DELLA FRANCA Cesarina                                          

Researched and compiled by Gordon Freegard 2021
Including material supplied by Mary Gava

Cesarina Della Franca (nee Della-Marta) was born in Tirano, Lombardy, Italy in 1918 and met Vittorio Della-Franca and married in 1939. That same year they migrated to Perth, Australia where husband Victor was  working in a restaurant in Northbridge.

Victor had previously travelled to Australia in 1912 and worked in the mines at Kalgoorlie and at Meekatharra. He also had worked on farms and cut wood in the pioneering areas of Western Australia. He returned to Italy in 1938.

They returned to Western Australia and joined Charlie Della Franca at Pickering Brook. When Cesarina arrived at Pickering Brook the Zig Zag railway reminded her of the thirty-six zigs of the road up the mountain to her home at Baurafina.

In 1939 they bought a block of land from a Bulgarian couple in Pickering Brook, where they began to establish their orchard.

While they waited for their house to be built, they lived at Merlo DePiazzi’s property on Merrivale Road. The house was built by Victor with the help of his brother Jack Della-Franca, who had bought the next door property known as Highvale Orchard and Joe Neave.

During World War 11 many Italians living in Australia were classed as enemy aliens and were exposed to some very harsh rules. In 1942 it is reported that Victor Della Franca of Pickering Brook, pleaded guilty in the Perth Police Court, on a charge that he, being an enemy alien, had posted a letter to his wife in Switzerland without first submitting it to a censorship authority. It was stated that there was nothing harmful in the letter and it dealt only with domestic subjects. Through an interpreter the defendant said he was ignorant of the regulation.
Mr. J. Wallwork, SM, who was on the bench, fined the defendant 4 pounds ($8) and one pound 4 shillings ($2.40) costs.

 CESARINA DELLA FRANCA      #1

CESARINA & VITTORIO DELLA FRANCA PASSPORT PHOTOS      #2
 

As the orchard blossomed and prospered so did the family. Victor and Cesarina had four sons and a daughter. Bruno born 1940, Alf born 1941, Josie born 1943, Vic born 1945 and Fred in 1946.

When Cesarina and Vittorio returned to Italy for a holiday, after thirty-one years, the population of the village had been reduced from one thousand to only three hundred people. Everyone had gone to the towns to work in industry.

Victor Della-Franca passed away on the 11^th March 1971. Cesarina celebrated her 80^th birthday on the property in 1998.

Cesarina was living proof of the tenacity, dedication to her family and years of hard work on the land that she, Victor and her fellow Italians have invested in Pickering Brook and made it what it is today, a prosperous and thriving community of Italian immigrants and young Australians.

ONE OF THE EARLIEST BUILDINGS ON THE PROPERTY      #3

Every endeavour has been made to accurately record the details however if you would like to provide additional images and/or newer information we are pleased to update the details on this site. Please use CONTACT at the top of this page to email us. We appreciate your involvement in recording the history of our area.

References:                 Article:      Gordon Freegard
                                                 Mary Gava
                                                 Trove
                                                

                                 Images:    Della Franca Family Collection       1, 2, 3

Copyright : Gordon Freegard 2008-2021