Author: Madeleine Regan

In October 1935, a journalist, Ernestine Hill, wrote in an Adelaide newspaper, ‘The Advertiser,’ about the Italian community in South Australia and called it “little Italy.” She reported that there were less than 2,000 Italians. Most of them were in what she called “the laboring classes” who were employed in agricultural, industrial and mechanical areas of work across the state.

The image above shows a group of Veneto families and single men, Lockleys,  c1940s. Photo, supplied by Christine Rebellato nee Mattiazzo.

Statistics
Desmond O’Connor’s research showed that 2,493 Italians arrived in South Australia between 1927 and 1940. The largest groups came from four regions: Veneto (728 people), Calabria (512), Puglia (288) and Campania (239).

In 1933, the population of Australia was 6,630, 600. In the total population of South Australia of 580, 987 and 1,489 people identified as being born in Italy. Just one in five Italians were women. At that time, the largest group of Italians (367) lived in the city of Adelaide and 214 resided in Port Pirie which had a large group of fisher families from Molfetta.

In her 1935 article, Ernestine Hill reported that Italians:

are scattered far and wide over the State. Forty or fifty are mining mica in the Hart Ranges in Central Australia – their output absorbed by the small mica-cutting factory of one of their countrymen in Adelaide. A few are gold miners. Two hundred fishermen of Bari and Sicily cast their nets along the coast and in the Murray River.
Others are engaged as workmen, stonemasons, cabinetmakers and mechanics or planting their vineyards and garden groves.

1947 Census
Because of the war years, there was a gap of 14 years before the next Census.  The population of Australia had increased by nearly a million people to 7, 580, 820.

A total of 646,216 people were living in South Australia.

The records showed that 2,428 people in South Australia recorded their birthplace as Italy in 1947 – an increase of nearly one thousand from 1933.

Little Italy – the Veneto market gardeners at Lockleys
After they arrived in the mid-to-late 1920s, the Veneto group lived in boarding houses in the city of Adelaide and then travelled in country South Australia and other states looking for work wherever they could find it. The first of the Veneto market gardeners began leasing land in the Lockleys area from the mid-1930s.

According to the 1933 Census, there were only 44 Italians living in the Woodville Council area which is where the Veneto group settled. By 1947, the numbers had increased to 57 and the number of women had doubled to 12. This growth reflects the arrival of several women in the Veneto community of market gardeners.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fear of little Italies
In 1930s, newspapers reported negative opinions about Italians in South Australia. In one article they were called “foreigners” who didn’t mix, spoke their own language, made very little money and lived in poor accommodation (‘The Advertiser’, 13/4/1938).

Newspapers were also critical of other southern Europeans. Anglo Australians seemed to fear groups of Italians who lived close to each other and called them “alien communities.”

Ernestine Hill had a different – and positive – opinion about Italians in South Australia when she wrote about them in 1935. She said:

Love of country endures as love of country always must and shall, but in this case it expresses itself for the most part in a community and family economy to assist relatives and friends at home to emigrate to a new land of plenitude and peace, remote from the hand-to-mouth struggle of teeming cities of great architectural beauty and dire poverty.

 

 

 

The comfort of the close community
We know that the Veneto market gardeners and other non-English-speaking groups found strength and comfort in the small communities that they created in the cities and country towns. Many of the Veneto people did not have other family members in Australia and they took on the challenge of making a new life in an unfamiliar country.

The market gardeners at Lockleys made strong relationships which deepened when the group became larger with the addition of wives and children – it became a small community of families who supported each other. Godparents took the place of aunts and uncles and even though they were not all from the same area in the Veneto region, the market gardener families became paesani (people who came from the same locality in Italy).

The Lockleys locality became like a small village where the Veneti lived within about three kilometres of each other. They could become successful business owners, flourish and overcome the difficulties of the Second World War in the 1940s. The first-generation market gardener families were well established at Lockleys when they assisted new Veneto migrants to feel welcome when they arrived after the war.

