SAN GIOVANNI BATTISTA FESTIVAL - THE ENTERTAINERS

The San Giovanni Battista festival became its own entity. So many performers and so much entertainment for the festival that I felt that a story dedicated just to the performers was warranted. With the first festival it was a lot smaller so the amount of entertainers were limited.

Enzo Giribaldi

Enzo Giribaldi performed several times at the festival with his first performance being at the December 1966 festival. At just six years of age Enzo won his first competition. Then at the age of nine, in 1957, his family emigrated to Australia. He continued his studies with a German teacher Otto Weiss located in Sydney.

Aged twenty Enzo began to teach accordion under the supervision of Maestro Simonelli. During this time Enzo had been playing in Australia’s largest Italian club, Club Marconi with his quartet. Enzo also completed a Theory of Music course at the Conservatorium of Music - Sydney.

When Enzo was 24 he opened his first music school and in a short time he had a total of four music schools with twenty two teachers working for him teaching about 600 students of which about half were learning the accordion. During this time Enzo produced local, state and Australian champions. He was an incredibly accomplished accordionist.

Both videos from the collection belonging to Enzo Giribaldi

via youtube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/@Enzooscar

 

From 1981 under President Luigi Villella, the San Giovanni Battista festival started up again and became an extravaganza. Mario Mastroianni was the secretary and the coordinator for organising the yearly entertainment. The variety of entertainers were amazing.  Local artists, variety show performers, dancers and singers. Australian well known entertainers graced the stage of the San Giovanni Battista festival. Then there was an ever growing group of Italian/Australian artists who would perform on a regular basis. The icing on the cake were the International Italian artists. Mario was brilliant at organising them. There was something for everyone. Mario was secretary from 1981 - 2006.

I wanted to include as many as of the artists as I could. This isn’t all of the them, but it is most of them.


AUSTRALIAN MUSIC SCENE ARTISTS 

Reńee Geyer, John St Peeters, John Paul Young, Doug Parkinson, Moving Pictures, Judy Stone, The Deltones, Barry Crocker, Mick on Wheels, The Zips, Jackie Love, Delilah.

AUSTRALIAN VARIETY PERFORMERS

Jane Scali, Joe Perrone, Michael Montgomery, Euro Latino, Audio Vixen, George (Playschool),

TRIBUTE ACTS

Spice Power,  Fabba, MJ Show, Dean & Jerry Show, Jacques Renay (Tom Jones Show), Ricky Martin Jnr & Friends,

COMEDIANS

Joe Avati, Vince Sorrenti, Tony Lewis, Marty Coffy

LOCAL PERFORMERS

Rhonda Fassone, The Con Artists, David Di Santis, The Wongawilli Band, Con & The Latin Beats, Local DJ`s,

MAGICIANS

Phil Cass, Brenden Montana, Ken Littlewood & Toshi,

DANCERS LOCAL AND STATE WIDE

Marilla Newman Dancers, Italian folkloric dancers, South American dancers, Portuguese Artistic group, Flamenco dancers & Burn the Floor/Strictly Dancing Dancers

ITALIAN AUSTRALIAN PERFORMERS

Nick Bavarelli, Peter Ciani, Sylvana, Romano Dragoni (passed), George Vumbaca, Tony Mazell, Domenic Vasta, Jay & Gisele, Francesca Brescia, Tony Pantano (passed), Tonino Speciale, Fiorentino Mannino, Joey Fimmano, Amedeo Bazzarelli, Maria Venuti, Grace Rizzo, Carmelo Ridolfo, Roseanna Gallo, Gaetano Bonfante, Deanna Vitagliani, Angelina Ciccotti, Ross & Robyn

INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS (Italian)

Tiziana Rivale, Gino Di Procida, Aldo Vignola, Paola Semprini, Edoardo Vianello, Micu U Pulici, Enzo Laface, Jim Fontana, Rosanna Fratello & Band, Salvatore Panetta
Nico Dei Gabbiani, Wilma Goich,

YOUNG AUSTRALIAN TALENT SHOW CONTESTANTS

Chris Ninni (The Voice), Jacinta (X factor), The Pack (A.G.T), Anthony & Tamara (The Voice Kids) 

Such a diverse group of entertainers who graced the stage of the festival. Two performers who were regular at the festival, John St Peeters and Nick Bavarelli, left lasting impressions.


John St Peeters 

John St Peeters performed at the San Giovanni Battista festival over the years from when the second festival started in 1981. He performed a total of six times. His last performance for the festival was in 1996 and by then he was already a star.

When the festival kicked off John had already racked up a string of achievements. He had released at least 11 singles and in 1977 he was crowned Australia`s King of Pop. People may remember his hit singles `So Many Ways` and of course `Wonderworld` which was also the theme song to the Australian children’s television show Simon Townsend`s Wonder World.

Yet John was a talented musician as a young boy playing the piano accordion. A child prodigy who by the age of 11 was appearing in various television talent and variety shows. John was also performing at clubs and other venues. He released singles from 1970 - 1972 (playing the piano accordion) and spent approximately three years in Canada performing and recording. John also toured North American and Asia with two female vocalists before resuming his solo career in 1976.

John`s solo career was moving forward releasing several singles in Australia. He appeared on Countdown and also hosted one the episodes. He even hosted his own television show where he performed and also had guest artists.

John has appeared in many clubs and venues around Australia and the Italian community know him only too well. There really isn’t anything he can’t do. John has sung pop, rock, traditional Italian folk songs, ballads and more. He has worked with some of the great Australian rock artists such as Tommy Emmanuel, Ray Burgess, John Swan and Marty Rhone when the single Legends of Southern Land was released in 2015. A song which he co-wrote. A song that embraces and embodies the tapestry of Australia and the Australians who made it so!

Over the course of his musical career he has performed in Las Vegas, created one of the largest Elvis shows in the world (acknowledged by The Australian Book of Records). He has and continues to work with so many Australian artists, writing and releasing songs and sharing his love of music.  He has released songs in both Italian and English. `Mamma Dove Sei Tu`  John`s Italian #1 hit is still the most requested song on Italian radio networks around Australia.

John`s body of work is endless, yet he continues to give so much. He has performed for his holiness The Pope at Melbourne Cricket Ground before a huge crowd of 120 thousand people and in 2020 he received (most deservedly) an OAM.

John St Peeters is Australian as he is Italian. His audience is diverse and appreciates his authenticity and generosity. John was remembered with fondness performing at the San Giovanni Battista festival and was credited by the committee members as a great contributor. The festival began in 1981 and to have had John there as one of the top entertainers was very special indeed.

