ITALIANS OF WOLLONGONG: August 2022

Dario Borgo was born in 1934, in Wollongong, NSW. He is one of five children and the youngest son of Mario and Giulia Borgo. Mario Borgo first came to Australia with his friend Antonio Carollo in 1922, aboard the ship, Boonah. He arrived on October 23rd, approximately six weeks after the birth of his first child, Angelina (Gina), who was born the month before. Giulia his wife was still in Italy.

Mario made his way to Wollongong and found a job in the mines. He settled in Tarrawanna. In 1923 Giulia arrived with their daughter Gina. Mario was working and doing well. Mario was a very keen bocce player and built a bocce court at the back of his rented house which would also become a boarding house, for other immigrants. Often, at his home on the weekend, there would be friends and family gathering for bocce, music, good food and good company.

Mario and Giulia had two more children, a boy Sergio Francesco (Frank) who was born in 1924 and a daughter Armida who was born in 1926. Giulia was working extremely hard with the boarding house and her growing family. Mario on the other hand wasn’t very well and was diagnosed with Tuberculosis (TB), from working in the mines. The work in the mines was extremely heavy. Mario wasn’t happy with his diagnosis and so in 1927 the family left Australia and headed back to Italy.

Mario went to an Italian Doctor who diagnosed him with dust on the lungs, not TB. He was given treatment and a plan to heal his body and within a short time, he recovered. Once he started to feel better, Mario tried his luck again and headed back to Australia for a second time, leaving his family behind. Giulia was back in Italy with the family and living with her father in-law. Giulia was also pregnant.

This time it was around 1929, the depression had started and many people were getting laid off. Mario stayed with his friend and brother in-law Giovanni Binotto who was married to Mario’s sister Fiore.

Desperate to find work, Mario and three friends from Sydney tried to go to the USA. They arrived in Canada only to find that immigration had closed three days before. Downhearted, he headed back to Australia for a third time. It was now 1930.

Giulia had gone into labour and delivered a baby boy stillborn and at the same time Armida wasn’t well. Armida had what seemed to be cold and flu symptoms. It had been a particularly cold winter in Italy, and many times Giulia would often sleep in the same bed as Armida to try and keep her warm. Unbeknown to anyone how sick she really was, the following day Armida passed away from Pneumonia. Giulia was inconsolable and Mario was on the other side of the world, desperate.

Mario made his way back to the local area and found a job in the mine in Scarborough and rented a small shack in Clifton. He called for his wife Giulia and the children to come to Australia. Giulia sold what she could and gathered what little money she had and started making plans to leave. Giulia and Mario had been through too much and just wanted the family to be all together, no matter what. Mario was now 35 years old.

Whilst awaiting his wife and family, Mario rented a small house in Douglas Road, Fernhill. He wasn’t happy about working in the mine, so he changed course and purchased a business with his friend Antonio Carollo. It was a liquor store that was situated downstairs at 275 Crown Street, Wollongong, in the Thorne`s Building.

On August 10, 1931, Carollo and Co purchased the business from Lorenzo Filippi, who acquired the licence for the liquor store in June, 1929. The liquor store also sold cigarettes. They had one delivery truck and did home deliveries. In 1932, Giulia arrived with the two children, Gina and Frank. Now the family was all together.

The business was doing quite well, they bottled the wines on site into demijohns from massive kegs and sold larges bottles of beer. The kegs were called hogheads and they held 65 gallons of liquid. They would be delivered by truck and then unloaded and moved into the store, then siphoned into the demijohns. The beer bottles were wrapped in a straw sleeve for protection. They also sold spirits and continental liqueurs. Mario would run the shop and Antonio would do a lot of the deliveries, usually in the morning, as he still worked in the mines. A few years after Dario was born, around 1936, the Borgo family had moved into their family home at 228 Princes Highway, North Wollongong, a newly built brick cottage.

1939 was quite a significant year for the Borgo family. First of all, Frank had been hospitalised due to illness, but thankfully recovered in due course. That same year Antonio Carollo passed away, from a mining accident and WW2 broke out.

Daughter Gina was now working in the shop alongside her father. Gina acquired her drivers licence and would also help with the deliveries. Frank worked with his father Mario in the wine shop before enlisting in the army in 1942 and eventually Dario would help out after school!

On Frank’s return home from the army, Mario opened another wine shop in Port Kembla. Frank held the licence and ran the shop. Around 1955, Mario opened his new Wine Shop in Wollongong called M. Borgo and Sons, Wine and Spirit Merchants. Mario and Dario ran the new shop whilst Frank ran the Port Kembla store.

By this time, Gina had married and no longer worked for her father, as she left the area with her husband. The new shop was situated in Burelli Street. It was across the street from behind the old store in Crown Street. The Burelli Street shop also sold Italian groceries such as Pasta, Coffee and Deli items. They had parking onsite for six cars and they were open 5 days per week from 8am to 6pm, and on Saturday half a day, 9 am - 12pm. They also had two new delivery trucks.

With the larger shop they now had a greater holding capacity and at the back of the shop they now housed seven large vats with a holding capacity of 750 gallons of liquid each. The wines were still delivered to the store via trucks in the 65 gallon hogshead kegs, but this time they were able to pump straight from the hogshead into the vats. The vats held sweet sherry, dry sherry, semi sweet sherry, port, claret, hock and brown muscat. From the vats they now filled one gallon flagons as well as the two gallon demijohn.

