98 years – Ballestrins in Adelaide

The photo above tells a story about Ballestrin families who migrated to Australia from Vallà in the province of Treviso between the wars. The wedding of Luigina Ballestrin and Eugenio Zalunardo took place in Adelaide in 1943. Luigina was the youngest of ten children and with her mother, Santa Agata, she had migrated in 1939. They joined four other family members and a cousin who were already living in Adelaide. The Ballestrin family was establishing a network – a family tree in Adelaide. (The photo was provided by Norma Camozzato nee Ballestrin and Silvano Ballestrin identified the individuals.)

Arrival in Adelaide, 1927
It is 98 years since Antonio and Isidoro Ballestrin arrived in Adelaide with their 17-year-old-cousin, Giuseppe, on 21^st September 1927, leaving a large family household at Vallà  in the Veneto region that could not provide adequate food or enough land  to divide between sons as the children in two Ballestrin families came of age and married.

The food was not grown for income – it was for a household to exist. Frank Ballestrin, the son of Isidoro, estimated that there were 17 children living in that household at the time that the first of the Ballestrins migrated. You can understand the need for some young men to make that decision to migrate and have more opportunities for the future.

 Marriage in Adelaide, 1943
When you look at the photo, the first feature you notice is the formality of the portrait. It was war time with restrictions on buying clothing and other goods. Yet everyone is dressed to fit the occasion, and they gather around Luigina and Eugenio as a kind of protective, caring group. Luigina and her attendants hold beautiful flowers. She was marrying a man who, along with her brothers and their wives, was a member of the Veneto market gardener community at Lockleys.

Like many in the group of Veneto market gardeners, Eugenio had arrived in 1927. At the time of the marriage, he was leasing land on Grange Road next door to Antonio and Romilda Ballestrin. The marriage would have been acknowledged as ‘suitable’ because Eugenio was ‘known’ in the sense that he was from the same area in the Veneto region and he was making his living from growing vegetables – as they were doing in the Lockleys area.

Both Eugenio and Luigina chose members of their wedding party from other Veneto market gardener families. Eugenio had Romildo Santin as his best man and Luigina’s bridesmaid was Rosina Tonellato and her sister, Assunta, was one of the flower girls. The other flower girl in a matching dress, was Santina, daughter of Isidoro and Gina Ballestrin. Giuseppe, the cousin, who had arrived in 1927 with his two cousins is in the photo with his family, wife, Cesira and children, Lino and Norma, in her father’s arms at the back.

Children from three different Ballestrin families are in the photo. One other adult included in the extended family photo is Arturo Cecchetto, a brother-in-law of Antonio Ballestrin who lived in Adelaide for a few years. He stands next to Giuseppe Ballestrin and his small daughter, Norma.

 Luigina’s mother, Santa Agata is third from the right in the front. She died in 1945 aged 71 years.

Six Ballestrin families in Adelaide
In the wider Ballestrin family, six separate family groups settled in Adelaide before WWII and were market gardeners in the Kidman Park, Flinders Park area. Eight of the second generation from four of the families were interviewed for the oral history project.

Antonio Ballestrin leased land on Grange Road with his wife Romildo Minato. They had nine glasshouses and apart from tomatoes, grew a range of other vegetables.

Isidoro and Gina had three children, Santina, Frankie and Dolfina. Frankie carried on in the market garden after his father died in 1965 and continued to grow vegetables commercially at Flinders Park and Bolivar until he retired.

 

Ermenegildo was 26 years when he migrated in 1937. He married Norina Berti and they had two sons, Ric and Angelo. They lived on Hartley Road and shared a partnership with cousin, Giuseppe.

 

 

 

 

Narciso emigrated in 1938, leaving behind his wife Maria Dotto and their infant son, Egidio. The family was reunited in 1940. Three other children were born in Adelaide, Lina, Silvano and Norina. Their market garden was off River Road, now Findon Road.

 

 

Luigina and Eugenio Zalunardo grew vegetables on Grange Road and had two children, Noemi and Renato. Luigina died after a long illness in 1965.

 

Giuseppe and Cesira had three children, Lino, Norma and Louis and they worked 20 acres on Hartley Road in partnership with Ermenegildo and Norina who had two sons, Ric and Angelo.

 

 

The families adapted to life in Australia and became successful vegetable growers. Although they faced challenges in World War II, they all purchased land after the war when it was possible for ‘enemy aliens’ to sign contracts for sale.

Ballestrin families – tomato growers

In the photo taken by a newspaper in 1950, Ballestrin relatives are near their truck after their cases of tomatoes had been loaded onto a semi-trailer. The Victorian train strike ran for 10 weeks from October to December 1950 and created challenges for growers of fresh goods like tomatoes. At that time, the tomato harvest from August to December and the majority of the fruit had been sold in Melbourne for some years.[1]On the truck door the Ballestrin growers are identified by three initials I. E. & G.; two brothers, Isidoro and Ermenegildo and their cousin, Giuseppe. The truck gives their business address as River Road, Findon – which we know today as Findon Road, Flinders Park. All the families grew other vegetables for market.

The Ballestrin family – building a future in Adelaide
The Ballestrin families began their settlement in Adelaide from the late 1930s when they leased different parcels of land in the general Lockleys area. After leaving multigenerational households and poverty in the province of Treviso, the first generation was developing a new life as they married and raised their families in separate households on land that they improved and eventually owned in the 1950s as they generated a livelihood as commercial growers. The six families became significant members in the community of the Veneto market gardeners at Lockleys who created a strong social network that sustained them over many years.

In 2025,  many families with connections to the Veneto market gardener community can claim Ballestrin ancestors from Vallà  – second, third, fourth and even fifth generations! The Ballestrin families continue to make a significant contribution to South Australia over the 98 years since the arrival of the first members.

Madeleine Regan
28 September 2025

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Ballestrin members (from four different families) interviewed for the oral history project:
Frankie Ballestrin, Lino, Norma Camaozzato nee Ballestrin,and Louis, Egidio, Lina Campagnaro nee Ballestrin, and Silvano, Noemi Campagnolo nee Zalunardo.

[1] https://pir.sa.gov.au/aghistory/industries/horticulture/glasshouse_tomatoes2