Valter Severino Trevisan
| Town/City | Nambour |
|---|---|
| First name | Valter Severino |
| Last name | Trevisan |
| Country of Origin | Italy |
| Date of Birth | 24/08/28 |
| Year of Arrival in Australia | 1952 |
| Submitted by | Anne Maree Covey |
Story
Valter Severino Trevisan was born on 24th August 1928 in Cervignano Del Friuli Italy about 100km north of Venice.
Valter grew up during the war years and life was not easy, particularly for his parents trying to feed 6 children. It was not uncommon for his mother to add a little sawdust to the dough mix to make the bread go further. After World War 2 had ended and being of age Valter completed his compulsory military service. There were few jobs at this time and Valter being the 4th son in line and with a disruptive education due to the war, had no hope of getting any work.
Italy was advertising for citizens wishing to make a new life in a new country. Valter applied. He had the choice of Africa or Australia. And as they say the rest is history.
In January 1952 he arrived in Melbourne aboard the Hellenic Prince. He remembers it being a stinking hot day. From there he was transported by train to Bonegilla Migrant Camp outside Albury where he stayed for about 3 months. One outstanding memory of the camp was that he hated the stewed mutton that was regularly on the menu. With no money and no language in a new country it was going to be a challenge. As most migrants wanted to make good in their new country hard work did not deter them. Walter as he became known, soon realized he needed to learn all he could about his new country including the money. He relates the story of thinking that these Australians really work hard but didn\’t understand that they were paid on a contract basis and the more they worked the more they got paid. He did many jobs including grape picking but headed north to the cane fields in North Queensland and from there to Mt Isa Mines.
Walter married an Australian girl in 1959 and in 1960 moved to the Sunshine Coast region and bought a cane farm where they raised their family. It has been suggested that Walter was the first Italian Cane Farmer in the area. Before retiring Walter was growing small crops in the area and working on many a local construction sites.
Walter enjoys a game of Bocce now and then, and considers he made a very good choice all those years ago, to come to Australia.