Dario was in charge of home deliveries at the new store. Typically, deliveries were daily, with the order taken from the day before. Grocery lines were also delivered, but the main focus was the liquor. The delivery run went all over the local Wollongong area, including Helensburgh. It also went down through to Nowra and as far north as Liverpool, Sydney, NSW. Many Italian farmers and households would get their wine delivered. Except on Saturdays as there were no deliveries.

They operated the shop like this for approximately ten years. The alcohol was selling very well, but a decision was made to no longer carry the Italian Grocery lines. Other businesses in the area were carrying them, and so Mario Borgo focussed solely on the liquor. He would soon open a first of it`s kind in Wollongong, a drive through liquor store. In 1965 Dario married Inge Guzik.

Around 1968, Mario purchased the property next door that used to be a blacksmith. He renovated and extended the Burelli Street store and a new drive through was added. Customers could now collect their purchases conveniently stepping straight out of their cars. It became really busy, really quickly. It was a huge success. Some people shopped early morning as the shop was open 8am and closing at 6pm Monday to Friday and half a day Saturday. They now sold only bottled wines, beer, spirits and liqueurs. They still had the vats, but only sold the flagons. They no longer sold the demijohns.

To focus on the drive through, the Port Kembla store was sold and Frank worked along side Dario and his father. Not long after the drive though was completed, Mario soon fell ill and in 1972 after a long illness, he passed away.

Around 1973, whilst Dario was still working at the Burelli Street shop, he purchased an old house in Market Street, Wollongong, with his friend George Coutus. Dario had an old unused licence for selling wine by the glass and used it for his new venture, The Market Street Bistro. The bistro was a wine bar and steak house. They had seafood and other menu items as well, opening for lunch and dinner, 7 days per week. Dario and Inge also welcomed their first daughter, Stephanie.

The Market Street Bistro was very well received and it` s location in the centre of Wollongong was also popular for business lunches. The night time trade was also a boon for Wollongong. There was a courtyard in the front and at the back, and on a Saturday afternoon they had a jazz band. It was constantly busy with patrons. Inge would often help out at the Bistro at night and on the weekends. Inge would serve behind the bar. In 1975 Dario and Inge welcomed their second daughter, Martina.

During the years they extended the bistro`s setting capacity, as it was outgrowing itself rapidly. It was approximately 60 seat capacity prior to renovation. Dario finished with the Market Street Bistro, in 1978, selling his share of the business back to his friend George.

In 1979 the Burelli Street Wine shop was sold and would continue to be used as a drive through. Dario took some time off, deciding what he wanted to do next. Dario and his brother Frank built two sets of apartment blocks. The first one was at 27 Church Street, Wollongong. There were 8 in the block and each apartment had two bedrooms. The second one was at 30 Kembla Street, Wollongong. It was a block of 12, two bedroom units. What made these units unique was their location. They were situated up on Smiths Hill. Some of the first blocks of units built there, at the time.

In 1981 Dario and his wife Inge purchased the Harp Hotel in Wollongong. Around the same time, his brother Frank purchased the Lake Illawarra Hotel. The Harp Hotel was situated in the downtown centre of Wollongong. It was a grand old hotel with 15 rooms for accommodation. One of the things that made The Harp Hotel a draw card was the fact that each of the rooms had an ensuite. That was very rare for a hotel/pub to have that. Most older pubs had rooms with communal bathrooms. Upstairs there was a dining room with in-house room service that provided three meals per day to those were staying at the hotel, if they wished to order.

At The Harp they also had a snack bar that was open all week. The snack bar sold simple items such as hamburgers, sausage rolls and sandwiches. The snack bar employed one staff member during the week and two on the weekend. On a Saturday afternoon, they also had a jazz band in the lounge. After a very successful 4 years, Dario and Inge sold the Harp Hotel. Frank sold the Lake Illawarra Hotel around the same time prior to his death. On March 12th, 1985 Frank Borgo passed away aged 60. Sister Gina passed away in 2016.

After having a break from the Harp Hotel, Dario and Inge went on a much needed holiday. Upon their return, Dario went straight back into the liquor trade. He purchased the Balgownie Hotel and the Balgownie Liquor Barn. He quickly sold the hotel on and focused solely on the Liquor Barn. Dario ran the liquor barn for 12 years. He sold the Liquor Barn in 1996 before retiring completely.

Dario and Inge were keen travelers and would travel many times overseas with their family. Dario spent his working life dedicated to the industry that his father Mario worked in. Mario Borgo was well known in the Italian community. Not only was he a keen bocce player, but he would go on to become a life member of the Corrimal Bowling Club, and he was a champion player. Mario Borgo was instrumental in the commencement of the Fraternity Bowling Club, at Fairy Meadow. Through Mario’s dedication and determination, we now have this iconic club for all to enjoy.

The Borgo family certainly contributed greatly and left a legacy. First through Mario and then through Dario and Frank Borgo, who continued to work in the industry, creating new and exciting ventures along the way. Sister Gina was also involved with the Italian community through her commitment and dedication staying connected to her roots. Her women’s group `Daughters of the Italian Pioneers of the South Coast`, was formed in the late 70`s and ran for nearly three decades. Dario Borgo continued to stay connected to the Italian community for many years to come, through local events and celebrations.