Silvio Ganzerla

Story

Silvio was born at home in Ostiglia, Mantova, Italy, on 17 October 1902, youngest of 10 children of Eugenia (nee Pozzati) and Cesare. He grew up in Ostiglia on the River Po, and though they were poor he had a contented childhood with happy memories of life in Mantova.

After an average schooling for the area and era, he developed talents including language and business skills, and maintained a keen interest in world events.

At 19 he migrated to Australia, first staying in Rome with his sister Gemma and family, and then departed from Naples on the ‘Ormuz’.

He arrived in Brisbane in Dec 1921 with a suitcase and one Australian pound, journeyed north, and lived in or around Lucinda, Ingham, Bemerside, Halifax and Townsville until his death in 1987.

Though his memories of family life beside the River Po were the most valuable of his childhood, the Herbert River and surrounding townships became the centre of his adulthood.

He cut sugarcane, riding a horse on tracks though crocodile infested mangroves between Lucinda and Halifax, and worked in Fraser\’s butcher\’s shop in Ingham. He eventually bought a motorbike and adventured.

He was naturalized by 1927.

While helping his sister Angelina Tardiani and husband in their store in Bemerside he became motivated to own his own business, and as by then he\’d met his wife Ivy, they opened a store in Halifax c1934.

Silvio adopted Ivy\’s children Keith and Betty, and they had a daughter Sylvia Eugenia.

They expanded and built a second store beside the original, supplying and delivering food and farm goods in the area. Many of the farmers were immigrants and spoke little English, Silvio assisted them with translations, and Ivy learned some Italian.

World War II intruded in his life, and as with most male Italian immigrants, he was detained on 20 April 1942, interned in Gaythorne Internment Camp near Brisbane, then transferred to Cowra NSW in July 1942.

Ivy was left to continue the daily business, helped by Keith, who collected lists on his bicycle, and then they spent their nights delivering, by sulky, to wives left alone on farms. Few of the wives could drive or speak English.

Children were evacuated when there was talk of Japanese landing on the coast, and Betty became a victim of appendicitis while on evacuation in Milla Milla. She died in Atherton Hospital on 21 May 1942, devastating the family.

The Army would not release Silvio, but escorted him to the funeral and back to Cowra, then ‘billed’ him for the escorted journey. He was not permitted to remain with his family and comfort Ivy.

While in Cowra Silvio utilised his excellent command of English to translate for internees and authorities, and helped others learn the English language.

A group of business friends from Halifax and Ingham lobbied for Silvio\’s release based on his responsible citizenship and vital role in the community, and he was released on 12 January 1943.

Silvio and Ivy had two more children, Margaret and Victor.

They built a third and bigger store after the war, and these three stores remain side by side at the bridge end of Halifax, facing the river.

Ivy\’s brother and wife, John and Meg Reid owned the newsagency in Halifax, and their father John Reid (Sen), a retired drover and publican from western QLD, came to live out his years with Ivy and Silvio.

Silvio enjoyed an extended family relationship with his Australian in-laws, who were very close and supportive during his own later years.

Silvio personally and financially supported every charitable organisation in the area, including a major donation for a new hall for the CWA. He helped those in need during floods and other disasters, with local celebrations and sadness, and was always willing to use his own time and resources where needed in the community.

Silvio loved to travel in north QLD, and had many friends north of Halifax and south to Mackay, where Ivy grew up. He spoke Spanish with his Spanish friends.

In the family Silvio was a patient and tolerant parent, philosophical about life, and kept a sense of humour through all normal family ‘ups and downs’.

As his siblings passed away Silvio kept contact with his nephew Sergio Cecconi in Mantova, Italy, but never returned to his birth place. He felt his memories of his homeland were too valuable to risk seeing changes.

In the middle 50\’s Silvio and Ivy moved to Townville with Margaret and Victor, built a home in Mitchell St North Ward, and remained there until their respective deaths.

Silvio returned to paid work with Burns Philip in their Townsville warehouse, and enjoyed his last working years without the responsibility and long hours of his own business.

His sister Angelina had also retired to Townsville and they stayed close.

Friends from the Herbert River are

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