 

 Video from the collection belonging to John St Peeters

via youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@maorgan 

Video from the collection belonging to 3AW RADIO

via youtube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/@3AWRadio

Nick Bavarelli

Nick Bavarelli was the preferred Musical Director for the St Giovanni Battista festival from when the festival relaunched in 1981 at the yearly event until it ended in 2014.

Nick Bavarelli comes from a musical family of uncles emanating from Calabria. His father Michele played accordion and guitar and was one of the first musicians who played at the Marconi Club in Sydney in the 1950`s.  

At the age of 8, Nick was forced by his father (his words) to learn and to formalize his musicianship with the accordion. He soon became quite adept at this instrument entering talent quests and appearing regularly on television talent and children`s shows from the late 60`s through to the 70`s gaining recognition in the Italo/Australian community.

In his HSC exam for music he achieved marks in the top 5% of NSW. It earned him a scholarship to study at the Conservatorium of Music. From there his ability rapidly expanded becoming a concert pianist and educationalist having tutored in College and University. Over the course of his performing life he has created for himself a musical resume that is impressive to say the least. This also led him to become a pianist with the Australian Ballet, Sydney Dance Company and Music Director for the elite NIDA productions.

His ability to compose and write music allowed him to also enter the world of television and film, writing for T.V and radio commercials. Even at a young age his musical directing, piano playing and co-ordinating of musical events gave him recognition within the Italian community that allowed him to tour with many Italian Artists such as Patrizio Buanne, Europes Three Italian Tenors, Marcella Bella, Claudio Villa, Gianni Nazzaro, Bobby Solo, Nilla Pizza, Pupo Christian, to name a few.
 
To expand his musical horizons he responded to the call for Italian entertainment in the 90s for weddings and special functions allowing him to combine his singing, virtuoso accordion and keytar playing with Two Divas Singers /Dancers to perform not only on TV such as a regular on the John St Peters Show but to then Tour Asia and the Pacific many times over.

Nick has also has played and programmed alongside popular dance/pop artists from the 80`s and 90`s dance groups genre such as Black Box, Culture Beat, Boney M and toured alongside Barry Gibb`s last tour. Locally he has also musically directed artists from X Factor and The Voice and most recently come back from a tour playing piano for shows with Il Divo and their Orchestra .

Recently Nominated in the 2025 ACE AWARDS for best musical Director and Instrumental performer he believes he has been fortunate not only in having music as his vehicle to travel the world and express himself but to cross paths with many cultures and people of social standing that many would need lifetimes to achieve.

Nick credits the St Giovanni Battista Festival as one of the icons for raising his Italian profile in the southern regions. He enjoyed performing at the festivals and the locals accepted him as part of the community and he certainly left lasting memories. Nick Bavarelli was like the cog in the wheel at the festival. One just couldn’t imagine the festival without him .

 

 

Keyboard/pianist for Patrizio Buanne

Keyboard/pianist for Europe`s The Three Tenors

 

Both videos from the collection belonging to 

Nick Bavarelli

 

S. GIOVANNI BATTISTA FESTIVAL - PART TWO

Now with the restored statue back in the hands of the committee they began planing and once again became a registered group. Friends, past members and other Italians had been invited to join the committee, it was an open door. Elections were held at the Italian centre, nominations were voted on and roles were decided. They had a lawyer in attendance, local Italian priest Father Lauro, and an accountant. Luigi Villella was elected as the president.

It was agreed that to kick start the group everyone would donate an amount of money. They gathered around $8000 as a start up with each of the committee members giving $350. It was always the intention to give the original committee members their $350 donation back to them. Approximately five years later, once they were well established they all received their money.

Executives would then hold their own meetings to discuss the festival and what they would propose. They would then hold a general meeting with all the other committee members for their approval. It was total transparency. The meetings were conducted the same way every year. As time and years went on, more money meant higher profile singers, more entertainers and better fireworks. The fireworks display was always done by Foti International Fireworks, a now 8 generation family business.

THE PROGRAM GUIDE 

The festival program guide for 1981 was very similar in size to the program guide from the 1960`s festivals. The pages were a bit smaller but there were more of them. 1500 programs were printed for the very first festival. Entry fee was $3 for adults, $2 for pensioners and $1 for children. From 1983 the programs were A4 size, proving how the festival was growing. It remained an A4 size until the last festival program in 2014.

In the beginning many of the advertisers in the program were Italian Business owners but that soon changed. It became apparent quite quickly that the festival was noticed by everyone. Many business began to advertise in the  annual festival program. Ads ranged from 1/8 of a page to full page ads. 1/4 of page and 1/2 page ads were popular. By 1988 the program front and back covers were in colour. From 1989 colour was slowly introduced inside the programs and they made excellent reading. A lot of enthusiasm came from the community, a great response: $50 - $300 dollars for ads in the program. Cash donations also came from businesses and others in the community, and all their names were put in the program. The first year a donation of $500 dollars was given to the festival committee from the Italian church collections.

The program guide was filled with all kinds of things. Of course there were  advertisements that were generating much needed funds to run the festival but you would often find historical content about towns and places in Italy. Fun facts about Italy or its` famous people. You could also see the latest  information about the Wollongong Wolves Soccer team`s seasonal draw and local games ect. There were messages from the president of the San Giovanni Battista committee, the current Wollongong Lord Mayor, the Scalabrini Fathers, the Wollongong Bishop, state and local politicians. Sometimes there were features of locals in the Italian community who were of service.

As the years passed you would even find cooking recipes and there were always photos of the festival from the year prior, with history as well. The centre of the program always had photos of the entertainment lineup and the donations for the year, and, with a recurring list of accumulated donations of money over time. It also showed sponsors and donations of prizes that were used for the raffle at the festival itself. The raffles generated quite a good amount of money too! It certainly was a keepsake and the programs was free. By 2006 the program booklet was 62 pages. 

FUNDRAISING

Aside from cash donations, sponsors and advertisements in the program there were many other events to raise money that contributed to the festival funds. The fundraising for the festival was never ending. It required a lot of work and dedication. Volunteers were needed constantly.  

Each year they would hold two Spaghettata days to raise funds and also have a great time. Easter Monday and Labour Day October long weekend were the assigned spaghettata days. Friends, families and acquaintances would usually meet at the one of the local dams for a huge picnic/spaghettata. The festival committee would cook large pots of pasta for all to enjoy. There was also a dinner dance held annually at The Fraternity Club with funds raised going towards the festival.

