Taking a Chance
In 1950 my great grandfather Giovanni Maugeri made the decision to leave his little village of Vizzini in Sicily, Italy.
It was not a decision he made lightly. After fighting in World War II and watching his twin brother die in battle he returned to his family a broken man. He worked hard on their farm growing wheat but it was difficult to make ends meet. The family lived in fear and poverty. The opportunities to make money were limited and Giovanni’s family lived in very crowded conditions.
When he met my great grandma Josie they got married immediately because he thought she was so beautiful.
Not long after she fell pregnant with their daughter, and at this point Giovanni decided that if his family was going to have a better life, he would need to do something drastic. He decided to leave the familiar surroundings of his village, his wife and unborn child and make the journey to Australia by himself. Josie pleaded with him not to leave her but he was determined to sacrifice his own happiness for their future and promised to send for her as soon as he was established.
Giovanni sold his donkey to pay for his passage to Australia and bought ticket onboard the Lloyd Triestino Neptunia and came to Melbourne Australia.
When he arrived he was overwhelmed by the number of companies ready to hire people coming off the ships, and despite his limited skills and not being familiar with the English language he found work in a leather factory in Footscray immediately. He had nowhere to live when he arrived and slept in empty train carriages with other immigrants in the same situation as himself.
He worked hard and spent very little on food as he sent most of his pay back to his family in Sicily. This certainly was not the picture of the ‘promised land’ he had imagined but he persevered and also took on a second job on the weekends working on a farm in Werribee. Not long after he moved into one of the stables on the farm in exchange for work and food and was able to save lots of money.
Three years passed and he had finally bought his own little home in Werribee and was now ready for his family to join him.
He was now a proud “Aussie” with his big backyard and white picket fence. He had learnt how to fit in and how to speak and write English. He made many friends, and was a well-respected and loved member of the community.
My great grandfather was always generous and paid for his three brother in laws and their families to come to Australia and allowed them to stay in his home until they could afford their own. He never turned anyone away and always offered money to those less fortunate than himself.