Salvatore Mazzarella

A couple of weeks ago during my blogging hiatus when I couldn't find time to sit at the computer, I bumped into Sam on my morning walk. I've known Sam and his wife Josie for some years. I met them when I used to visit my old mate Ida who lived in the same street. They sometimes walked past while I picked in Ida's garden, and we'd talk. At their invitation, I picked loquat foliage in their backyard more than once before loquat lost popularity as foliage for what reason I don't know.
On the morning of our recent meeting in the main street, Sam, who has always given me a big wave when he sees me, crossed the road to say hello. He had a big smile on his friendly round face and I knew he was on for a yarn. I asked him what year it was that he migrated to Australia from Sicily, having heard a little of his story before. He told me it was 22 July 1963 when he was 20 years old. He talked with enthusiasm, speaking rapidly, his accent thicker the faster he talked, making it hard to catch all he was saying. Several times I stopped him to ask him to repeat things and place names, but I still struggled.
Sam, or Salvatore, came by boat which sailed from the port of Messina in Sicily. There was much poverty and unemployment and many young men were leaving. He first lived in Brunswick with his brother, who had migrated a year earlier, and his first job was in a nearby brickworks. His brother had a girlfriend, a girl from the same town in Sicily, Solarino. When Sam arrived, his brother was embroiled in a fued with the family of his girlfriend, most of whom were back in Sicily, over certain things that supposedly happened or were said in Sicily before the young ones migrated. Sam didn't go into detail but the girl's family would not sanction the relationship. Sam advised his brother that he had no option but to go back to Sicily and straighten things out. Family matters run deep in Sicily. Sam's brother went home hoping to put things right.
After a while, Sam's brother sent him a letter saying he'd smoothed things over with his girl's family and he asked Sam to find her and explain it to her. The girl had moved to Geelong where she lived with her sister, so on a weekend Sam rode his pushbike from Brunswick to Geelong, found the house where the girl lived, and took up a vigil until she left the house and walked down the street. He stopped her, saying he had a letter from his brother, so they went to a nearby park and read the letter, in which Sam's brother explained how the rift had been healed and he wanted her to go back to Sicily and marry him. She did.
Sam left the brickworks and started working in a bricklaying team around the inner Melbourne suburbs. He was paid well and enjoyed the work but had a disagreement with his boss. He was tired of doing all the labouring carting the mortar up ladders and the brickies would often spill mud on him. He wanted a turn at the top but they wouldn't agree so he quit. Someone told him there was work on a potato farm at Mirboo Nth.
One day at Mirboo Nth. at the place he was now working, a bloke came in a truck to pick up spuds. Sam got talking to him. It was Joe Firrito who had his girlfriend with him. Joe Firrito at the time was working for Joe Bussaca at Gembrook and Sam, quite taken by the attractive Vera, asked him did she have a sister. Joe replied that she did, and said Sam should come to Gembrook to meet her.
Sam borrowed his boss's ute one Sunday and though not having a license he drove to Gembrook. Vera's sister's name was Gay, but she was hooked up with Bart Fialla, whom she later married.
My ears pricked hearing these familiar names. Our little dog 'Snowy' came from the Firrito farm some five and a half years ago and since then I've always talked to Vera about 'Snowy' and more recently about her footballing son Micheal, who plays for the Kangaroos in the AFL. Joe Busacca is the father of my accountant and Gay Fialla, for a number of years, was proprietor of 'Faidell' pizza shop which is soon to reopen. I've worked in my accountant's parents garden over some years and also pick bay foliage now and again at Bart and Gay Fialla's.
Sam was told there was work on Mr. Universe's farm at Gembrook. Vera and Gay's father grew spuds and at some time in his life previously he actually was Mr. Universe of body building fame. Sam moved to Gembrook where he met Josie, who was born in Australia but whose father came from Solarino in Sicily, Sam's hometown. He'd come to Australia after WW1 and moved from Kooweerup/ Mirboo Nth. to Gembrook as did Joe Busacca's family and others. To round off, Josie's mother is Joe Busacca's wife's sister. I found all this interesting, as I knew all the people individually, but was unaware of the historic connection and even that Vera and Gay were sisters.
I asked Sam had he been back to Sicily. He replied that he had a number of times, the last being 2005. His father died in 1991 and he went back for the funeral. His father was a soldier in the Italian army when Sam was born early in 1943, and he'd fought in the Spanish civil war before that. Life was tough in the depression of the thirties and there was big money on offer to join Franco.
I said to Sam his dad was lucky to survive the wars and he agreed, saying that WW2 was very bad in Italy. After Italy surrendered the Germans tried to kill everyone. Then there was hardly any food for a long time.
I told Sam if I get to the Greek islands I'll do a detour to Sicily and visit his brother. He said by all means go to Sicily, it's not a big trip from there on a big ferry, but don't worry about visiting his brother.
"ThattalittlashitahaslotsamoneybuttawontacummatoAustralia,hesanottabinabackasincahealeftain1963."