PIO LUCCARDA

Pio Lucccarda was born on the 22nd of January, 1905 in Torrebelvicino, Veneto, Italy. He arrived in Australia on the 17th of July, 1938 on the ship SS Viminale. He went straight to Tarrawanna to live with his brother Luigi. On the 4th Feb, 1940 aboard the ship Remo, another brother Arduino arrived in Australia. Traveling with him was Pio`s wife Lucia and their son Francesco, who was 5 years old. 

As WW2 had already broken out, since September 1st 1939, suddenly the Italian migrants were classified by the Government as “enemy aliens”. Six months, after arriving in Australia, Pio was interviewed by the Australian Government’s Military Police Intelligence (MPI) Section in Sydney, NSW on 20th August 1940.  This was a mandatory alien registration and application for an alien registration certificate. Pio’s certificate was granted, however, he had to complete a period on ‘Parole’ and report to the local Corrimal Police station every week.  It is unknown how long Pio and the many other Italian migrants were on Parole.  At the time of Pio’s interview with the MPI section, he stated that he was working as a “charcoal burner” for a S. Griffiths in Colo Vale, NSW.  He was working with 18 other Italian men, and they lived on a campsite there. Pio’s alien registration form concluded that “this alien appears to be friendly towards the British Empire” and he was deemed of no threat or harm to Australian Security.  This would have been an extremely frightening experience for Pio, and the many other ‘alien’ migrants at the time.

1941 Pio and Lucia`s daughter Ida was born and they all lived together with Luigi Luccarda along his brother Arduino. Ida shares the same name as her Aunty Ida, who would eventually run the Luccarda boarding house years later. Luigi’s house was always full of people - full of other Italian migrants that had settled in Tarrawanna and the surrounding suburbs.   

Pio worked as a miner like his brother Luigi. Pio and Arduino eventually started a market garden on land at Woonona.  The land was owned by the Bevans family (Bevans Real Estate).  The Bevans family knew the Luccarda’s and asked them if they would like to start up a market garden on land that they owned. Pio and Arduino took up this offer.  They would both travel to the market garden from Tarrawanna to Woonona on their push bikes. The vegetable farm employed both migrant men and women. The farm produce was sold to the local green grocers and shop owners etc, including the Fazzolare Brothers, who were fruit and vegetable merchants in Wollongong.

The Bevans family got to know the Luccarda brothers and mentioned that they were selling a site at Tarrawana. This land was close to were Luigi lived, in Paynes Lane (which later would become Caldwell Avenue). This property was on Tarrawanna Street (which later became Meadow Street). The site consisted of three blocks of land that included a timber dwelling that housed the combined General Store and Post Office. The family who ran the store lived at the back of the shop. The site was purchased by Luigi and Pio. 

Luigi put plans into the council to renovate and add extensions to the dwelling that was used for the general store and in 1949 the plans were approved. However, it would take several years before the extensions and renovations were actually completed. The land had been rezoned and the local council reclaimed a portion of the Luccarda`s land on the corner, as council needed it to widen the road and the Caldwell Avenue & Meadow Street intersection. Once the work commenced on the renovations, the Post Office was temporarily relocated across the road, still on Tarrawanna Street.

Around 1950, an existing house which was bordering the land that the Luccarda brothers purchased on Meadow Street, came up for sale. Pio purchased the home and he moved in with his family giving much relief to Luigi’s crowded house. 

Pio and Lucia started their own boarding house at their Tarrawanna home. Pio and Lucia had many boarders between 1950 and 1962. The boarders were Italian migrants that needed a place to live upon arrival to the Illawarra, and it gave them a safe and supportive place to live while they got themselves settled, working and able to move on to their accommodation.

Pio and his wife Lucia had borders in their house. The house had an enclosed verandah that accommodated several boarders. There was a bathroom situated at the back of the property for the men. A short while later Pio built a dwelling at the back of his house for additional boarders. This allowed there to be 8 - 10 men boarding at any given time. The men always came into the main house for dinner which would be prepared by Lucia. Lucia would also prepare the men a packed lunch each day for them to take to work.

Lucia worked hard.  She was busy looking after her own family and the men boarding with them. Monday would be wash day and the copper boiler was fired up. All the beds were stripped, clothing washed, ironing and some mending done. All of this was provided to the boarders.

Aunty Ida had already arrived in Australia and within a short time she and her brother Luigi set up a boarding house too. It was a separate dwelling on Luigi’s property in Caldwell Avenue, which  was a short walk away from Pio and Lucia’s home.  In the early 1950`s, a dry cleaners opened up across the street, giving the option for the men to get their dress clothes pressed and cleaned. This worked well for both of the boarding houses.  

