ITALIANS OF WOLLONGONG: 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.