Madeleine Regan
5 November 2023

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References

Desmond O’Connor, No Need to be Afraid: Italian Settlers in South Australia between 1839 and the Second World, Wakefield Press, 1996.

Australian Bureau of Statistics: Census of the Commonwealth of Australia, 1933 and 1947.

Guest blogger, Remo Berno, reports on the experience of the recent pilgrimage when the body of St Pius X returned to  the village of Riese Pio X.  Pope Pius X had been born in the village in 1835. In the image above, people file past the body of St Pius X.

The famous words (“Ritornerò”) were pronounced by the Patriarch of Venice, Cardinal Giuseppe Sarto, in 1903 when he farewelled his beloved fellow Venetian citizens that flocked to the railway station as he was to leave Venice to attend the Conclave of Cardinals. He had been summoned by the Vatican City to elect the new pope after the death of Pope Leo XIII. The many Venetians there showed their disappointment for his departure. They had experienced his great stature as head of the Catholic Church of Veneto for nine years. It could well be that they foresaw his election as the new pope.

On departure Cardinal Sarto addressed the crowd that came to see him off, saying “O vivo o morto, ritornerò” (or alive or dead, I will return). It’s history, that he became Pope Pius X and was head of the Roman Catholic Church for 11 years. Pope Pius X died in 1914 and in 1954 he was proclaimed a Saint.

 

“Peregrinatio Corporis” of Saint Pius X to his birthplace
Once he became Pope Pius X, Giuseppe Sarto never returned to his birthplace. However, Pope Pius X never forgot his town of origin, Riese. In his 11 years in the Vatican, he often prayed to Our Lady of Cendrole (“Madonna delle Cendrole”) as he did when he was a boy. The Pope sent many gifts to his fellow citizens in Riese, and these can be now seen in his museum next to his home. ( Click here for virtual tour )

For us, his fellow citizens that live in Riese Pio X and for the very many “Riesini” (people from Riese) that migrated from this small village to populate so many cities throughout the world, Saint Pius X is our most famous citizen. This year is the 120^th anniversary of his election as Pope. To mark this important historical event, the Giuseppe Sarto Foundation, the Treviso Diocese, the parish and the municipality of Riese Pio X honoured our great saint by means of a “Peregrinatio Corporis”. For the first time after becoming Pope Pius X, the mortal remains of Giuseppe Melchiore Sarto returned to his town of birth for 8 days and many thousands of pilgrims paid homage to this saint in the Marian Sanctuary in Cendrole. The young Giuseppe Sarto often walked these two kilometres from his home to this church, to receive the grace of Our Lady in his way as a Catholic believer that eventually elevated him to holiness.

“Bentornato a casa, Bepi” (Welcome back home, Giuseppe)
The mortal remains of Saint Pius X in his glass coffin travelled 550 km to Riese Pio X from the Vatican, on board a vehicle, specifically equipped for the journey. It arrived in Riese on Saturday 7^th September in the afternoon and the first stop was in front of the local Church where more than two thousand people eagerly awaited to catch the first glimpse of Saint Pius X.

His next stop was in front of the house where he was born on 2^nd June 1835. He lived here to the age of 15, when he entered the Seminary of Padova for his clerical studies. On 18^th September 1858 he was ordained a priest. The following day he celebrated his first mass in the Church of his hometown, Riese. Giuseppe Sarto’s father, Giovanni Battista died in 1852 whilst the future pope was only a boy of 17. His mother, Margherita Sanson, however, lived in her house in Riese for many years after. Father Giuseppe Sarto often visited his mother until her death in 1894. At that time Giuseppe Sarto was Bishop of Mantova.

Saint Pius X’s body was in front of his home on this Saturday afternoon and this picture will remain a magical moment for all of us that were there. The Mayor of Riese Pio X, Matteo Guidolin, and the Parish Priest, Don Giorgio Piva and the thousands of spectators hailed his return, “Ben tornato a casa, Bepi” = “Welcome back home, Giuseppe.”

 

His destination for this “Peregrinatio Corporis” was his beloved Cendrole Sanctuary where he rested till his departure on Sunday 15^th October.

