Salvatore Gambale

Story

Salvatore Gambale was born in Paternopoli (80 kms east of Naples) in the province of Avellino on the 22nd of September, 1938. He was the son of Nunzio and Emmanuela Gambale, their 4th child.

Salvatore Gambale was a gifted student and a talented writer. After graduating from highschool, he continued his studies and received a Diploma of Agricultural Science from the Francesco De Sanctis Institute in Avellino.

As a new graduate in Italy in the post-war years, opportunities were scarce. So he decided to travel to Australia to visit his older brother and sister living in Canberra, initially for a short stay. He was to end up settling there for the rest of his life.

Having just left the hustle and bustle of one of Europe\’s largest port cities, Naples, his first impression of the Canberra of 1962 was of a tiny town hidden somewhere in an unimaginably vast land.

He found work at a construction site as a surveyor. His poor English at the time meant that the construction company needed to appoint an interpreter. This didn\’t work out so well, so he left and concentrated on improving his English. After a few months of study, he was able to apply for other jobs and found a position with the CSIRO. He was to end up having a career as a researcher with the CSIRO Division of Wildlife for most of his working life.

Through this job, he travelled extensively around outback Australia and had many adventures. One of these was on a trip to Terry Creek. Salvatore and his colleagues were on a field trip in the desert and their 4WD broke down. Salvatore then had to trek 25 miles in 40 degree heat back to the homestead to get help. As you can imagine, had he not reached the homestead he and his colleagues would have perished in the desert.

In 1969 he met his future wife, Domenica Schiavello. They married in 1970 and had 2 sons, Nunzio and Antonio. Both births had some medical complications, but both children survived without any further problems.

He retired from the CSIRO in 1988.

For the rest of his life, Salvatore never lost his passion for research, study and writing. He spent 10 years researching a book about the Italian Community in Canberra – “Canberra, Our Italian Heritage”, which he subsequently co-wrote and published in 1988.

Salvatore also loved drawing and painting, and his unique drawing style was well known in the community. He produced a vast body of work, which he referred to simply as his ‘doodles’ which he signed under the name ‘Saga’. His animal sketches were highly appreciated, in particular by colleagues at the CSIRO.

Salvatore was an outstanding figure in Canberra, held in high-regard by the Italian community and the scientific community alike. He was a cherished member of a large extended family, and was constantly sought out for advice and called upon as a spokesman by family and friends equally. Salvatore was a respected and unique individual Ð a scholar with the soul of an artist, and a source of kindness and inspiration to everyone who knew him.

In May 2005, Salvatore was diagnosed with inoperable Colon Cancer. It is a testament to his strength of character that he continued to paint, read, write and even travel overseas during his many months of illness and decline.

In March 2007 he lost the battle with cancer. Salvatore is survived by his wife, children and grandchild.

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