Pasquale, Vincenzo and Francesco Fazzolare were born in Gioiosa Ionica, Reggio Calabria. The three brothers all came to Australia at different times and would eventually become well known in the Wollongong and Illawarra area for their fruit and vegetable business.
Pasquale was the first to arrive in Australia. He came in 1927, Nov 20th, on the ship Caprera. He was 18 years old. His address listed him living in Cremorne, Sydney, NSW. Unfortunately, not much is known about his life for the next ten years. He did however, list his profession as a fruiterer. In 1937 he became a Citizen of Australia, becoming Naturalised on August 26th at the age of 28.
The following year his brother Vincenzo arrived February 8th, 1938, aboard the ship Esquilino. He was 24 years old. His address listing was the same as his brother Pasquale, but it is believed that in the same year, they opened their fruit shop at 66 Crown Street, Wollongong.
The following year, 15 year old Francesco Fazzolare arrived in Australia, traveling on board the same ship as his brother Vincenzo, the Esquilino, Feb 10th, 1939. By the time Francesco arrived in Australia the fruit shop was up and running. He went to live with his brothers in Wollongong and began working with them straight away. One of his jobs was to wheel the timber barrow full of fruits and vegetables, up and down the street, for people who wished to buy.
The Fazzolare brothers leased the shop at 66 Crown Street and also lived upstairs (with their families). This certainly made it convenient for the brothers who were building the business. The shop would soon become the Paragon Fruit Palace.
In 1943 John Fazzolare was born. John is the son of Pasquale and Ines. John recalls vividly how his father’s day would start early morning, before dawn, traveling to the markets to purchase and pickup produce. As he returned back to the shop, he continued working and would finish late at night. Even though they lived upstairs, John said that he hardly saw his father, as he was always working. He also recalls his mother constantly cooking. Ines would cook for the regular staff in the shop. The shop was open 7 days per week and some of the staff worked very long hours and they were provided home cooked meals by Ines.
The shop opening hours were early morning for customers from around 7 am and finishing late into the night around 11 (which is just unheard of). They would also use this time for restocking. The fruit shop consisted of two store fronts. One was the retail shop itself. The other shop was the store room for produce and where the goods were unloaded off the truck and brought into the shop. It also served as the wholesale area and eventually the cool rooms would be housed there as well.
The business certainly was building and they would soon have more than one truck for their deliveries. They purchased from the markets in Sydney, as well as other produce suppliers along the way. Pasquale did much of the driving and purchasing in the beginning. Pasquale drove to the markets everyday. Within a short while they purchased a second truck, as it was needed to keep up with the demand. The second truck usually went to the markets about 3 times per week. The Fazzolare brothers also had a petrol pump behind the shop that was operated by hand to fuel the trucks. Frank Fazzolare would also become one of the drivers, heading to the markets for produce as well as working in the shop.
Vince would become a main buyer of the produce from the markets, too. It would become one of his well known skills, as throughout his career in the industry no matter who he worked for, he was always employed as a buyer, for his experience and knowledge, for the people that knew him, as he was well liked and well respected.
The Fazzolare brothers supplied food outlets, cafes and restaurants and other eateries. They did runs up and down the coast, as well as supplying ships coming into the harbour at Port Kembla, who needed to purchase produce to feed their crews. They sold tobacco, cold drinks and ice cream in their shop and also did home deliveries.
They were known for their generosity with customers and their fantastic displays in their fruit shop. Mountain high piles of fruits and vegetables in wonderful colourful patterns. They would also be well known for their community support with donations in the way of produce and money, for local groups and charities that were fundraising.
Lena Fazzolare, who is one of the daughters of Vince and Vittoria, always remembers her father saying, `give more, not less`, when it came to the customers. She too remembers how her mother was cooking along with Ines. How both wives were cooking for the staff, three home cooked meals per day. Lena also remembers the dormitory at the back of the shop, where many of the staff would stay.
In 1952 Pasquale and Vincenzo put in an application for a new building in Crown Street. It would be the first of it’s kind, a three story building in downtown Wollongong. It eventually got approved and around 1953 it was officially opened. It was known as The Fazzolare Building. It cost around 60,000 pounds.
The building was at 48 - 50 Crown Street, Wollongong. A portion of the building wrapped around the corner of Corrimal Street too. It really was something spectacular for the area. There were offices upstairs, meeting rooms and shops at the street level.