In 1998 the ladies committee was formed. The ladies committee did amazing work and created some memorable moments too. They held fashion parades and daily bus trips. Some of the places they went to were fashion warehouses, cherry picking at farms and even trips to the snow! The ladies committee also held masquerade balls with paper mace masks that they  hand made. They were very creative.

You would also find them in the mall on Italian day selling beautiful sweets and delicious foods. The local Italian dancers would perform at various  places and for their performances they received donations, all going towards the festival.  The ladies committee ran till about 2003.

Another way they fund raised was with disco`s for the children. The San Giovanni Battista committee held under 18`s disco`s with a DJ and they served soft drinks and snacks. The disco`s were held at the hall at the Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Cross and the Italian Centre, both in Stewart Street, Wollongong. Disco`s were held almost fortnightly with up to 300 children in attendance. The disco`s ran for over ten years.

THE FESTIVAL DAY

After the mass at the Cathedral and the procession with the statue to the Sacred Heart Chapel, people made their way to the Wollongong Show Ground and the festival began around 3.30pm. There were stalls galore of food and drinks. A joyland carnival for the children with a Merry-Go-Round and Ferris Wheel and one could not forget the stalls of the Italian sweets of Mustazolli (honey and gingerbread) and Torrone (Italian nut nougat).

There was the famous spaghetti eating competition for adults and in later years for children as well. The entertainment program usually began around 4pm. This gave people time to arrive after the procession with many people finding a seat in the grand stand. The festival concluded with the drawing of the raffles and the fireworks display, finishing around 10pm. The main attraction entertainer usually performed at the end of the night as well. Many years later the fireworks moved to 9pm.

The very first festival compare was Pino Bosi. Pino Bosi was an award winning  journalist and author. He worked in multicultural television and was a pioneer in special broadcasting services for ethnic radio. Pino Bosi also compared the early 1960`s festival. Another compare in later years was Umberto Rossi. Local WIN Television News anchors Michael McRae and Susie Elelman also compared and helped out with raffle draws ect.

From 1995 to 2001 the festival moved to Brandon Park before returning to the Wollongong show ground in 2002.

Luigi Villella had been the president since 1981. He held the position for 25 years. He stepped down from the presidency in early 2006. On the 5th of August of the same year the then secretary Mario Mastroianni (who was the secretary since it began in 1981) suddenly passed away. It was such a shock for all. Both Luigi and Mario who worked tirelessly for the festival along with the committee, helped create a festival like no other in Wollongong.

2006 saw a new president in Mario Vescio. Mario Vescio had been part of the committee since 1981 and had a good knowledge of the festival operations. The new secretary was Connie Sacco. Connie was also part of the committee and had been the assistant secretary since 2001. 2006 also saw the introduction of the pizza eating contest along with the original spaghetti race.

In 2010 the festival moved to the Fraternity Bowling Club at Fairy Meadow. It was also the year that the festival celebrated coming into it’s 30th year of operation, which actually occurred in 2011. The procession still lead from the Wollongong Catholic Cathedral to the Sacred Heart Chapel with the festivities beginning in the afternoon.

The festival at the Fraternity Club was a lot smaller than that at the Show ground but with a different format. The Festival began around around 3pm. They had food stalls, festival sweets and a exhibition of Italian cars, with a competition for the Champion of Champions. With rides for the children and outdoor entertainment. Then, inside the club in the sunken lounge, they had the Italian variety entertainers and a local DJ as part of the day’s program. The festival again finishing with a fireworks display. 

2014 was the last festival. This time the procession was led from the St John Vianney`s Catholic Church at Fairy Meadow. This would be the very last time that the community gathered to walk and celebrate San Giovanni Battista.

I spoke to one of the committee members who recalls as a child going to the festival. He said his Father would give him and his brother $20 each. They would just spend the day there on the rides, buying food and having fun watching all the entertainment. He said it felt like Christmas for him and his brother.

The San Giovanni Battista festival ran for 37 years with a total of 38 festivals. It really was an amazing achievement. It took a brigade of people to run the festival that came together at the year’s end with constant fundraising and activities throughout to get there. The initial fundraising just to get the statue was fantastic in itself. Door knocking and speaking with the community to bringing home the statue in 1965.

From the early stages of the idea, then putting together a group of people, to then selecting the committee members. Coordinating the festival was another endeavour. Each committee member had their role to play and without each other the festival would never have taken place.

Local council requirements and regulations had to be met. Responsibilities for the statue and the processions. The never ending fundraising throughout the year and the organisation of dinner dances, picnic days, bus trips ect, seeking donations from the community and local businesses. Making sure that all insurance’s and entertainment fees were covered. Constantly coming up with different ways to fund raise such as disco`s for the children and food stalls throughout the year remembering that for most of those years they didn’t have social media.

We certainly were blessed that the committee members were motivated to create such a wonderful festival. Many of them had families and/or even businesses of their own, yet they still dedicated so much time and effort to the event every year. It was carnival day for the children, a family day for many and for some people, just walking behind the statue with the procession was worth the wait every year. 

There will be never be another festival or era like it. It was the pride of the Italian community. The many memories will remain with all of us. It was only meant for the time that it was. VIVA SAN GIOVANNI!

 

 

 

 

 

Above: The 1981 festival committee members and their names.

Performers for the 1981 S Giovanni Battista Festival

 

 

 

 Above video images from festival programs, photos by Paul Spinelli

 

 

 

 Above video images from the collection belonging to Gino Spinelli

S. GIOVANNI BATTISTA FESTIVAL - PART ONE

I have fond memories of the San Giovanni Battista Festival in Wollongong when it was held in the early 80`s. With hundreds of people in attendance every year. With entertainment, fun activities for children and a food extravaganza, the festival was a well received annual event. It was as if all the Italian community of Wollongong was there.

If we go back to it’s origins, then we must begin in 1965. Gennaro Renda and Gennaro Sacco along with some other friends formed a social group. They wanted to create something that could be a celebration and a coming together of the community. They were all from Gizzeria, home to the Church of Saint John the Baptist, recognised as the protector of the town.

The group invited others to join. They thought of running a festival in Wollongong. Every year, in the town of Gizzeria, a festival was held and in Brookvale, Sydney, they also ran a festival each year. It was time for Wollongong to have one too!

