by Susan Toscan
The Messeras’ plans for the arrival of Savina and Alessandro had reached fever pitch. The whole family was involved in preparing the house for the new arrivals as well as organising a welcome lunch for them.
Agnes and the children were eagerly looking forward to being part of the Messeras’ get-together. The Italian family had been very important to them through the years—more so now than ever before.
Brad did not want to go to the lunch and, therefore, made it extremely difficult for his wife and the children. Agnes stood her ground; she felt that she had to stand up to him and say that she was going—and taking the children—no matter what he did. She had been hit on several occasions for disagreeing with him, but she did not care.
Agnes and the children would go with Agnes’s parents, and she was glad that Brad would not be with them. She had no feelings left for him anymore; she was numb to all emotions except her love for the children. Agnes would go and meet this couple and share in the joy of being with people she truly cared for and respected. She knew that it would be good for the children, and for her, to be part of that loving atmosphere for a while.
Two one-way tickets
to Griffith
Two weeks after leaving Fremantle, Alessandro and Savina arrived in Sydney and saw the most beautiful sight they had ever seen: Sydney Harbour in the midday summer heat. It was December 1949, and the memory of sailing into the harbour that day would stay with them for the rest of their lives. They would return to Sydney only a few times, but on each visit, they would go and see that amazing bridge and try to recall the excitement and joy they had felt at that first view of their new homeland.
The wharf left a lot to be desired, especially after the beauty of the harbour, but excitement would not let the young couple see the surrounding dreary industrial buildings as they eagerly looked for the person who was to meet them. A friend of Alessandro’s uncle was there holding up a sign with their names on it. They had to look around carefully to spot him in the very large crowd that had gathered to greet the passengers of the ship.
Alessandro and Savina were delayed by custom checks, and before they could leave the wharf, they had to stand in yet another line of passengers to be issued their food ration cards. The young couple found this tedious as they wanted to get away from the throngs of people.
Once they had the appropriate documents, they said farewell to the friends they had made on the ship. However, they weren’t upset about this; they knew that they would see them all again very soon. As they began moving away, Flavia called back to Savina, “I look forward to being godmother to your baby! I’ll contact you when we arrive in Griffith.”
Approximately 118,800 assisted passage migrants would arrive in Australia in 1949. The number had increased from the previous year. All migrants to Australia came in under the Nationality and Citizenship Act, which was put into action on 26 January 1949.
Alfred, the friend of Alessandro’s uncle who had greeted the young couple, took them to his home. He had a small utility vehicle, and Savina and Alessandro climbed into the back for the 30-minute drive. Sydney passed them by in a blur… they were a little disoriented. Alfred’s wife Rosanna was waiting for the young couple at home and made them feel very welcome.
After eating the meal Rosanna had prepared for them, they had a very relaxing evening. Rosanna tried to teach the new arrivals a few more words in English. She wanted them to have some basic vocabulary for the train trip the next day, so she wrote the words two one-way tickets to Griffith out for Savina and put the Italian translation next to it. The written English words looked very strange to Savina, but she had been practising what she had learned on the ship and was improving quickly.
“Don’t worry too much, my dear,” Rosanna assured her. “You’ll be able to take more classes when you arrive in Griffith. Most of the country areas are offering English lessons to new migrants.”
“That’s so good to hear. I will make it a priority once we are settled,” Savina said. She was very determined; she wanted to learn this language more than anything.
The train trip to Griffith was a joy to Savina, who was so excited that she could not keep still. Over the past few weeks, she had begun to feel well again for the first time in two months. She knew that her baby had survived the long sea voyage and that the future was looking good. Her exhilaration increased as the train headed west and she saw flat land—no mountains. She was mesmerised by the passing countryside, vast farming areas with crops that seemed to go on forever. She was constantly reminded of just how big this country was.
Alessandro watched his wife’s delight as she went from one side of the train carriage to the other. She did not want to miss anything. When she finally sat still for a few minutes, he felt her leaning against him and knew that she had fallen asleep. This was a long train journey, and he was pleased that she was resting for a while.
Rosanna had packed them food for the trip, and Alessandro shifted his weight slightly so that he could reach the basket and retrieve a piece of fruit. The fruit tasted so good that he could not get enough. In Sydney, they had eaten bananas for the first time, and he was convinced that it was the best thing he had ever eaten. The strange tropical flavour would always remind him of this train trip into the exciting unknown.
The train finally pulled into the small station near the centre of Griffith. This town seemed so far from anywhere. Nonetheless, the two were relieved to have finally reached their destination. The train trip had taken all day. Savina reminded Alessandro that in that time, they could have travelled from Italy into several other countries. They laughed together as they proceeded to collect their luggage.
As they exited the station, faces only vaguely remembered, but recognised from photographs, came into view. Alessandro reached for his uncle’s hand and was choked with tears of relief that he was finally with family. He noted how much like his father his uncle Frank looked.
“Lo Zio, la Zietta, è così buono per vederla.”—Uncle, Auntie, it is so good to see you.
