Godparents – Veneto families in Adelaide

Within ten years of arrival, some Veneto pioneer market gardeners were gradually reunited with their families in Adelaide. Secondo Tonellato “called” for Elisabetta and their five children.

Nana Rebuli with Dorina, Elvio & Albino, Bigolino after Bruno had emigrated to Australia in 1927

Brunone Rebuli was reunited with his wife, Nana, and their three children. Giovanni Santin sent for Costantina and their children. In 1934 the three Ballestrin’s returned to the Veneto region to find wives and came back to South Australia as three married couples. Two men married in Adelaide; Silvano Zampin married Amelia Shaw, an Irish Australian, and Gino Berno’s first wife was Jean Dyson. Vittorio Marchioro, Angelo Piovesan and Gelindo Rossetto were married by proxy in the 1930s.

 

Baptism, Remo Berno,  Adelaide, 1953. Berno family, relatives and godparents, Vittorio & Angelina Marchioro, centre

Pietro Berno returned to Italy to marry in the late 1940s, and Alberto Berno, in the early 1950s.

1927, the year in which most of the pioneer Veneto market gardeners arrived, was also the year that the first member of the second generation of the Veneto market gardening families was born in Adelaide. Lina Marchioro was born in a boarding house in Hindley Street in the city. She was the second daughter of Margherita and Francesco who had arrived in 1926 with their baby, Mary.

The pioneers laid strong foundations for the Veneto community between the two world wars. As children were born in Adelaide, the role of godparents or santoli was very significant, reinforcing the links between families. The market gardening families lived within two kilometres of each other in Kidman Park and Flinders Park, an easy walking distance for social visits after the working day. This was one of the ways that strong bonds were maintained.

The daughters and sons of the pioneer market gardeners talk fondly about their godparents in their interviews. They recall the family friendships and occasions that involved godparents and godchildren. Birthdays and Christmas were marked with gifts and cards. First communions and confirmations were other important events. One woman remembers being told that her godparents bought the robes for her baptism and described how the santoli kept in close contact with the family until they died. Another interviewee kept in touch with her godparents when they returned to live in the Veneto region and saw them when she made a visit as a young woman.

Zampin, Marchioro, Ballestrin, Compostella families, Adelaide mid-1950s

One interviewee summed up the role of santoli: the connection was “not so much a bond but a special relationship” (Dino Piovesan). Friendships with santoli were enduring, and strengthened links between families and generations in the Veneto community of market gardeners in Adelaide.


Santoli nella communità veneta ad Adelaide

All’interno di dieci anni dopo l’arrivo degli ortolani veneti alcuni gradualmente si riunirono con le loro famiglie ad Adelaide. Secondo Tonellato richiamò sua moglie, Elisabetta, e i loro cinque figli.

Nana Rebuli con Dorina, Elvio & Albino, Bigolino circa 1930

Brunone Rebuli si riunì con la moglie, Nana, e i loro tre figli. Giovanni Santin richiamò sua moglie, Costantina, e i loro quattro figli. Nel 1934 i tre Ballestrin ritornarono in Italia per trovare moglie e si sposarono nel Veneto e ritornarono in Australia con le moglie. Due uomini si sposarono ad Adelaide: Silvano Zampin si sposò con Amelia Shaw, una donna Irelandese-Australiana, e la prima moglie di Gino Berno era Jean Dyson. Vittorio Marchioro, Angelo Piovesan e Gelindo Rossetto si sposarono per procura negli anni ’30.

 

Baptism, Remo Berno in 1953. Godparents, Vittorio & Angelina Marchioro, centre, Berno family and relatives

I fratelli Berno ritornarono in Italia per sposarsi: Pietro alla fine degli anni ’40 e Alberto, al’inizio degli anni ’50.

Il primo membro della seconda generazione degli ortolani veneti nacque in Adelaide nel 1927. Era lo stesso anno che la maggioranza dei pionieri ortolani arrivò in Australia. Lina Marchioro nacque in una pensione nella città di Adelaide. Era la seconda figlia di Margherita e Francesco Marchioro che arrivarono nel 1926 con la loro bambina, Mary.

I pionieri gettarono solide fondamente ad Adelaide per la comunità veneta tra le due guerre mondiali. Per i bambini nati in Adelaide il ruolo dei santoli era molto significativo perchè rafforzarono i vincoli familiari. Le famiglie degli ortolani vissero a una distanza di due chilometri l’una dall’altra in Kidman Park e Flinders Park e cosi mantennero le loro attività lavorative e sociali molto unite.

Le figlie e i figli dei pionieri si riferiscono con tanto rispetto nelle loro interviste riguardo ai loro santoli. Loro ricordano le amicizie familiari con i loro santoli e le occasioni che hanno coinvolto santoli e figliocci, come compleanni e natale segnati da regali e cartoline. Le prime comunioni e conferme erano altri eventi molto importanti. Una donna ricorda che le è stata detto che i suoi santoli comprarono il vestito battesimo e ha descritto come i santoli rimasero in contatto con la famiglia per sempre. Un altra donna che ho intervistato rimase in contatto dopo che i santoli ritornarono nel Veneto e lei li ha visitati quando era una giovane donna.

Le famiglie Zampin, Marchioro, Ballestrin, Compostella families, Adelaide, a meta’ 1950s

Un’uomo ha somarizzato il ruolo dei santoli. Ha detto che non era solo una connessione ma una relazione speciale (Dino Piovesan). L’amicizia con i santoli era solida e rafforzo i vincoli delle famiglie e tra le generazioni venete ad Adelaide.

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