The Pilgrimage
As for tens of thousands before me, on Saturday 14^th my pilgrimage commenced in the Church of Riese Pio X. I was accompanied by my family and some friends. Together we stopped in front of the font where our saint was baptized on 3^rd June 1835, the day after his birth. It is also the font where my two children, Alberto and Daniela, received their baptism.  Behind the altar we passed the tomb that held the body of Pope Pius X for the time from his burial, in 1914, till 1954, when he was proclaimed saint and elevated to the honour of exposure in Saint Peter’s Basilica.  The former tomb that held his body, was sent as a relic to his church in Riese.

Leaving the parish church, we walked on the same the street that Giuseppe Sarto had walked. A quick stop took us through his home to remember where the saint lived his childhood. From there it was a 2 km walk to Cendrole, the same path that Giuseppe Sarto covered so many times. In this small area in Riese, there is a beautiful Marian Sanctury that now stands on the grounds where there was, in origin, a tiny church, that dates to the year 972. Ever since, the “Madonna di Cendrole” (Our Lady of Cendrole) has been venerated by the Catholic Community. Here, the saint laid for 8 days, and the processions continued each day, from 9 am to 10 pm.

Over 55,000 people visited the temporary resting place of Saint Pius X. They were mostly Italians but also very many foreigners. One visitor was the Reverend Buddhist monk, Tich Quang Dao, spiritual leader of the most important Buddhist Temple in France. Many pilgrims also came from the hundreds of parishes that throughout the world are named after Saint Pius X.

 

During the week, many were the moments that offered me special emotions. I was one of 900 people (mostly volunteers) who assisted with the organisation of these 8 days of Saint Pius X’s presence. The atmosphere that was perceived by all the pilgrims, was one of peace and serenity.

The main road in Riese Pio X, that leads to the Marian Sanctuary of Cendrole was closed to vehicle traffic from 9 am. to 10 pm. to allow the processions to flow safely with respect towards the saint.

On three different days, I was fortunate to be a reader of prayers in the Sanctuary, while the procession passed in front of Saint Pius X in his casket. I saw people praying in respectful silence and contemplation, people genuflecting, people crying. It was impossible for me not to be touched by such reverence. I read psalms and prayers written by the pilgrims. A very touching one was written by a lady who thanked Saint Pius X for answering her prayers many years ago when she was healed from tuberculosis.  How great was this man to be worshipped by so many people who had never met him and who had vaguely heard about his life that spanned from 109 to 188 years ago?

It has been an exceptional experience for me and my family and for the many thousands of pilgrims. Often during this past week, my mind went back to my parents and all that they did for me, carrying in their heart the holiness of their fellow citizen.

In the local newspaper ‘La Tribuna di Treviso’ of the Friday 13th, a 78-year-old migrant, Vito Porcellato, gave an interview. He was born in Riese and in 1966, migrated to Canada and eventually settled in the city of Guelph in the Ontario province. He and his family travelled to Riese Pio X especially for this occasion, to be part of this extraordinary event. He said, ‘Saint Pius X was the figure that kept us linked to our birthplace. Once a year, all of us “Riesini” and many other migrants celebrate his holy day. On many tombstones in the Guelph cemetery, you will find an image of this holy saint’.

It is no wonder that Saint Pius X has become the patron saint of the “Trevisani nel Mondo” (People who originate from the Treviso province and live in foreign cities) and that his name has been given to so many parishes throughout the world.

Remo Berno
22 October 2023

All photos supplied by Remo.

 

In the last three weeks two respected and loved members of the Veneto market gardener families, Johnny Marchioro and Lena Moscheni nee Rossetto, have died.
This blog pays tribute to Johnny and Lena and their contribution to the Veneto market gardeners’ oral history project.

The image above shows representatives of Veneto market gardener families. L-R: Frankie Ballestrin, Silvano Ballestrin, Alan Santin, Johnny Marchioro, Jimmy Ballestrin, Lean Moscheni nee Rossetto, Seaton, October 2022. Photo by Alex Bennett.

