Michele Innaimo
| First name | Michele |
|---|---|
| Last name | Innaimo |
| Country of Origin | Italy |
| Date of Birth | 7/25/2011 |
| Year of Arrival in Australia | 1951 |
| Submitted by | Angela Bongi |
Story
MICHELE INNAIMO (b. 25th July 1911, d. 1st January 1990)
Michele served in the Italian Forces in the Second World War, primarily in Greece and Africa, but when his regiment was asked to embark on a ship bound for Russia, he left the Forces by literally running away. He later discovered that the ship was bombed and none of his regiment survived.
Michele first arrived in Australia from Italy on a Greek ship called the Assimina on the 4th February 1951, after being asked by his brother-in-law (Donato De Rota), to work in Coonabarabran. At this time, there was a real shortage of labour in Australia. His family was quite poor, so the idea of potentially earning enough money in Australia to aid his wife Maria, and six young children back home in Carlantino, Province of Foggia, was quite enticing. Part of the condition of Michele being allowed in Australia was that he needed to work for at least one year even though he came at his own expense. As he did not speak any English, he earned his living as a farm aid, doing any task that was required, such as a kitchen hand, gardener and cleaner. He worked in Coonabarabran for one year before moving to Rozelle, Sydney, to work as a labourer in a plywood factory. In March 1954, his eldest son Frank arrived in Australia to join him after being asked to do so. They both stayed with a kind Italian family and kept in contact until Michele passed away.
In October 1954 Michele returned to Italy, but after experiencing a severe storm in 1955 which destroyed all his crops and therefore his family’s livelihood, he became so upset that he bought a one-way ticket for himself to Australia leaving his family behind. He told his family that he would never return to live in Italy as he felt Australia provided the opportunity to live a much better life. He was tired of working extremely hard for very little gain on his land. However, he did allow his wife and children to choose whether they wanted to come to Australia or remain in Italy. Eventually, the adventure of living in a “land of plenty” lured the family here. Annetta and Ralph arrived in August 1956, followed by Angelo, Lina, and youngest child Rosa, with his wife, Maria in April a year later. So in 1957, the family was completely reunited in Queanbeyan NSW. From that moment, it was always a case of looking forward to a new life, never once regretting or wondering what was left behing in Italy.
Michele embraced all aspects of the Australian life including the language, mateship and food. He did however, frighten the local shopkeeper’s young daughter when he asked for some cheese (which he mistakenly pronounced ‘kiss’). The scared girl ran crying to her father who fortunately sorted out the mispronunciation. On another occasion, he wanted to buy a colander, but of course did not know the word. Undeterred he told the shopkeeper, “You know, water go, macaroni stop.” A keen shooter, Michele enjoyed trekking through the fields near his house to hunt for rabbits with his leather knapsack on his back and rifle over his shoulder. Needless to say, rabbits were often on the menu in the Innaimo household!
Having never had any formal education, he worked as a cleaner at the Australian National University and also as a gardener at various embassies in Canberra. With his friendly nature and his willingness to make Australia his home, he lived multiculturalism simply and completely, looking beyond religion, race or politics. This was his greatest legacy to the family and one that we are very proud to have witnessed.