Meanwhile on the weekend, back at Luigi Luccarda`s boarding house, men gathered together to play bocce for free and purchase a glass of wine. Pio was also there at the bocce courts using the large hand operated concrete roller to flatten and level out the courts. The bocce courts had been built years before and the men were making bocce playing at the Luccarda courts part of their weekly ritual. These gatherings were the rumblings of what would soon become the current Fraternity Bowling Club, in Fairy Meadow. 

There was also a bocce court at Cringila and members of the Italian community would frequent this court as well as Luigi Luccarda`s, at Tarrawanna. At the community hall in Cringila, they had organised gatherings, sometimes monthly, to raise money towards a newly proposed Italian club.  Francesco Luccarda (Pio`s son) would play the accordion and they would have a dance along at the hall.  People would bring a plate of food to share for supper. This was also the perfect opportunity for a get together for the local Italian community as well. People made donations and the word was spreading about the proposed club.

There was talk about purchasing some property, a few acres, near Appin or Wilton.  It was deemed too far away and then an opportunity came for a site at Fairy Meadow. Fairy Meadow was the perfect location.  The location was close to the Highway, not too far from Wollongong and in between Port Kembla and the northern suburbs of Illawarra, where the Italian community dwelt in between. For those who didn’t drive or have access to a car, the bus stop was an added bonus.  On August 29, 1953, The South Coast Social and Fraternity Club was officially opened. The Italian community now had its own club. 

Pio Luccarda had bought a car. As Luigi didn’t drive, Pio used his vehicle to gather many supplies for himself and for his brother Luigi, for both boarding houses and eventually when the reception centre was added around 1955. 

Around the early 1960`s the renovations and extensions were finished at the Tarrawanna Street site and two new shops were added. The old general store no longer existed. Soon a fruit shop would be open at the site and eventually the Post Office would return.  By 1962, Pio and Lucia Luccarda were no longer operating their boarding house. Lucia was now often helping out Aunty Ida at the Luccarda reception centre.  

Pio Luccarda passed away in 1970 and Lucia lived at her home in Tarrawanna until 2011. She moved to Marco Polo nursing home until her passing in 2012 at the age of 99.  

Both Pio and Luigi Luccarda were recognised by the Fraternity Bowling Club as Life Members. Luigi Luccarda was also made an honorary board member of the Club. The Luccarda family was honoured for their contribution to the local Italian community and the Wollongong City Council recognised the Luccarda family by naming a laneway after them - Luccarda Place, Tarrawanna. 

 

Pio and Lucia Luccarda`s boarding house in the early 1950`s. The front verandah was closed in for their first boarders.  98 Meadow Street, Tarrawanna.

Pio built a second dwelling at the back for more boarders with adjoining bathroom and laundry facilities.

All images from the collection belonging to Sue Luccarda

 

TARRAWANNA ITALO - AUSTRALIAN CO-OPERATIVE CLUB LIMITED - LUCCARDA`S PART TWO

The first story that was ever written here on the https://italiansofwollongong.blogspot.com/ was the story of the Luccarda Boarding House and Wedding Reception Centre, Tarrawanna. The story was published on Wednesday February 9, 2022. Many people frequented the centre at Tarrawanna and it became quite the meeting place for so many Italians in the community.

As I wrote more stories, Luccarda`s was mentioned many times from not only people who worked there but those who had their wedding receptions there. It certainly was well known. I was extremely fortunate to have contacted Rosalie Pirlo who is Luigi Luccarda`s niece. Her father Arduino was Luigi’s brother. Rosalie provided me with the most amazing photos of years gone by and each photo almost told it’s own story. Once I was able to put all the images together and write the story it then set the tone for the stories that followed.

Months had gone by and I received a call one day from Rosalie who had found an old certificate amongst some photos.  She had no idea what it was for but she felt the need to ring to let me know. As soon as I saw the certificate I was very surprised. I wondered about the title and was extremely curious to find out all that I could. Dated in 1955, I wondered what were the chances of learning about this information, if any, as a lot paperwork and articles from that time period were not kept!
 
So I began my research. I was able to put in a request to the Department of Fair Trading NSW to acquire information regarding the proposed Tarrawanna Italo-Australian Co-Operative Club Limited. I was then granted access to the information. All names and addresses of the members were redacted but all other information was granted with transparency.

