Joseph Micallef

Story

Joseph and his brother Charles Micallef were Maltese-born shipwrights who went to Egypt in 1943 to work on British warships during the Second World War. While stationed there, they met two sisters, Theresa and Melita Vassallo, whom they both married before returning with their young spouses to Malta in 1946.

The first of Joseph and Theresa\’s nine children, Stella, was born in Alexandria, Egypt in 1944 and their second child, Alfred was born in Malta in 1947.

Joseph, along with his brothers Charles and Emanuel migrated to Australia from Malta, arriving in Freemantle, WA on 26 February, 1949 as part of the massive immigration programme undertaken for European migrants to take up employment in the burgeoning building industry after the Second World War.

Their introduction to Australia would have been an edifying experience Ð they were housed in tents at the Fairbairn RAAF Base in Canberra and so subjected to the vagaries of the Canberra climate. Perhaps this experience gave them good cause to re-think the wisdom of their move to Australia, where conditions may have seemed a long way short from the idyllic Mediterranean scene to which they were accustomed

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However, their plight dramatically improved when their wives and children were able to rejoin them as migrants in 1950. Originally settling in Queanbeyan, New South Wales, Charles purchased a block of land and built a house, where both his and Joseph\’s families resided until Joseph was allocated a government house in Narrabundah, ACT, in 1952. The brothers spent many years working in the thriving building industry as both tradesmen (carpenters) and supervisors.

Over the ensuing years, Joseph worked on many of the government housing projects in Canberra as well as national institutions such as The High Court of Australia and The National Gallery of Australia. He remained a Narrabundah, ACT resident until his death in 2005 at the age of 83. His beloved wife Theresa died in 1998 aged 75.

Although his family in Malta were very poor, Joseph became a perfectionist in everything he did, so from early childhood he made the very most from all his endeavors. Testament to his talents and dedication are a pair of brass cannons together with their original blueprints, which he produced at the age of 15 years and are still treasured within the family. His early interests also included tropical fish, a hobby that he was able to pursue in his new homeland. He propagated many varieties of exotic tropical fish and at one stage boasted a 100-gallon fish tank anchored in concrete through the lounge room floor of his Narrabundah ACT residence and fellow fish fanciers held him in high esteem.

In the mid 1970\’s Joseph\’s interests turned to the Japanese art of Bonsai and he devoted his considerable talents to his new pastime, becoming an international authority, known to many as a ‘guru’ on these dwarfed trees. He even travelled to Japan and China to further his knowledge in this ancient art, while also conducting classes and exhibiting his extensive collection of Bonsais from his Canberra home much to the delight of both local and overseas visitors.

Many of Joseph and Theresa\’s nine children went on to marry a cross-section of people from various migrant nationalities, adding to the multi-cultural theme that has become the basis for the population of Australia. These proud Australians have continued the work ethic and contribution to their communities espoused by their proud forebears.

– prepared by Stella Keenan, Joseph & Theresa\’s eldest child, 21 November 2007.

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