Before I met Johnny Marchioro in 2007, I had thought that most Italians in South Australia had arrived after World War II.  But between 1927 and 1940, about 2,5000 Italians had arrived in South Australia and the largest group was from the Veneto region – 550 men and 178 women.[1]

The Veneto market gardeners arrived between 1926 and 1928 and through interviews with descendants of those people, I have discovered strong and lasting connections between families that helped to make up for the separation from relatives in Italy.

Johnny Marchioro
Johnny was born on 17 August 1940 at Torrensville. At that time, Italians in Australia were known as “enemy aliens” because Italy had joined Germany against the allies in the war.

Johnny’s parents came from the province of Vicenza in the Veneto region. Johnny’s father, Vittorio, arrived in 1927 as a 21-year-old.  Vittorio married Angelina in 1937 by proxy and they began their married life on Frogmore Road in 1938. Johnny’s brother, Romano was born in 1942.

The family was part of the close community or the paese of Veneto market gardeners at St James Park, the area they used to call ‘Lockleys.’

I interviewed Johnny in 2008. He was the first person to give an interview for the Veneto market gardeners oral history project. Because of Johnny and Eleonora who welcomed me into their home and shared information about market gardening and the Veneto community of market gardeners I was able to start the oral history project and they have been part of it ever since.

In his interview, I learned about Johnny’s family and his childhood on the market garden first on Frogmore Road. In 1948, Vittorio and Angelina bought five acres with zia Margherita, and established market gardens on the river at White Avenue, Lockleys. They were one of the first in the Veneto group to buy land after the war.

Johnny’s first three years of school were at Flinders Park Primary and when the family moved, he began at Marist Brothers on George Street, Thebarton where he made lifelong friends. At school Johnny was a natural sportsman and acknowledged as a leader when he was made captain of both football and cricket teams. Outside school and sports, there was work on the market garden from a young age – he was about eight when he began milking the family cow.

 

When he was 15, Johnny left school. He was employed in a couple of jobs including working for Crotti’s grocery shop and for a local market gardener. In his interview, Johnny said:
I was about fifteen and I started working the land. When the time came that Dad said to work at home, I jumped at the idea and I know it probably it wasn’t the best idea but after that and since Eleonora and I got married, we’ve had a pretty good time working in the garden. It would have been a lot easier to have an office job or [laughs] other jobs. We worked hard on the land but in the long run, it paid off for us. (OH 872/1, 21 July, 2008, p 9)

 

 

Johnny worked with his parents on the market gardens for about ten years. He kept meticulous records of the sales of each market day and documented the cycle of planting, pruning and picking. Earlier this year, Johnny donated some of those record books to the State Library.

Although Johnny worked long days with his parents, they gave him time off to play football and build a promising career with the Eagles.

In 1963, Johnny met Eleonora Ottanelli at a dance at Norwood Town Hall. Love flourished and two years later, Johnny and Eleonora married. In 1966 they moved to their new house at Bolivar and Johnny worked with his Dad and Eleonora to erect 14 glasshouses on the five acres – this took about six months. The land hadn’t been used before and Johnny imported topsoil to improve it and he dug the earth by hand. The day that Lisa was born in 1966, Johnny planted the first tomatoes. Four years later, Robert was born. Johnny recalled that the first five or six years at Bolivar were challenging and it took that long to get a really good crop of tomatoes. Johnny’s parents helped Johnny and Eleonora with their 21 glasshouses at Bolivar twice a week for about 20 years.

In 1975, Johnny and Eleonora made their first visit to Italy with Lisa and Robert. Johnny loved meeting his relatives in Malo and Monte di Malo and for Eleonora, it was the first time in 18 years since she had seen her family on Isola d’Elba. They continued to keep close connections with  relatives in Adelaide and in Italy.

Johnny and Eleonora couldn’t quite put a date on their retirement because … well, they didn’t really retire! Johnny stopped going to market in about 2000 but – there has been at least one glasshouse planted with vegetables each year and, of course, they grew artichokes which many Italians in Adelaide have enjoyed over the years.

