I remember when the first ‘New Australians’ arrived. What had they left behind and what was life like for them here? The Immigrants opens the door to that parallel world of brave souls who left home in search of a better life. Moreno says, ‘Immigrant stories are never told with love and clarity. Always with humour and ridicule.’
This, however, is a tale full of love. Based on real events it reveals the history of Moreno’s family and the Italian community who lived and worked around Mitrefò (Myrtleford) in north-east Victoria.
The book is a love letter to his father, Ugo, and mother, Morena, who married in San Ginese in 1954 when she was just 17 years old. Ugo came to Australia in 1957 and Morena followed with their son a year later. They both worked growing tobacco. There is rich detail of their work and life.
But this was no easy life. Among the Italians of Mitrefò there was ‘violent death … murder … suicide … fatal accidents, madness [and] deadly snake bites’. These tragedies highlight the disconnect between the aspirations of those who came for a better life and what really happened to them. Missed family events and absent friends weighed heavily on the immigrants. Thirty per cent repatriated. Moreno’s family went back twice only for Ugo and Morena to return and die separately in Australian nursing homes.
This is indeed ‘a wonderful story’, full of dreams, hard work, rich memories and the occasional nightmare.
Reviewed by Peter Gray
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Moreno Giovannoni is the author of the critically acclaimed The Fireflies of Autumn and a freelance translator of long standing. His essay ‘The Percheron’ was published in Southerly and selected for The Best Australian Essays in 2014.
He was recipient of the prestigious Deborah Cass Prize in 2016.
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