The group spoke with the local priest and began planning. On the 27th of July, 1965, under the direction of Fr Joseph Molon, The St John the Baptist Committee was officially verified. They were to organise a festival on behalf of the Saint and to raise money amongst the Italian community for the purchase of a statue. The committee members were Gennaro Renda, (president), P. Spinelli (vice president), Giuseppe Perusco (secretary), Tullio Chiodo (secretary of correspondence) and M Stanizzo (treasurer). 17 others made up the group of the S. Giovanni Battista Festival committee.

They began by door knocking. Gennaro Sacco did a lot of the ground work here and he also did a lot of walking! He walked everywhere from suburb to suburb to talk about the festival and raise money. Others in the committee, as well as friends, walked and drove around the area asking for donations and the money started to come in. It was slow at first but with dedication they were able to raise the funds to purchase their statue.

The statute was modelled off a photo of the Saint that sits in the local church in Gizzeria.  Using this photo, it was sent to Italy to the sculptor and the work began. A letter dated December 14,1965 was sent to Father Molon informing him that the sculpture was finished and on its way. Travelling by sea on the  ship `Galileo`.

Weighing 128 kilograms the statue arrived in Sydney and was released by customs on December 30. Gennaro Renda along with Gennaro Sacco and another committee member bought the sculpture home. It was transported back to Wollongong by truck.

In 1966 the festival began. Typically, every year the festival was held in December, but in 1966, there were actually two festivals. The first one was held on the 27th of March at the Wollongong Show Ground. It was not just about having the festival, it was also to commemorate the statue itself. The `Triduum`, which was the three days of prayer prior to the celebration, commenced on Wednesday March 23 finishing on Friday March 25th. Confession was held on Saturday and on Sunday March 27 the celebratory mass was held which also included the blessing of the statue.

The mass was (always) held at St Francis Xavier Cathedral, Wollongong. After the Sunday mass the statue was carried out of the church and a procession led through the streets along with the A.I.S. band. The statue was then transported to the Unanderra Catholic Church where it stayed until the next festival.

The festival had local and state artists. Food was available, rides for the children and the festival finished with a fireworks display. December 4, 1966 the S. Giovanni Battista (2nd festival) was held at Wollongong Show Ground.

In 1967 the Sacred Heart Chapel, Stewart Street, Wollongong was completed. The program for the procession began at the Wollongong Cathedral to the Sacred Heart Chapel. The statue would remain in the Sacred Heart Chapel for the year. The next year, on the day before the festival mass, it was brought back to the Cathedral where it would be taken out again for the procession. This was repeated every year of the festival.

For the next three years the annual festival took place in Wollongong. The festival was well attended and appreciated by the Italian community. They were also able to raise revenue with advertisements in the programs. This helped raise more money, although raising the funds was not easy. Whilst the committee was happy to door knock and ask for donations to run the festival, the money that was leftover at the end of the year, one would think, would be used towards the festival for the following year. But this was the not case. Any surplus/profits from a previous festival ended up being given back to the church, as a donation and not everyone agreed with it. It became impossible then to sustain the festival by door knocking each year to raise the funds again from scratch. The last festival was held in 1969. The then president Michele Calci made the hard decision to end the festival and disband the organisation. He felt quite hurt about the whole experience.

The statue sat in the Sacred Heart Chapel, Wollongong. After some time it seemed to have just disappeared! Around 1974 Padre Don Alessandro Audino, who was a priest from Gizzeria, was visiting and came to Wollongong to see some family and friends. He mentioned that he wanted to see the statue. The question was asked around at the major catholic churches including the Wollongong Cathedral and the Sacred Heart Chapel. The answer was `we don’t know where it is`. No one in the diocese knew where the statue was and it seemed that no one was even interested. It was quite disappointing considering that so many donated their money to getting the statue built and brought to Wollongong.

Fast forward to 1980 and Gennaro Sacco (who was the President of the Committee in 1968) had a conversation with Luigi Villella. Luigi had helped out with the festival in the last two years that it ran. Gennaro was keen to start up the festival again. Luigi was keen too, but did not want to model the  new festival like the previous one. They needed to raise funds and to keep the funds in the hands of the committee. To be able to plan and make better decisions with full control. There would be no door knocking this time.

However, before they agreed to anything they wanted to investigate the whereabouts of the statue one more time, because without the statue they would not have a festival. The priest assigned to the Sacred Heart Chapel was Father Lauro Ruffo. Luigi, Gennaro and Mario Mastroianni asked Father Lauro if he knew anything about it or what happened to it?  To their surprise Father Lauro knew where it was. It was underneath the stairs at the Italian Centre. They went to see it straight away. It was in need of repair and certainly unloved. The statue was full of dust and it had some mold. The paint had started to craze and crack and one of the arms had broken pieces.

Glad to retrieve the statue, they took it to Gino Sanguineti for a full restoration. Gino was well known in the Wollongong area for his spectacular sculptures and artworks. The statue was taken to Gino`s workshop under his house and he worked on it for several weeks. The cost was over $1000.

 

                                  The original print that was used to model the design of the statue.

Inside and outside the church. Preparing for the procession.

The beginning of the procession.

 

 The very first program for the very first festival. 

Sunday March 27, 1966. 

 

All above images from the collection belonging to John Renda 

courtesy of Bruno Ballesi

 

 

 

PETER MANFREDOTTI - FRUIT SHOPS AND FOOTBALL

Peter Manfredotti was born in Camperdown, Sydney on June 3rd, 1945. Both his parents were very young children when they came to Australia. Peter`s father Carlo Manfredotti, arrived in Australia in 1922 and he was only three years old. Carlo travelled with his father Giuseppe and mother Lucrezia. Peter`s mother Pierina (Rina) Pelleri, who was two at the time, arrived in 1924 with her mother Maria, April 1st, on the ship Ormonde. Maria`s husband Carlo was already in Australia arriving in 1921, August 25th, aboard the ship Orsova.

Both the Manfredotti and Pelleri families headed straight to Queensland. There they worked at the sugar cane fields in Ingham. Both families were from the town of Rovato, Brescia, Italy.

In the early 1940`s Peter`s father Carlo came to NSW looking for work along with wife Rina and daughter Diana, who was born in 1941. He took a wood turning course at TAFE and was able to get a job at a factory that made wood products such as lamp posts and even gun butts. The years rolled by and the war broke out. Because of his work he was deemed an essential worker and therefore did not have to serve in the army.

Around the late 1940`s Carlo Manfredotti purchased a fruit shop business in Newton. After sending for his family, who were still in Ingham,  they came down and lived in the back of the fruit shop. 13 family members in total occupied the space. 8 adults who all worked in the shop and 5 children. Peter was about four years old.