Frank hugged his nephew. “Welcome, Alessandro, and this must be Savina. Welcome, my dear. You were only a little girl when we left Italy, so you probably don’t remember us. We are happy that you are part of our family.”
“Thank you,” Savina said, quietly; she felt very shy.
Maria sensed that Savina was feeling a bit overwhelmed, and she took her aside. “Savina, siamo così felici che siete quì con Alessandro, vogliamo che vi sentite a casa vostra e facciamo di tutto per aiutarvi ad abientarvi.”—Savina, we are so pleased that you are here with Alessandro. We want you to feel at home, and we will do all we can to help you settle in.
The slightly bewildered young woman could see that Maria was trying to reassure her, and she was grateful for her kindness.
Alessandro and Frank had not stopped talking since the first greeting. Frank asked his nephew about his family. “They’re all reasonably well. My mother will never get over the death of my brother, and her health has not improved. My sisters take good care of her, and I think that she enjoys having her grandchildren around. Papa is doing well. He was very upset about us leaving, but he encouraged us to come. He knew that you would be here to help us, and he is grateful to you for that.”
“We have much to talk about, bello.” Frank kept looking at his nephew. Alessandro was so like his father at the same age, and Frank felt very emotional. “Let’s get you home.”
“That would be good, Zio. Savina and I have looked forward to this for a long time.”
Alessandro watched Maria take Savina under her wing and smiled. He knew that his aunt would make a special effort to welcome his wife to the family. Savina was looking a bit confused with everyone talking at once.
Once again, Alessandro and Savina were loaded onto the back of a small truck with their belongings, but this time they were finally going home. Alessandro held Savina as they jolted along. They were both exhausted but relieved to have reached their destination. They sat and reflected on the
journey so far. The rest of their lives was just beginning.
Alessandro could not help but think about his family and how most of his life he had wanted to get away from all of them. Now that he had done that, he felt sad that they had not learned to appreciate each other while they were still all together—while he was still in Italy and his brother was still alive. Life had certainly been hard as part of a large, poor family, but he now looked to the future that he would build with Savina.
When the Messeras left the train station, they drove through the main street of Griffith. It was a small town, but it looked busy and prosperous. The street was lined with interesting shops, and there were lots of people going about their business. They looked to be socialising as well as getting shopping done. This was certainly familiar to Savina and Alessandro. Their small village in Italy was always social as people gathered in the local square to catch up with friends. It was where news was shared and people were kept up to date with information. Griffith looked to have much the same character even though it was a much bigger place than Cavaso.
Savina could not believe that there were so many shops filled with so many interesting items. She could see clothes and shoes in the windows. She knew that she was indeed in a very different world to the one she had left behind. When they had left Cavaso, the village was starting to show signs of recovery from the ravages of the war, but the shops around the square only provided basic necessities. Savina thought that it would be such a luxury to be able to buy things to wear in town. She and her sisters had made their own clothes, and Savina could not remember ever buying a dress in a shop.
Alessandro liked what he saw. People must have money to spend for shops to be doing well. He thought that this was a good sign. The town itself looked neat and tidy, and as they continued to drive away from the shopping area, he could see rows of houses branching out from the main street. The houses were different from those in Cavaso. They looked to be made of thin boards with metal roofs and were only a single storey high. The windows were much bigger than he was used to in Italy and had no shutters. Alessandro wondered where they put the animals at night. In Cavaso most houses were two or three storeys high with a barn for the animals attached to the side of the house. They also had shutters on the windows as extra insulation. He was curious and keen to ask Frank about the design of the houses. It was all very different, but he did like the weather. It was very hot and dry, and the sky was clear and blue. Alessandro put his arm around his wife. “This is a good place for us to make our home, my love. I think it might take us a while to get used to it, but I like what I see.”
Savina snuggled close to her husband. “I like what I see too. And I’m looking forward to going into town again soon to visit the shops.”
The truck left the town and continued along rough dirt roads for about 15 miles towards the tiny farming district of Bilbul, where the farmhouse that would be their home was situated.
Another 20 minutes down the road, they turned into Frank and Maria’s farm. The family had all gathered on the lawn, waiting to meet the newcomers. On seeing them, Savina felt shy and overwhelmed again. Maria was watching her and quickly took her by the hand and introduced her to her daughters and their husbands. Lucia, Flavio and their two boys were there as well as Renata and Steven with a brood of three children. Savina relaxed when she heard her native language being spoken by almost everyone.
Maria then introduced the members of another family that seemed to be very close to the Messeras: a lovely but sad-looking woman whose name was Agnes and her three beautiful children, Frances, Patricia and Neil. She also met Agnes’s sister Betty, who was there with her husband Samuel and their three boys, as well as Betty and Agnes’ parents, Elsie and Joe. They seemed very friendly, but Savina noted that they were not Italian. They did make an attempt to say a few words in Italian, but they quickly made it clear that they could not speak the language. As she laughed with them, she became aware that she felt very comfortable with these new people.
