On this day

Bruno Rebuli, circa 1922

Today is the 25th of July, 2019.  My grandfather, Bruno Rebuli, arrived in Australia on this day in 1927. 

A section of my grandfather's entry document,

It would be 4 years before he saw his wife and young children again.  I can't even begin to imagine what would have been going through his mind on this day so many years ago.  I would give anything to know what his first impressions were and what his first years here were like.

My grandfather with his youngest child, my uncle Guido, in Adelaide.  Circa 1948

Coming to Australia

My father, Vito (Albino) Rebuli, was 7 years old when he left Italy with his mother, Giovanna, and sister Dorina, aged 8, and brother Elvio, aged 6, on the "Remo" to meet up with his father, Bruno, who was waiting for them on the other side of the world in Adelaide, Australia.  My grandfather, Bruno, had arrived on the 25th of July, 1927, on the ship "Carignano".  The rest of the family arrived on the 1st of December, 1931.  The life ahead of them in their new home was to be far from an easy one with a depression and World War 2 facing them.

My dad (far right, holding the hoop), with his mother, sister Dorina and brother Elvio, in Bigolino, Italy, before they left to reunite with my grandfather in Adelaide, Australia.  Circa 1929

My parents visiting the Monte Grappa War Memorial,
Veneto, Italy, in 1962

My dad returned to Italy for a holiday in 1962 where he met my mother, Antonietta Danieli, and they married in November of that year.  Together, they arrived in Adelaide, Australia, on the 30th of November, 1962 to be greeted by a very hot day.  The intention was that they would return to Italy to live in the not-to-distant future.  They did return in 1968 but only stayed for one year after my dad's strong sense of responsibility to his family in Australia got too much for him.

Where in the world

Both of my parents were born in the Veneto Region - famous for it's capital of Venice - Italy.  The area they are from is the province of Treviso.  My dad was born in the town of Bigolino in 1924 and my mother was born in Caerano di San Marco in 1934.

 

Caerano di San Marco with Monte Grappa in the background

The Piave.  This photo was taken by my father when he was there in 1962

Bigolino is next to Valdobbiadene, close to the Piave River.  It is approximately 73Km north-west of of Venice.  Caerano di San Marco is a larger town, approximately 65Km north-west of Venice, and located just next to the much bigger town of Montebelluna.

The Piave River crosses the Veneto, originating in the Eastern Alps and flowing into the Adriatic Sea at the port of Cortellazzo between Eraclea and Jesolo, just north-east of Venice.  During the First World War, the Piave became an important strategic line with the river becoming the line of defense against the Austro-Hungarian and German troops.

 

World War 1 and Fascism

I often wish that I had asked my dad more questions about when he was younger and about his father - my nonno, Bruno Rebuli.  One question that I did ask him was what made my nonno want to leave Italy and come to Australia.  Dad always gave me the same answer.  My nonno was not comfortable with the political climate in Italy at the time.  Having experienced the effects of World War 1 close up and then the rise of Mussolini, and Fascism, was enough for my nonno to make the decision to leave.

The area around Bigolino was hit particularly hard during World War 1.  Fighting along the Piave River was close by.  Many families made the decision to flee as refugees to the other side of the Piave as a result.  My grandmother's family - the Rossetto family - was one of those families.  After the war, they returned to a house that was badly damaged by a bomb.  Even items that had been buried for "safe keeping" had been destroyed.

Not long after the war ended in 1918, Italy saw the rise of Mussolini - "Il Duce" - and Fascism in 1919.  His supporters, known for using heavy-handed actions, did not hesitate to strike out at anyone that spoke out against Mussolini.  For most of the population, who carried on with their lives as normal, this did not cause any problems.  My grandfather was a softly spoken man who was not particularly interested in causing any political stirrings.  The Rossetto family, on the other hand, were different.  Being much more out-spoken, it wasn't long before they caught the attention of the local Fascists.

L to R: Elvio, Dorina and Vito in Bigolino, circa1927-28

The Rossetto's were far from revolutionaries but they were were not shy to speak their mind.  These comments made them targets and on one occasion, my great-grandfather, Modesto Rossetto, was forced to drink a large amount of cod liver oil as punishment.  Fearing for further actions towards the family, several of the Rossetto children decided to leave Italy for a life elsewhere.  My grandfather decided to join them and arrived in Australia on the 25th of July, 1927.  My grandmother, Giovanna (nee Rossetto), followed on the 30th of November, 1931, with their three young children in tow; Dorina aged 8, my dad, Vito (Albino) aged 7, and Elvio aged 6.

Entry documents for Bruno Rebuli, dated 1927, above, and below, Giovanna and the children, dated 1931

onno