The shop did well and was very busy. After a few years they began doing home deliveries once a week around the Fairfield area. The fruit shop also supplied corner stores and even a boarding house, with fruits and vegetables

Carlo was very organised with the fruit shop. As it had no cool room, he purchased fresh produce on the daily at the vegetable market at Haymarket in the City. Living close to the market he would arrive there by 2am and park his truck. He would then sleep till 6am when the markets opened. He would do all the buying for the shop then would be back at Newtown by 8am. His daily method worked brilliantly for the shop.  In 1956 a second son Michael was born.

In the early 60`s Carlo renovated the fruit shop. He purchased more modern display tables, built a wrapping station with newspapers and scales and the shop now sold soft drinks. By the late 60`s only Carlo, wife Rina, sons Peter and Michael, were living at the back of the fruit shop. It was 1969 and Peter`s sister Diana had already married and was living in Earlwood. Carlo had purchased a block of land in Karella to build a new house for the family. Carlo had put the fruit shop on the market to sell and commenced building his home. He soon sold the shop and with wife Rina, sons Peter and Michael moved in with Diana and her husband whilst the new house was being constructed. Carlo devoted all his time to finishing his new home.

Peter was 24 years old. Across the road from his parents fruit shop was Gartrell White’s bakery where Peter got a job as a delivery driver. He worked for the bakery for approximately 3 years. Peter`s next job was at the Holden factory in Pagewood/ Maroubra. He worked on the line assembling car doors and boots, working at the Holden factory for approximately 18 months.

Peter then got a job at Formica`s Supermarket in Sutherland. His father Carlo was working there at the time. Carlo was the buyer of fresh produce for the supermarket, purchasing from Flemington Markets. The owners of Formica`s  knew Carlo from when he had his fruit shop at Newtown. They remember him from the market and eventually hired him to work for them. Peter began working in fruit and vegetables and then other aspects of the supermarket. He had plenty of experience in food retail and fit in very well. His father Carlo worked for 5 years and Peter stayed for 15. Peter left Formica`s in 1985.  He had now decided to retire from work.

Peter purchased a house in Towradgi and soon made Wollongong his home. He was enjoying his retirement in leisure and living near the beach. Peter soon met Dorothy and he remarried in 1997. He then went back to work securing a job at Flemington Markets. Peter was in charge of the delivery section and processed orders of fruit and vegetables for supermarkets. He worked at the market for approximately 3 years.

His next job was at Cronulla fruit and veg market for 9 years.  He would set set up the shop and did much of the sorting and cutting. The market was close to the beach. They started making fresh fruit salads some time later and if was a real money spinner. People came off the beach for fruit salads on the daily.

Peter then got a job closer to home, which he welcomed, as he had been travelling to Sydney to work since 1997.  He worked at Woonona Fruit Basket and stayed there for approximately four years before officially retiring around 2014. Peter had been working with fresh produce and retail for most of his adult life and always found work in this area. In fact, he was sort after for his good work.

Peter and his wife Dorothy began to travel. They developed such a love for it and travelled to so many places around the world. They did this for many years. Paris and Canada, just to name a few, plus all around Australia.  It really was a joy for them both.  Sadly, Dorothy passed away October 13, 2022.  She was 77.

FOOTBALL

When Peter was 15 years old he was attending St Joseph`s High School Newtown, when he was asked to be part of a team that the school wanted to put together. Football (rugby league) was a game that he loved and on sports day at school he would regularly play along with his classmates and friends. The school team did exceptionally well and made the grand final against Lewisham (High School) who won. Peter played second row.

In 1961 he finished High School and went to play football with Marrickville under the CYO (Catholic Youth Organisation). He played in the Under 16`s D grade division. The following year, 1962, he joined a C grade team with Newton PCYC and they won the grand final. In 1963, with the same team they were undefeated premiers.

Peter continued playing for the Newton PCYC in 1964 and 1965, though the team didn’t make it through/not enough players. In 1966 Peter moved teams and played for St Peters B grade who made it all the way to the final. In 1967 he played for Camperdown Dragons, B grade division. They were under 21`s, winning the premiership undefeated.

In 1969 he trialled for Newton third grade. Peter never got picked and saw this has his moment to retire from playing football. He still went to watch games and kept up his friendships with many of the players. By this stage he was working a lot and focused on his job.

In 1974 Peter came down to Ziems Park, Corrimal, to watch the Corrimal Cougars play a trial game against Newtown.  He asked the Corrimal coach if he could get a run. The coach said yes and the next thing he knew he was asked to play with the Corrimal team. In 1974 the Corrimal Cougars would win the premiership first and third grades. Peter played front row in third grade division.

At the end of the 1975 season the club organised a trip away to New Zealand.  A group of 30 people went, that included club officials, players and fans. The team played one game at Carlaw Park. It was the home ground of the New Zealand team at the time. They played Mount Wellington in a friendly match. The trip was organised by Oscar Danielson. Oscar was a New Zealand International player who played for Newton first grade from 1970 -1972. He then came to Corrimal as a player/coach for the Cougars. Peter Manfredotti played for the Corrimal Cougars from 1974 - 1977. He finally retired from football at age of 31.

Peter was an avid Illawarra Steelers and Cougars fan. He kept in touch with friends from football. They would often go on outings and they still have get togethers once a week or once a fortnight. He followed Newton, up until the club was finished.

Peter has done volunteer work at Towradgi Surf Club with the nippers and assisted Corrimal Cougars football club with their BBQ`s for many years. He often goes for a walk down to the beach alone or sometimes with friends.  Peter spends time relaxing and he is ready to take up travelling again.

 

 

 The Manfredotti Fruit Shop at Newtown. 

 

 

 

All images from the collections belonging to

 Peter and Diana Manfredotti

LUIGI VILLELLA

Luigi Villella arrived in Australia August 26, 1963 aboard the ship Sydney.  He went to live with his brother Giovanbattista who arived in Australia years before. Giovanbattista was living in O’Donnell Street, Port Kembla with their cousin Gennaro Curcio, who arrived in Australia in 1955.

Luigi began working at the Port Kembla Steel Works and after one month he moved to Merrylands Sydney, to live with his sister Paolina who had been living in Australia since 1959. Luigi moved to Sydney in the hope of finding a better paying job.

He worked for 2 years as a labourer with the Water Board then worked for Thomas and Coffey on the Sydney Airport Tunnel which was completed in 1967. It was the first aircraft bridge outside Europe and North America.

