At 26 years of age, aboard the ship Toscana, Gino Battocchio left Venice April 23, 1952 and arrived in Freemantle, Western Australia May 27. He disembarked in Melbourne, Victoria June 7th. From there he moved to the Bonegilla Migrant Camp. On the 2nd of August he moved to the Commonwealth Hostel, Unanderra, NSW.
Gino was the eldest of eleven brothers and the family were struggling in Italy. This was the reason why Gino came to Australia to be able to work and earn good money to send back home. Gino’s fiancé Renata Baldissieri remained in Italy. She would have to wait a few years before Gino returned home. Gino wrote to Renata constantly never wavering from his plans.
Gino’s profession was listed as Mechanic/Turner. He began working on August 4th factory in Unanderra, `Australian Iron and Steel` that was part of the Port Kembla Steel Works. After a short stint living at Flagstaff Road, Warrawong he soon moved to Unanderra where he rented a house in Grace Street.
Gino was very creative and loved to take many photos and he learnt to develop and print them as well. Though his incredible gift was working with metal and he was a master craftsman. Gino created amazing designs and soon they would be on display for the public to see.
In 1954 the Immaculate Conception Church was officially opened in Unanderra. Many people donated items to commemorate and Gino built and donated a Lectern of the Altar to the value of 50 pounds at the time. It was made of sheet metal with semi-gold plated bronze frames and fretwork that he machined. He also made a chalice and the gates of the altar. These works he carried out in the garage of the rectory in Unanderra. Gino became quite acquainted with the church.
On the 10th of November, 1955 his brother Antonio arrived in Australia traveling on the ship Surriento. Antonio lived with his brother Gino in Grace Street and he soon got a job at the Port Kembla Steel Works.
Across the road from his rented house at number 8 Grace Street was a house own by the church at number 3. It was situated at the back of the Unanderra Church that faced the Princes Highway. Gino rented out a room, moving out of the rented house at number 8. Gino, whilst still working was always dedicated to his metal creations.
In 1959 Gino began working on a new piece for the Immaculate Conception Church at Unanderra. It was the Tabernacle and it was truly beautiful. He noted that on Holy Thursday, it was almost complete. September 27 of the same year Gino Battocchio returned to Italy after staying in Australia for seven years. Brother Antonio returned five months later. Gino began working in the Madras shoe factory in Bassano del Grappa as a maintenance officer for the production machines. But his intent to repatriate was very decisive. In 1960 he started, in his own basement, his first independent business.
Soon after Antonio`s arrival in Italy the two of them had their house built with two apartments. They immediately began working on the basement garage that became their first workshop. In 1961 Gino married Renata. Renata began working as the secretary for the company `BB OFFICINE BATTOCCHIO`.
Prior to leaving Italy, Gino began working at the age of 14 at the F.IIi Arise company in Bassano del Grappa. At the age of 17 he moved to the Gasparatto shoe factory where he learned the trade of maintenance mechanic with his future father-in-law who was a master mechanic. Knowing the shoe industry and manufacturing Gino created and patented machines that fastened the soles and the uppers. These machines were created for shoe factories and quickly became popular. Gino and Antonio built an adjoining workshop as they needed to expand. The machines were exported over time to nearly 50 countries around the world. Antonio worked with Gino for 15 years.
In 1975 Gino and Renata built a new house. In addition to the shoe machines Gino carried out other precision mechanical work for various companies including those in the goldsmith sector. Gino’s son Andrea would end up working with him.
Gino ran his factory with his son Andrea till he retired in 2005. The shoe machines along with the patents were sold off and are still in circulation today. Gino Battocchio passed away on March 12, 2010 and he was 84 years old. Renata passed away ten years later on March 19, 2020. Renata was 82.
Gino Battocchio certainly left an incredible legacy behind. He is survived by his three children Riccardo, Andrea and Cristina, two Grandchildren as well as several siblings. He visited Australia another 3 times with Renata who got to see Australia, the country that he so often wrote to her about and the stories that she heard. Gino had many fond memories of his time here. In 1993 he was Knighted by the Italian government for his services to the community. He was also a local councilor and was instrumental with the launching of the group ANEA. `Associazione Nazionale Emigrati ex-Emigrati Australia Americhe`. The ANEA association was dedicated to cultural and social purposes for immigrants and repatriates. They are still operating today with many members world wide.
Gino has blessed us with his marvelous metal works which are still in use and on display at the Immaculate Conception Church, Unanderra. Gino had strong ties to the church. Two of his brothers became priests as well. Egidio who was of the Scalabrini order went to Brazil and Tarcisio who went to Ecuador is of the Salesiano order.
Lastly, his son Monsignor Riccardo Battocchio, is the president of the Association of Italian Theology and the Rector of the Almo Collegio Capranica in Rome. It is a college of seminarians and young priests. He also took on the role of Special Secretary of the Synod of Bishops 2021-2024.
As I spoke with daughter Cristina we had several conversations in the middle of the night and I was just amazed at the story of her father. I first found Gino’s name in a newspaper article from 1956 that was brought to my attention from the staff at the Wollongong Library. From there I began my search and found connection after connection. Without Cristina and the Wollongong Library this story would not exist. My heartfelt thank you goes to them both.
I would like to share a moment of personal thought here. As a person growing up in Australia there were times when I was discriminated against for my ethnicity. Both of my parents were immigrants and even though they had moments of discrimination too, they often spoke about the great opportunities that Australia gave them and the wonderful people that they met along the way.
I feel the same way and do not see myself as a victim at all. The reason that I write this is for you, the reader, to take a moment and think about the many immigrants who came here. Gino was obviously an incredibly talented and creative individual who gave so much here to Australia and his beloved Italy. Yet, so many times I heard ` just an immigrant` from the mouths of many. As if `just an immigrant` were those who filled in the gaps because Australia didn’t have the population and needed people for its growth.
How many New Australians as they were often called, were never able to share their gifts and talents because they were thought of as second class citizens? We have been so blessed to have had the opportunity to bring in those people who shared a part of themselves with good intention and honesty of who they were. How courageous they were in the face of hardship as well as non acceptance by some.
Gino came here and worked as a mechanic yet his creative side yearned to be expressed and we are so very blessed that it did. Gino is still here in Australia and in Italy too. His legacy is strewn throughout the world and it truly is wonderful!
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