In 1954 an application for the club was made and on 21st of March, 1955, it was certified that the Tarrawanna Italo-Australian Co-Operative Club Limited was incorporated as a `Community Advancement`.

There were seven directors of the proposed club. Five of them were from Tarrawanna, one from Balgownie and the other from Cringila. The date of appointment was January 15, 1955. There were 30 members of the club all paying one pound each. The annual fee for club membership was one pound and no member was able to have more than five shares.

The club was to be formed under a` Community Advancement Society` with its operations taking place at Payne`s Lane, Tarrawanna. It was to be a non sectarian, non political club that was open for everyone in the community.

In the STATEMENT OF FORMATION MEETING the following was stated:

“ This Society has, through persons acting as Trustees on its behalf entered into negotiations for the hire of the premises situated at Paynes Lane, Tarrawanna and it is proposed that the premises provide accommodation and recreational facilities to members which hitherto have been lacking in  Tarrawanna”. 

“The success of the Society is assured as a large number of persons have already formed an unincorporated club known as Tarrawanna Italo-Australian Club and its members have assured their support to the society”.

“The formation of the Society will provide badly needed club and recreational facilities at Tarrawanna”.

Further South from Luigi Luccarda`s home was a new club that had opened  in Fairy Meadow called The South Coast Social & Fraternity Club, (now known as The Fraternity Club). It was a family club for Italians that in the beginning predominately traded on the weekends, opening in 1953. At the  time there were no provisions at the club for meals and the legal age to drink was 21.  For those who wished to have a drink at the club had to move to a room at the back to consume their alcohol. Saturday night there was usually a band of musicians playing and on a Sunday people came to play bocce. Luigi Luccarda was offering something different.

Prior to the registration of the club, Luccarda`s was recognised as an `Unincorportated Club`, which is basically the same as a charity, though it is unsure when this officially happened, but as an `Unincorporated Club`, this made perfect sense! 

Luccarda`s was a place that evolved slowly over time. Remembering that Luigi arrived in 1922 and by 1930 he was living in his home at 90 Caldwell Avenue (previously known as Paynes Lane), Tarrawanna. Over time he made additions to his property. With the many migrants coming into the area Luigi provided them with a place to socialise as he built bocce courts at the back of his property. On top of that he also had friends and family living with him in his house as well as lodgers in his boarding house next door. There was always activity at the Luccarda place. Meals were provided, glasses of wine served from Luigi’s sprawling grapevines and the Italian community was growing its roots in the area. It was only natural that an expansion into a registered club would happen. Wedding receptions began to take place and would become one of the driving forces of the club. Luigi’s house and boarding house were at capacity and the bocce courts were frequented every weekend as a means for socialising and friendly gatherings. Slowly, over time Luigi removed some of the bocce courts to extend the dinning hall as they were outgrowing the space quickly.  As the years went by they just got busier.

According to records from The Wollongong City Council, in 1966 Luccarda`s was officially registered as a Wedding Reception Centre. The Tarrawanna  Italo-Australian Co-Operative Club Limited was now de-registered. The boarding house also continued and it would continue into the next two decades with the next two owners of the establishment.

In 1969 an application was put into council to add a restaurant to the already functioning reception centre. Application had to be made for a liquor licence as well and the property needed to be tidied and presentable for the neighbourhood. The car park had to accommodate space for no less than 43 cars with line marking, paving and drainage. Fences needed to be erected, leveling and sealing of the driveway, establishment of lawns and ornamental shrubs across the front, removal of some of the grapevines, all to council requirements.  These requirements had to met within twelve months of the date of council`s approval.  In 1971 Luigi sold the premises.

Luigi, who was born in 1899 was now 71 years old.  He passed away eight years later in 1979. He was the oldest brother and both of his younger brothers had passed away before him. His sister Ida, the last Luccarda sibling living in Australia, passed away in 1993. What a legacy they all left behind!

The Luccarda family created what many would call `Little Italy`, in the Wollongong area. They provided a home away from home for so many immigrants who came to Australia to build their new life. The celebrations of the many weddings at the club, the bocce players who gathered every weekend to socialise with their friends and buried beneath the Tarrawanna soil are the countless memories they all left behind.

                                                 

 

   Above is the list of all seven directors. The names were redacted

 List of the members, 30 in total all paying 1 pound each.  Members were not allowed to have any more than five shares each and there were to be no more than 250 members of the club. 

 

Objectives of the club above and the declaration below

 

        Certificate of Incorporation

                  Image from the collection belonging to Rosalie Pirlo