Luigi met Saveria Mastrionanni, who was from Wollongong. Saveria had been working since she was a teenager and in 1966 she began working for Midford clothing company. Saveria was well noted for her work and by the age of 22 she was made supervisor.

In 1968 Luigi began working with Illawarra Paving and in April of the same year Luigi and Saveria were married. The wedding reception took place at Luccarda`s in Tarrawanna. As a young newly wed couple they lived with Saveria`s parents in Figtree as they saved their money for a home. In 1970 Luigi and Saveria purchased a block of land situated across the road from Saveria`s parents` house. This made it extremely convenient for Luigi who eventually worked on building his home whilst he was working full time.  

Luigi worked with Illawarra Paving for 3 years and in that time he and Saveria had their first two children. Saveria had much help from her parents as she also worked in between. After finishing with Illawarra Paving in 1973, Luigi formed his own concrete company called Amato Concreting.

Now he was ready to begin laying the foundations for his home. Luigi did all the concrete work on the house. The land that he purchased was a downward sloping block, so the house was designed as a split multi level home. Luigi did all the work on the basic structure. It was a huge undertaking but bit by bit it progressed.

At Amato Concreting it was only Luigi and his partner who were working. It was just the two of them for approximately five years before his partner left then Luigi worked on his own. It was now 1978 and the house was liveable. Luigi and Saveria moved in with their two sons and soon a third would be born. Amato Concreting was also growing with Luigi using sub contractors to help with his work load. Amato were doing domestic homes, footpaths, driveways and slabs.

One of the biggest jobs Amato did was the building of the abattoirs at Yallah for the Illawarra Meat Company. The project took 18 months to complete.  He then moved onto doing formwork as well. Amato were also doing contract work for Marksman and Radnor homes.

In 1981 Luigi became president of the new San Giovanni Battista committee while working around his concrete business.  He was incredibly dedicated to his role as president and it seemed to pay off because the first festival since he became president was very successful. He had worked on the previous San Giovanni Battista festival committee in the last two years that they operated in 1968 & 1969 with the first festival running in 1965.  Whilst the original festival was well received it was not self sustaining and many donations came from door knocking.

With this new committee and a new attitude the San Giovanni Battista festival took on a whole new direction. In Brookvale, North Sydney, they had been running a large festival every year since 1955 and with each year they got bigger.  When the first Wollongong festival finished many locals travelled from Wollongong to attend the festival at Brookvale.

The new Wollongong group got a lot of ideas from the Brookvale festival and began running their festival at the Wollongong Showground. Their first festival was a big hit with the Italians in the area. The event was filled with local and national entertainers, food stalls, Italian sweet treats, rides for the children and a fireworks display.

The festival had garnered a lot of interest in the Italian community and through sponsorship, donations, fundraising events, dinner dances, bus trips and an enormous amount of volunteer help the festival became self sufficient and generated enough money to continue year after year. Luigi held the position of president from 1981 to April 2006. The festival was held in December of each year.

Over the years Luigi was approached by friends and acquaintances in the Italian community seeking his help and involvement with their groups. He was a committee member for the Italian Social Welfare, Region of Italy and CCC. He was part of the very first committee for Marco Polo and was a board member of the Fraternity Club from 1987 - 2005.

His Amato concreting business took him to Sydney, Goulburn and Nowra. He was working a lot and involved himself with the local Italian community to help as much as he could and Luigi was well liked. Saveria was fully supportive of all that he was involved in and often did a lot of work with him.

In 1996 Luigi had a heart attack. He had to slow down for a while, but eventually went back to work for another company as a supervisor. Even though he stopped working for Amato his business was still registered and licensed.  In 2002 he hurt his elbow and was assigned to light duties working for another company called Obnova Concrete Constructions Pty Ltd.  In 2006 Luigi retired after injuring his back.

In 2007 he was presented with a Knighthood, an award from the Italian Government for his services to the local Italian Community. He was nominated by Efrem and Giulia Bonacina who ran It-So-Well (Italian Social Welfare). The award was presented to Luigi during Italian Week at the mall, by the Wollongong Lord Mayor Alex Darling and the Italian Consulate representative, with Efram and Giulia attending.

Luigi loves spending time with his family and his 7 grand children. He also loves his garden. Luigi and Saveria enjoy socialising with their friends and you will often see them at the club. They still live in their home that they built in the late seventies.  With spectacular views from their large balcony it is a beautiful part of the Illawarra. Luigi still works on his house, he says it’s not finished yet!

In 2007 Luigi was awarded a Knighthood from the Italian Government

 for his services to the community.

The above video shows both the 

Immaculate Conception Catholic Church at Unanderra

as well as Luccarda`s at Tarrawanna.  

Both were of significant importance for the Italian Community

in the Wollongong area.

All above images from the collection belonging to Luigi Villella

GENNARO SACCO

Gennaro Sacco arrived in Australia June 5th, 1952, travelling on the ship Sydney.  He was born in 1924 in the town of Gizzeria, province of Catanzaro, in the Calabria region. Gennaro`s wife Teresina and their young son Domenico were still in Italy. Unbeknown to Gennaro, Teresina was pregnant with their second child.

Gennaro first went to Warragamba Dam looking for work, but was advised that the only work available was for a short period of time. Whilst at Warragamba he was told there was work at the Port Kembla Steel Works.  He soon left Warragamba and began working at the Steel Works. Whist living in a garage at Port Kembla he was soon able to raise the funds to pay a deposit on a house at Towradgi, not far from the beach. This would be his first family home.

In 1954 Teresina, along with the two children Domenico and Bruno, joined Gennaro at Towradgi arriving April 18, aboard the ship Oceania. Gennaro also had some boarders staying at his house.

Young Bruno had contracted Polio shortly after his birth and at the time there was no help or assistance either in Italy or Australia. Teresina had some help from the boarders as well as Gennaro in caring for Bruno who was totally incapacitated. Bruno spent most of his life in a wheelchair. Teresina had another three children after Bruno, those being Pasquale, Concetta and Caterina. Each time after the birth of those children, Bruno was placed in a care facility so that Teresina could have some temporary relief while she took care of her babies. In 1970  another daughter, Rosarba, was born. This time Bruno was in care but only for a short time whilst Teresina was in hospital with her newborn. Teresina`s sisters and sister in-law who arrived later in Australia, would often help out when they came to visit her and around this time Bruno was a young teenager. Also, the help given by the care facility had now stopped. Older brother Domenico and Gennaro also did a lot to help with the care of Bruno. Sadly, Bruno Sacco passed away March 22nd, 1971, five months prior to his 19th birthday. It was an extremely sad time and difficult for the family, especially Teresina.

