30 Mildura Weekly - 27/11/09
www.milduraweekly.com.au
There’s a very special celebration in Mildura this weekend as two of our Italian community’s most
Breaking rocks, building By daughter JOSIE and son-in-law JACK KELLOGG as told to GRANT MAYNARD BREAKING rocks in a Sunraysia quarry certainly wasn’t what Italian immigrant Francesco had in mind when he left his hometown – San Nicola Di Caulonia – for Australia in 1950. But it was work... and he knew he wouldn’t be doing it forever because he had big plans for his growing family... and dreams too! Francesco Deluca grew up in the same small village of San Nicola Di Caulonia in the Calabrese region of southern Italy as did his future wife, Maria Vellone, who was raised by her grandmother after the death of her mother when she was five. Francesco was the youngest of three children in the Deluca family and Maria the eldest of the two Vellone children. When Maria’s grandmother died in 1939 the couple decided it was an opportune time to get married. They were both 19 years old at the time and the date chosen was November 26. The couple was married in a small Catholic church in San Nicola. But war was brewing in
Europe, and Francesco had been conscripted into the Italian Army, and was lucky to be able to marry before being shipped off. He spent the next three years – from 1940 to 1943 – in Albania. However, during what were to be the final months of his service, Francesco contracted malaria and was sent to a military hospital to recover. He never saw active service again, returning to his family in San Nicola after Italy formally withdrew from hostilities on September 8, 1943. For the next seven years he struggled to make a decent living for his family and decided to migrate. He had friends who were considering Canada, and others planning to come to Australia. He wisely chose Australia. Francesco Deluca immigrated to Australia in April 1950, arriving in Melbourne aboard the ship Sebastiano Gabotto and leaving behind his wife Maria and son, Domenico, and his two daughters, Carmellina and Giuseppina (known as Josie today), to earn enough money to af-
ford to bring his family to his adopted country. Francesco was fortunate enough to have a cousin, Domenico Cavallaro, already living in Koorlong who encouraged him to move there.
Taking his cousin’s advice, Francesco moved to Mildura and with little or no English... and no money ... began his new life working in the Benetook Quarries for a Mr Charlie Adams. His
job was hard manual work, cracking limestone rock with a sledgehammer, almost as if he was a prisoner all for nine pounds a week! But he enjoyed his time there, and today still speaks highly of his first boss, who helped him learn limited English. One of his favourite stories from that time is when he wanted to buy a colander. He knew what he wanted, but not what it was called in English. His explanation to the shopkeeper went like this: “Spaghetti stay, water pass”. Not understanding what his customer wanted, the shop assistant worked his way around the store, show-
ing Francesco all manner of items until, at last, they came upon a colander! Francesco left the quarry after seven months and moved to Iraak with two friends – Larry Cirillo and Don Cavallaro – to sharefarm with a local landholder. The trio grew pumpkins, peas and beans while sharing an old pickers’ hut near the river and often fished or trapped rabbits to supplement their meagre food stores. Living off the land and living rent free allowed Francesco to save money for his first plan – to bring his family to Australia. He recalls they were tough times, and often won-
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• BEST FRIENDS: Francesco and Maria Deluca remain the best of friends after 70 years of marriage. It is one of their secrets to a happy life. INSET: The lovingly crafted invitation for this weekend’s celebration and ABOVE, Francesco with his first tractor that doubled as the family ‘car’.
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