A little later, as Savina sat in the shade next to her husband’s aunt, Maria explained that Agnes and her children had once lived in the house that was to be Savina and Alessandro’s home.
As she was speaking in Italian—and as Agnes was some distance away, talking and laughing with Renata and Lucia—Maria felt she could safely tell Agnes’s story without upsetting her friend. She explained to Savina that Agnes’s first husband had been missing since he was wounded at Tobruk. “We haven’t heard from him, but they think that he must have died from the injuries he received in Tobruk. Sadly no-one knows for sure. Michael had been very special to us all. When she finally accepted that Michael was not coming home, Agnes got married again—to a long-time friend. It’s hard for those of us who love her to see how much she’s changed since Michael disappeared.”
Savina now understood the feeling she had when she first met Agnes. She had thought that the ravages of war would not follow her to her new home, but it was now obvious to her that many people in all countries had been affected and that the loss and sadness caused by the war were widespread. Savina wanted to make an effort to get to know Agnes. Despite her tragic story, she looked to be very strong, and her well-behaved children seemed a testament to the fact that she was a good mother.
Many conversations were going on in both English and Italian, and Savina realised that she was exhausted again.
Alessandro was asked many questions about the family in Cavaso, and, of course, there were commiserations for his brother who had died in the war. Frank wanted to know how Alessandro’s other brothers and sisters and their families had coped since the war.
“Zio, everyone is doing it very tough. My two brothers and brothers-in-law have gone to Treviso to try to find better-paying jobs. There is no money to be made on the land. Papa is working the farm with the help of my sisters and the older grandsons. They are hardly able to produce enough food to support themselves. I worry about them all.”
Frank shook his head. “It is good that you and Savina have come to Australia. When Maria and I left Cavaso, it was much the same. Even so, we know that life in the village did get better for a while, and I am sure that it will improve for your family now. We pray for that anyway.”
Everyone had enjoyed a wonderful afternoon, but it was getting late and Savina needed to get some rest. Alessandro caught Maria’s attention, and Maria—understanding that they must be very tired—took Savina into the house.
The young couple was to spend the night at Maria and Frank’s home. The next day, having rested properly, they would proceed to set up their own house. When the two women were alone, Savina confided in Maria. “During the voyage, I realised that I was pregnant, and I was quite ill. I’m still trying to regain my strength, so I have to apologise for seeming a little exhausted.”
Maria was thrilled to hear this news. The Messera family loved having children around, and the whole community would welcome another baby. “You don’t have to apologise, my dear. We’ll get you settled and you can have a good night’s rest.”
“Maria, I don’t like feeling like an invalid,” Savina was quick to add. “I want to be back to normal as soon as I can so that I can get on with setting up the house. I’m usually a very healthy person, so I know that I’ll be fine.”
“I know, my dear; you just need a few days rest and some good food.” Savina was to find out that Maria would make it her personal mission to get the young woman well and strong again.
The next morning dawned a very hot day. Savina was awake early. She had always been an early riser, and she was feeling especially good that morning—and very anxious to get started. Even though she only had two suitcases and one trunk to unpack, she could not wait any longer to see her new home. The house was quiet as everyone was still sleeping, so Savina walked out into the garden. It was a lovely summer’s day. She heard loud screeching and looked up to see a flock of large white birds that seemed to have yellow feathers on their heads—she would later find out they were ca
lled sulphur-crested cockatoos—swooping in formation across the sky. There seemed to be dozens of them, and they were very loud.
The air was thick with the strong aroma of the eucalyptus trees that bordered the property. The garden was filled with the sweet smell of jasmine, and looking around, Savina noticed a vine growing over the fence. Across the yard, she could see neat rows of grape vines. She walked through the vineyard and was surprised that she was able to think of home fondly as it reminded her of her father’s farm. Although Antonio’s vineyard was very small compared to this one, she still could not help but think of her childhood spent playing hide-and-seek in the vines with her brother and sisters. She was almost surprised to realise that she really did have some good childhood memories. Her relationship with her stepmother, and her restlessness and desire to escape had overshadowed the happy times.
Savina had always loved the outdoors. She looked forward to getting used to all of the new sounds and smells that represented her Australian home. She felt peaceful here. She made her way back into Frank and Maria’s house. Maria was in the kitchen putting a pot of coffee on the stove, and the aroma reminded Savina that she was very hungry.
After breakfast, Maria and Frank took Savina and Alessandro to their new house, which was just two minutes down the road. In fact, it was next door—separated from the Messeras’ house by no more than an orange grove.
The house looked very comfortable; it had obviously had a fresh coat of paint, and the garden was neat. Savina was thrilled to see a vegetable patch. Everyone walked into the kitchen, and once again Savina was taken by surprise. It was furnished! The furniture was very basic, but the couch was covered with a bright floral material, the little table and chairs were sturdy, and in the bedroom, there was a very comfortable-looking bed that Maria had obviously made up in readiness for the young couple.