Their first house in Towradgi had a very large front yard so Gennaro turned it into a vegetable garden. Gennaro never drove and he never owned a family car. The family’s mode of transport was always public or sometimes family friends would drive them if they were visiting relatives.

Daughter Concetta (who everyone knows as Connie) remembers the many stories that her father told her. She remembers when he told her how he met another Italian man called Domenico who lived around the corner and they became friends. Domenico and Gennaro were basically the first Italians in the Towradgi area. Gennaro was explaining to Domenico that he was concerned about making his loan repayments and Domenico told him not to worry. He didn’t want Gennaro and his family to move away. He assured him that if he were ever to get into any trouble he would help him out. He was happy to have Gennaro, a fellow Italian in the neighbourhood and didn’t want him to leave. Genaro’s concerns were short lived as he was able to pay his mortgage. Not only that, he moved homes a few years later (only up the street) keeping his first house and renting it out.

Gennaro`s son Pasquale recalls how his father bought a black and white TV when they first lived in Towradgi. He remembers how friends and neighbours would often come over to watch TV as not many people had a TV set in those days. It was quite a treat for them.

All of Genaro’s family lived overseas except his sister Concetta. She came  to Australia around 1972 to visit him and ending up getting married and lived in Brookvale, Sydney. Gennaro was happy to have his sister Concetta living here as she was the only family relative in Australia. Family was very important to both him and Teresina. Many years later Concetta returned to Canada to be reunited with the family.

When the children were younger much time was spent with Teresina`s side of the family who lived in the local area. They would have many family get togethers at Christmas time and on specific holidays. As the family got older it had all stopped. 

Connie also said that the family never really went on holidays, but would often go to Brookvale to visit family and friends. When Gennaro had retired he took his first overseas trip since arriving in Australia. He went to Montreal to see his mother, brother and sister who were living here. His brother who lived in Brazil, also joined them in Montreal. The only one to miss out on the family reunion was his sister who was living in Argentina. She was unable to go.

Connie also remembers her father going to so many funerals.  Having hardly missed any.  She recalls how he would buy the newspaper daily and get her to read any funeral notices. He didn’t want to miss paying respects to anyone that he knew.

In the early sixties Gennaro along with some other Italian friends got together and formed a social group. They wanted to hold a yearly festival celebrating Saint Giovanni Battista (St John the Baptist). Back home in Gizzeria he was celebrated every year in the local town as he was the patron saint of Gizzeria.  At Brookvale in Sydney they held a festival annually and after seeing that, Gennaro was keen to hold a festival in the Wollongong area. With a lot of hard work the festival came to life and ran from 1966 - 1969.

Gennaro was a hard working man and some may say a workaholic. He did countless double shifts and wanted to provide everything his family needed. He promised Teresina that she would never need to work. Christmas Day was the only day he wouldn’t work and he would sit in the lounge room and sing Italian songs. 

He also spent a lot of time in his garden and it was a large garden that required maintaining. There was much harvesting to be done and it was constant, especially having Olive trees as well. His garden was split between both houses. Gennaro and Teresina lived a lot of their lives as they did back home in Gizzeria. Salami and tomato sauce making were annual jobs that involved the whole family.

Gennaro involved himself with the Italian community and had many friends. He helped to organise a new crypt at Kembla Grange Cemetery, as Wollongong Cemetery was quite full and Kanahooka was a longer drive further south. The petition for Kembla Grange was successful. It was closer for the Italian community to bury their loved ones.

Teresina passed away on September 30, 1996. She was 68. Three weeks later Gennaro had a stroke. As the years went by he found it increasingly harder to move around. Gennaro passed away Feb 6, 2016. He was 91. Teresina and Gennaro are survived by their 6 grandchildren and 6 great grandchildren.

Connie expressed how in her eyes both of her parents sacrificed so much to come to Australia. They knew no one, they couldn’t speak the language and with no support for Bruno it was extremely hard. Connie said she was surprised that they didn’t pack their bags and go back home with all the struggles and heart aches in the beginning. But they came to Australia for a better life for their family and without mum`s support dad couldn’t have done anything!

Gennaro Sacco`s last photo.

 

All images from the collection belonging to the Sacco family.
 

THE MIGRATION PROJECT - CCC`S SCULPTURE IDEA

In the previous story when I interviewed the CCC committee I was taken aback by the story they told me about their dream for a sculpture that represented the migration to Australia. I found it fascinating and I was quite frankly amazed as I never knew anything about it. Upon looking at the sculpture I was in awe of it. It really is spectacular!

It was a team effort, and a huge team at that, to finally have the sculpture built and put into place. It’s situated at George Dodd Reserve, North Wollongong overlooking the ocean. CCC worked tirelessly for almost 10 years to have their dream finalised with many challenges along the way. Their perseverance and dedication to not giving up, always having had the bigger picture in mind. There were some key players in making it all come to fruition.

John Monteleone. 

John Monteleone was the Director at the Wollongong Art Gallery and a friend of the CCC group. Some of the committee members initially approached John with their idea of a sculpture. They thought about a location and a suggestion was made about the Wollongong Botanical Gardens. They then approached the Botanical Gardens` group but it wasn’t a good fit. Disappointed, they left it for a while. CCC some time later approached local fabrication and engineering companies but none seemed interested or keen.

Approximately two years later they spoke with John again and he suggested that they speak with Sue Besell. Sue Bessell was the Public Art Officer with the Wollongong City Council. Sue then went and spoke to Council and they were in favour of the idea.

John then organised a meeting between Sue and members of the CCC.  The project would come under the Public Arts Program. The Public Arts Program had money allocated by council for such projects. This way they could get the ball rolling with some initial funds, while they then continued to fund raise for the sculpture.

The Council were happy to support the project as it was a representation of the community and the contributions made by the many migrants who called Wollongong their home.

Sue Bessell was responsible for the handling of the process involved. She was also able to link people together to get the project through the Council.  All the requirements of O.H&S, the engineering, logistics and the many details involved in commissioning such a project.  These were all challenges that were met along the way that had to be dealt with in a particular manner and a certain protocol.

The committee was now formed and met once a month. John was also part of the committee. A brief was written up and expressions of interest went out to potential artists for design ideas. Three artists were short listed. The design and artist accepted was Nerine Martini.

Nerine Martini. 

