Giuseppe Raco — 70 years in Australia — Part two
Perhaps at this point, we should look back and discuss Giuseppe’s life during his early days in Cobram.
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The young boy turned 14 the day his ship berthed at Fremantle before arrival in Melbourne.
Arriving in Cobram was an emotional time for the teenager and dad Rocco, whom he had not seen for three years, and proved to be a heartfelt period for them both.
Soon after his arrival, Giuseppe was put to work on the orchard seven days a week alongside his father and a team of mature orchard hands.
The young Italian possessed minimal English skills and had little understanding of the Australian way of life and it was understandably difficult to make friends of his own age.
He joined a Boys Club formed by a local policeman after experiencing a difficult time with some of the local lads.
There Giuseppe learnt to spar in the boxing ring and soon earned respect from his peers.
He was later encouraged to join some of them in playing football for Cobram Juniors.
Dad Rocco told him he could play but would need to put in two hours of work each Saturday morning before the game and advised he would also have to ride his bike to the ground.
Consequently, the young boy was often late and, despite being selected in the team, would not be permitted to play that day.
Rules were rules.
It was tough and hugely disappointing for the young Italian, who had obeyed his father, put in the work and then ridden his bike in from the orchard in Campbell Rd, to be forced to sit on the sidelines and watch his teammates.
“I played juniors and a few games in the reserves. I wasn’t the best player, but I liked it,” recalled Giuseppe, who was to become a generous supporter and good friend of the senior club over a lengthy period after his sons took up the game.
Now, back to 1968 and time for the young man’s marriage to an 18-year-old Italian girl, Pasqualina Sassone of Shepparton, who had also migrated to Australia with her family from Catanzaro, Calabria.
Since his arrival in 1954, Giuseppe had learned so much from his father Rocco, including the line “In life, you only get out what you put in,” and he applied this to the letter.
The young Italian immigrant worked hard, initially as a young teenager then as a young man living in a man’s world and every day he saved his hard-earned wages.
It was not long before he was in a position to purchase a block of land on which to build a brand new home for himself and his young bride. He was just 28 years of age.
By this time, he was an Australian citizen.
“My father and I became citizens at the same time in May 1960, and we were very proud to become Aussies,” recalled Giuseppe.
“Our citizenship certificate’s were signed by R.J. Cornish, who was the Cobram shire president at the time, and we were each presented with a native tree.”
Pasqualina received her citizenship certificate in 1982 in a somewhat low-key affair presented by Cr Rowan Bell.
She was now a mother of four, Rocco named after his grandfather (Giuseppe’s dad), daughter Marianne and twin sons Joseph and Gerome.
When Pasqualina returned home with her precious certificate on that special day, daughter Marianne held out a pot of beer, saying, “Now you are an Aussie mum, you should have a beer”.
Australia provided wonderful opportunities for the family to get ahead, but not without the rigours of hard work seven days a week from sunrise to sunset combined with the unpredictability of local weather conditions.
It was always possible that their entire crop of stone fruit could suffer severe damage due to extreme rain or hailstorm conditions.
Family was a high priority for the young Racos, and the couple ensured they had time away from the orchard to enjoy a much-needed break each year on their annual holiday with their children.
As the family members became older, the boys attended Assumption College in Kilmore, and often, the weekend schedule included regular trips to watch them play with the school’s First XV111 side.
Marianne completed her education at St Mary of the Angels in Nathalia before studying to become a teacher at Aquinas Teachers College in Ballarat, now known as the Australian Catholic University.
Next week is the final chapter in this three-part series.
Thompsons Beach brings visitors back
Whether you are a former local or a regular visitor to Cobram, the district’s most popular attraction, Thompsons Beach, never ceases to amaze everyone who visits.
Former local Adam Howard spent the past weekend with his wife Milica and beautiful baby daughter Sofia, catching up with old friends and proudly showing his young family the tranquil and beautiful river setting, which holds many wonderful memories of his happy childhood.
Adam has lived and worked in London for many years with Milica, who is Serbian-born and was on her first trip down under.
Before their journey to Australia, the couple visited her family in Serbia, where the temperature was -10°C, and on arrival in Melbourne, it was 30°C.
Closer to home is a family from Flowerdale who travels to Cobram for two weeks every summer with four children.
Over the past two summers, the two older children, Jarrah (8) and Asher (6), have participated in the Bush Nippers Program hosted by Life Saving Victoria.
Over the five days, the youngsters improve their skills in the water and become more acutely aware of the importance of water safety.
Two younger siblings, Estelle (1) and Joe (3), watched on with great interest but will need to wait until they are older to join in.
Mum and Dad Luke and Eleonor Tabone delight in the quality time they have with their young family.
“We love coming to Cobram, it’s a great place for a holiday,” agreed the couple.
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