Luigi Guiseppe and Ena Clare MOLTEDO

Story

My Father and Mother wanted to make a new start in a new homeland, as they met during World War II, my father a POW, fought for the Italian Redenta, captured by the British Army and sent to Mhow India where he volunteer to be part of the Indian Army where he met and fell in love and married my mother. Having no success to return to Italy after the war, it was suggested that Australia was a place for them, as they were not so keen to stay in India after partition. So with two small children, came to Adelaide, South Australia by the ship.

It was a long journey, my mother was recovering from TB and having two young children, found the time went quickly as her day was filled-in, where as my father planned and looked forward to starting their new life in a new country.

My mother’s first impression was a ‘tin shed’ at Fremantle Dock, she thought “what have we done?!”, thinking that this was what Australia was like. On arrival to Port Adelaide they were greeted by their friends who were there sponsors, who politely told them they couldn’t stay with them because of a misunderstanding in communication and that my parents would have to live in a boarding house, which they did and took up residence in Buxton Street, North Adelaide for the next few years. My father being a Major in the Army, and a Lawyer in Italy before the war, unfortunately did not have his documentation and even if he did, it was not recognised by Australian standard at that time, so my father took on any job he could find, sorting our nuts and bolts in a factory and taking night-classes to qualify as an accountant, which he did successfully for over 40years. The first seven years were very hard on both my father and mother, they had to endure scorn from the street they lived in because they were different, my father being Italian and my mother Anglo-Indian, even to this day my mother who is now the only survivor will not speak of those years, as it was quite painful. I do recall my father telling me once about standing in queue at an Adelaide post office and being able to speak seven different languages being spoke about by two ladies whislt waiting in line, saying, “they shouldn’t let dirty wogs be here working” and in my father’s most pleasant english speaking voice said “Madam I am no wog”, much to their dismay as they thought he couldn’t understand them. My father also helped out in the Adelaide Courts as a translator and many a time he was called upon to translate for people in trouble with little or no English spoken.

My mother and father were able to move into their Warradale home, were my mother still lives to this day, having another four children a total of six children. My father managed to give us a good home, but unfortunately we did not learn Italian, he always said “when in Rome” and insisted that we now lived in Australia. My mother stayed at home and gave us a good home life, whilst as long as I can remember my father was always working until very late in the night, then off to to work the next day, working everyday to support the family.

I am their youngest child and hopefully you can share this story.

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