Nerine Martini, originally from Perth was an artist based in Sydney. She created diverse works such as drawings, public art and sculptures that ranged from the small to meters tall. Nerine had two masters degrees from the College of Fine Arts, University of New South Wales. 

Nerine`s work often centred around refugees and immigrants. She was particularly drawn to displaced people and had a sensitivity and compassion towards them. She was commissioned in 2014 to create the public art work in Wollongong that represented the migrants and their contributions.

Nerine was very hands on with the project and would often be present at WGE whilst the sculpture was being built. This sculpture presented a completely different set of challenges for Nerine as she had never done anything as big before. Much of the logistics and the after requirements to complete the structure, move it, put it on site were not to her understanding and she credits Tom Gallo for his guidance and help.

Sadly, Nerine Martini passed away 25th April, 2019. She was only 51 years old. Though Nerine`s Art still lives on and with many of her pieces exhibited in art spaces throughout the country. There are also over 30 public art pieces in NSW alone. Nerine`s work can be seen at https://nerinemartini.com/. website   She truly left an amazing legacy.

The following is the press release from the Illawarra Mercury January 23, 2015. 

Migration Project 2015
Commissioned by Wollongong City Council, with contributions from many local businesses, the series of sculptural artworks celebrate and honour the contribution that migrants have made to the social, cultural and economic fabric of the City of Wollongong. 

The Migration Project comprises two separate artworks located in George Dodd Reserve in North Wollongong. 

The Boat is a contemporary landmark sculpture. The symbol of the boat is a compelling reminder of the journey that migrants have made in search of a better life. Constructed mainly from steel, the artworks reference the industry and businesses that many of the migrants helped to establish in the Wollongong area. The 4 metre long stainless steel skeletal boat form is elevated on rusted steel I-beams which evolve into ladders more than 5 meters in the air. The base of the sculpture is made from granite stone tiles etched with evocative stories and images adding a further layer of meaning to the artwork. 

The three posts are collectively entitled Dwellings, they reference the accommodation for migrants when they first arrived in Wollongong; sheds, caravans and the Nissen huts. The beautiful timber posts are recycled ironbark, which originally came from a bridge in Northern NSW. This artwork reflects the story of humble beginnings, hard work and contribution to family and community life. 

Thanks to the generous in-kind support from the many business who contributed to the fabrication and installation of the artworks. The Migration Project was launched in January 2015.

 Video unveiling of The Boat Sculpture.

Illawarra Mercury
 Illawarra Mercury article, January 23, 2015.


Migration Project press release.

 

Tom Gallo 

Tom is the head of WGE, a construction company that he built from the ground up. Domenic Chieffe, from CCC approached Tom early on about the sculpture as he was trying to get funding for the project. Tom was keen to help but told Domenic to come back when he had something concrete. That way he knew exactly what he would be dealing with.

Domenic came back to see Tom some time later with the plan, the artist impression and design, that was made of steel and facing towards the sea. Once Tom saw the design and plan he knew he didn’t need anyone else. He knew exactly what to do as this was his area of expertise. He told Domenic that he would not give any financial contribution, but he would help out and help out he did!

Tom made a plan and took care of the management of the project and coordinated the team he needed. He sourced all of the building materials locally and much of it for free. They used stainless steel as well as Wr40, which is a treated steel that looks rustic, but it doesn’t rust, enabling the effect to weather harsh conditions. There were other local organisations who provided their time and materials for the project too. Gerry Fischl from AllFab Constructions Pty Ltd provided a sizeable cash donation. This helped immensely to kick off the project.

Tom used his workers to build the sculpture in his factory and for them it was heartfelt as so many of them were either migrants or children of migrants themselves, as too were some of those other contributors. There was no better way to honour such a structure than using migrants to build it.

Tom had a meeting with the Wollongong City Council who suggested to him about using people of migrant backgrounds in his team to build the sculpture, but Tom was already one step ahead of them.

Nerine Maritini presented Tom with a small model of the sculpture itself. When I spoke with Tom he said that he estimated that the labour and time for the work that WGE put in was $70 thousand dollars, but he never saw it as costly. He had such a feeling of pride to be part of this project that would be seen by multitudes of people. It was also a way to honour his parents too, and their migration. The sculpture will live on for years.

Domenic Chieffe, Domenica Risorto, Mary Zanotto - CCC 

As representatives of the CCC group they remembered only too well the frustrations that happened along the way in seeing the sculpture come to life. With the Public Arts Program the council funding helped to start the process but the funds were only small in comparison to the rest of what was needed to see the project through.

Once they had the approval of Council CCC went back to the organisations that they initially approached for help with the project funding. But even with approval it didn’t change their mind.  

So here they were with approval for the sculpture but no way of paying for it. With time and with help from WGE`s Tom Gallo and many other organisations the sculpture would come to life.

The next concern was where were they going to put it? The first place that Wollongong Council offered them was near the Lagoon, over by the reeds.  That was just not acceptable for them. It was not a prominent location. The access was not easy and CCC were concerned about possible vandalism. The CCC group suggested a sight on Flagstaff Hill, where the old light keepers house once stood. That was rejected by council as it was a sacred Aboriginal site. The next location that CCC thought would be good was behind the WIN Stadium near the bus interchange redevelopment, but that too was Aboriginal sacred land. They even asked about the possibility of somewhere in the CBD of Wollongong, but the public liability risk was too great.

They were becoming disillusioned but at the same time more determined to find the right place.  On driving around the Wollongong area they noticed the George Dodd reserve on the corner of George`s place and Cliff Road, facing the ocean. They liked this site a lot as it had great significance overlooking the sea as most migrants came to Australia by ship. They spoke with Sue Bessell and she did some investigating. To their delight the site was approved and now the sculpture would have a home.

With the sculpture now being built at WGE and with the input of other organisations, the months of work finally paid off. The area was fenced off whilst they worked on putting the sculpture into place. Members of the CCC group would often drive past and peer through the fencing at the progress in anticipation of the final reveal.

On Friday January 23, 2015, The Migration Project Sculpture was finally revealed. A massive structure reaching for the sky overlooking the ocean and Belmore basin. Tall and mighty it stands as a reminder of how and who helped to build this wonderful city of Wollongong.

The Migration Project: List of Contributors.

All above video images from the

Wollongong City Council

Migration Project brochure.

Launch of The Migration Project of Wollongong 2015

 

Launch of The Migration Project of Wollongong 2015

The above two videos from the collection belonging to Vittorio Giudice

Youtube channel: Youtube channel