Work, wine and wisdom: Matteo Cursio reflects on a century of life

Born in San Marco in Lamis, Foggia, Italy on April 15, 1926, Matteo migrated to Australia with his fiancée, Emanuella, and her mum in 1949.

The decision to move to the Goulburn Valley meant Matteo left behind his widowed mother, whom he would never see again.

After their arrival, on September 10, 1949, Matteo and Emanuella got married in Lemnos.

“We were sweethearts,” Matteo recalled.

“After we got married, we made our home in Shepparton.”

The couple had four children: Giovanni (John), Ludovico (Vic), Lucia and Maria.

“I commenced my working life picking peas and tomatoes,” Matteo said.

Matteo then worked for Shepparton Shire Council before starting his concreting career.

“I was a concreter for most of my life, until my 80s,” he said.

“It was a job that let me meet so many people. I’m thankful to have made friends from all walks of life.”

He worked alongside his good friends, forming partnerships with Enrico Bertoncini and later Vito Moretto.

Matteo went on to work with Vito’s son Frank Moretto, who eventually took over the family business.

Matteo said some locals might recognise some of his handiwork around town.

For example, he was part of the concreting team that built the Shepparton Multi Deck Car Park.

“I remember working around the clock on that car park in eight-hour shifts,” he said.

Another notable job was when he worked on the first KFC franchise store in Melbourne in the 1970s.

Outside of work, Matteo was an avid Shepparton Bowling Club member and, alongside his friend Joe Lia, won prizes and competitions.

“I used to enjoy playing bowls and bocce,” he said.

“I loved working on my garden; my roses and dahlias were my pride and joy.”

Matteo was also a member and treasurer of the Shepparton Italian Social Club.

He was awarded a ‘life membership’ memento in recognition of his service to the club in September, 2011.

Matteo's wife passed away in 1985.

Their son John also sadly passed in 2015.

In 2023, Matteo decided to leave Shepparton after almost 70 years of calling the area home.

“My daughters live in NSW, so I moved to Griffith a couple of years ago to be closer to them,” he said.

Matteo now has eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

He celebrated his 100th birthday in Griffith, surrounded by family and friends.