Some of the people who leased spaces in the building were WEA (Workers Education Association), South Coast Secretarial Services and Dowset Engineering. Others like a Tailor, Tattooist, Accountants, Photographer and Wedding Portrait Specialist, all occupied upstairs at one time or another. Down stairs at the shop fronts you would find a Continental Butcher, Italian Restaurant (that changed hands and cuisine types overtime), Electrical goods store, Bazaar, and of course Guido and Co Italian Delicatessen. Thriving businesses, at a thriving time in Wollongong.
In 1953, Wollongong was abuzz with Coronation fever. The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II took place on June 2nd. The main street of Wollongong was decorated with a gala display. Flags, bunting, colourful lights and pennants all adorned the street. Shop owners had their stores decked out and dazzling with adornments in celebration. Other towns had their own displays and decorations too! Union Jack flags were hung and even homes were celebrating the event with their own festive colourful regalia. The week long celebration ended with a street procession down Crown Street of school groups, other organisations, sports teams and floats. The Fazzolare brothers opened up their building to the public as a grandstand. They charged a silver coin donation and the proceeds went to the Smith Family charity organisation. There were early bird spectators waiting to get their spots, ready for the procession. They raised over $600 equivalent of today`s money with the standard inflation rate.
Chris Fazzolare is one of three sons of Frank and Patricia. Chris can recall as a very young boy going to the markets with his father in the truck along with his older brother Paul and younger brother Michael. What stood out to him was how everybody at the markets knew who his father was. Frank was very popular. Chris also remembers helping to bag up onions some years later, when his father was at the Kenny Street fruit market.
In 1959 tragedy struck with the death of Pasquale Fazzolare, on the 17th of July. It happened early morning as he was doing his usual run to the markets. He was near Helensburgh and he had pulled over, stopping the truck to have a rest. He was hit from behind by another truck and was thrown from the cabin. He was only 50 years old.
An unfortunate series of events took place as Pasquale died intestate. As there was no will, creditors began demanding monies to be repaid and the building now up for grabs. Vince Fazzolare, would spend the next six years paying back creditors and debts that would eventually see him lose the business. The whole incident deeply hurt him and as hard as he tried, he couldn’t save it.
In 1966, the fruit shop business at 66 Crown Street, Wollongong, which Vince and Frank were still running, was sold and in 1967 Vince Fazzolare officially filed for bankruptcy. Vince Fazzolare continued working in the fruit and vegetable industry for several years before retiring completely.
In the meantime, Frank Fazzolare, worked as a truck driver for another fruit merchant in Wollongong called Whiteman`s Wholesale. He also worked at the FVM fruit market in Kenny Street, as a driver. In 1971 Frank was involved in an accident driving the truck for FVM. He suffered from some injuries, but nothing major. However, the accident seemed to reveal some brain issues, where he was tested and diagnosed with Huntingtons Disease. It is believed that Frank had the beginnings of the disease some years prior. Huntingtons Disease is a genetic disorder that affects the brain and nervous system. It would eventually claim his life, as it had done with his father, his sister Maria and eventually his eldest son Paul. At age 64, Frank Fazzolare passed away 17th of Feb, 1988. The last of the brothers, Vince Fazzolare, passed away on May 6th, 1995 at age 81.
I felt a sense of sadness as I wrote this story. Sadness, because there was nothing written about them, yet a lot of the older generation still remember them. My mother told me about them when I was a teenager and even though I didn’t know anything about them, I got the feeling that they certainly left an impact. Working for almost 30 years as the Fazzolare brothers, then with Vince and Frank working for another (approximately) 25 years combined in the industry, an impact was certainly left.
The contribution that was made by the Fazzolare brothers, in my opinion, was immeasurable. Their imprint was, and still is, all over the local Wollongong area, from the community that they served to the economic impact that was left behind. Not only that, through their extensive experience and knowledge of the industry, others would be inspired to start their own businesses too! They really were the founders of the Italian fruit and vegetable merchants in Wollongong. I felt humbled and honoured that I was able to write and share their story, and so very grateful to have connected to their children and families, without who, this story would not have been told.
16 year old Frank Fazzolare
images from the collection belonging to Patricia Galvin (Fazzolare)
Image from the collection belonging to Margaret Formigoni
This made the front page of the newspaper.
