family were warmly welcomed and offers of help and friendship were forthcoming. Mary found it hard settling in at first missing her family terribly and adjusting to the way of life but she soon settled in once she had her home established. John was a cane cutter for 3 years in the cane crushing season and obtaining odd jobs such as planting sugar cane in the off season. Cane cutting was hard and dirty work as the men had to not only cut the sugar cane stalks but then load them onto a trolley to be hauled to the sugar mill for crushing. The men needed to be fed well and that was where Mary came in cooking 3 meals a day for the whole gang as most of the men were single. The single men lived in cane barracks consisting of 5 or 6 rooms and a kitchen and a long verandah. After three years of back breaking work John obtained employment with South Johnstone Sugar mill working as a fettler, locomotive driver and tradesman assistant in the locomotive workshop. John and Mary had another son Victor and with Charles, Ben and Jeanie all attended Stratvell State School at Japoonvale where they soon settled in learning English and teaching it to their parents. John and Mary were involved in the school helping when required. As Mary\’s first three children were born at home in Malta she found it very hard having to travel in to the Innisfail Hospital to have her last baby not speaking a lot of English and leaving her other children behind.

John was a keen gardener and supplied the family and neighbours with fresh vegetables. Along with fresh eggs, fruit trees, hunting bush turkeys (which was legal in those days) and catching fish the family was almost self sufficient. Mary loved cooking and the family enjoyed her traditional cooking especially the favourite Pastizzis (pies). She has made thousands over the years.

John bought his first car in 1955 and loved taking the family on excursions to Innisfail shopping and to the beach and visiting friends and relatives on the weekends. John and Mary never returned to Malta as Mary felt she could not endure leaving her family behind again. John was very proud of his heritage and every Anzac Day he would proudly march wearing his medals. After retiring and moving to Innisfail where a new home awaited he would collect older war veterans and drive them in the Anzac March. He loved to go to town every day chatting with his friends some in knew from Malta. He did that till his death on 14 August 2000.

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