In his interview, Johnny reflected on his family, his work and love of his life:
From my parents I’ve learned – they were honest and well-respected by all the Italians at Lockleys. I don’t think that Mum and Dad had bad words with any of their friends. And I tried to do the same (and he added) and lucky to get married in 1965. I don’t find any regrets in working the land. (OH 872/1, 21 July, 2008, p 14)

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You can watch four short videos of Johnny being interviewed about his life on the City of Charles Sturt website. Johnny recorded the videos in about 2011:
City of Charles Sturt website

Click here to hear Johnny’s interview and read the transcript of his interview on the Vittorio Marchioro webpage.

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Lena Moscheni nee Rossetto
Lena was born on 8 December 1932 in Adelaide. Her older brother, Romeo, died when he was 7 years old. Lena had two brothers, Aldo and Silvano and there were four other children born who did not live for long.

She spoke about her father and mother in her interview and a connection to Vittorio Marchioro:
By the time Romeo and I were born, he was working down in Frogmore Road, working for somebody else, I don’t remember who actually. Mum … had boarders because there was not much money around. The vegetables weren’t selling, it was Depression time, and Mum took in boarders. Two of them were her brother-in-laws, and one was Vittorio Marchioro, and another one …  but I remember Vittorio because I used to, he used to tell me that I used to sit on his lap, and Mum, Mum had all these boarders to look after, Dad, and two children by then, me and Romeo, it was a lot of work. (OH 872/32 28 August 2014, p2)

In the interview Lena spoke about the close relationship between Angelina Marchioro and her mother, they were really good mates and they used to tell each other secrets. (p21)

Lena went to school at St Marys College Franklin Street and made strong friendships which continued through her life. When she left school at 15 years, she worked in a Greek grocery store, Star, on Hindley Street and learned to speak some Greek. Lena had a large group of Rossetto relatives because seven of her father’s siblings had also migrated to Australia. She grew up among many cousins.

Lena met Claudio Moscheni in about 1955. He was from Istria and had arrived in Australia in 1950. They met at a dance that was for young Italians and Australian Italians at St Patrick’s Hall in the City of Adelaide. Lena and Claudio had three children – David born in 1957, Duane in 1961 and Adrian in 1964 and the family spent several years living in Darwin. Lena and Claudio had close relationships with their grandchildren. Claudio died in 2017. When Lena made visits to Italy, she enjoyed spending time with relatives in Bigolino and Biadene and with Claudio’s family in Florence.

 

In her interview Lena recalled her memories of growing up in the market garden area of Lockleys:

You know, every time I drive past River Road, which is Rowells Road now, I always glance over there to where Dad had his farm, his garden … and every time I go down Frogmore Road it reminds me that I used to live there. (p30)

 

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Click here to listen to Lena’s interview in three parts and read the transcript on the Rossetto family webpage

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The connections
The links between the Marchioro and the Rossetto families have continued since the 1920s. When Angelina Marchioro arrived in 1938 as a new bride, Lena’s mother, Lina Rossetto nee Bordin, hosted an afternoon tea to welcome her to Adelaide and their close friendship developed from that time.

Johnny and Lena shared the experience of growing up in their parents’ market gardens at Lockleys and their experience of the deep friendships in the Veneto community of market gardeners. They both loved their family history, and like the many people who have been interviewed, were proud to tell the story of their parents and their hard work and the love of working the land and the strong bonds in the community.

I am grateful for the generous contribution that Johnny and Lena made to the Veneto market gardeners’ oral history project over many years.

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Johnny Marchioro features in an exhibition at the State Library of South Australia, ‘Cornucopia: Gardens & Gardening in South Australia.’ The exhibition will continue until February 2024.

Madeleine Regan
8 October 2023

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[1] Des O’Connor, No Need to be Afraid: Italian Settlers in South Australia between 1839 and the Second World War, Wakefield Press, 1996, pp 118-120.