VACCARO Antonio  

Interview with Lucia Foti (nee Vaccaro) 1987.

Acknowledgement is made for the enormous research carried out by Jenny Keast for her publication "Valley of Solitude" from which information has been used in this family history.

Antonio Vaccaro was born in the hills town of Franca-Villa, province of Messina, Sicily, in 1902. His father, Giuseppe, died when he was only two years old and he was brought up by his grandparents. His mother and his grandparents leased land and grew vegetables. His mother also earned money by working for other farmers. As he grew up, Antonio worked in the vegetable gardens and was in great demand as an expert in the art of pruning fruit trees and vines. He was also employed by the local cooperative to count the fruit, when it was brought in by the sharefarmers. There were no market for fruit cases at that time, all the fruit was delivered in huge baskets and each piece was counted and recorded under the growers name, to be paid for at the going rate per piece of fruit. Although Antonia had little schooling, his ability with numbers and his quickness earned him a good wage.

In 1920, Antonio married Carmella Scuderi. He was eighteen years old and she twenty. Their first child, Lucia was born in 1921 and Josephine in 1923. In 1927, the urge to buy his own land prompted Antonio to leave Sicily and travel to Australia where he hoped to earn much more money. He left his wife and family at home, he would not see them again for twelve years.

When Antonio arrived in Western Australia, he worked for several market gardeners in the Wanneroo area, including Crisafulli and Cookman, before moving on to Morowa. He stayed in the Morowa area for six years, clearing land for wheat farmers, before returning to Perth to have treatment for a skin disease on his face, caught from a barber's dirty razor. The complaint took four years to cure.

Once a year, Antonio sent money to his family, who were fast going up and attending school. Through friends, he heard of a partnership available with Sister Gill, of Carmel, on her land, and began working there. Shortly after, he heard of land to lease in Merrivale Road, Pickering Brook, with a house on it, which enabled him to bring his family to Western Australia.

Lucia was very disappointed when she saw Fremantle, she expected a large modern city, when she saw Pickering Brook she was horrified. She lost weight and cried for six months. The family were first taken to Perth to stay with family friends, the Silvestri's, at their boarding house, before being taken to Pickering Brook, on a truck, along with their luggage, which included a double mattress. Antonio had little money with which to prepare the house for the family. The mattress was re-stuffed with straw and the two girls shared a single bed borrowed from a neighbour. There were no facilities in the house and life was very uncomfortable for a long time. There were no young girls close by for the girls to talk to. Although the Sala Tennas and the Armanascos were at Pickering Brook, it was a long walk through the bush to see them. To cheer the girls up a little, Antonio took them into Perth, on the train, and bought Lucia a pair of blue shoes, costing seventeen shillings and six pence ($1.75). When they returned home, Carmella was very cross that so much had been paid for a pair of shoes. The family had to sell many cabbages to pay for them.

In the summer time cabbages sold for two shillings (20 cents) a bag, often not enough to pay the carrier. Cauliflowers sold for sixpence (5 cents) and a half chaff bag of peas for two shillings (20 cents). It took a lot of peas to fill a chaff bag.

There were very few productive orchards at that time, most people were waiting for trees to come into production and they totally relied on incomes from vegetable growing. Many sold vegetables to the army during the war. Antonio was not naturalised but was allowed to stay on his property. The people of the area were very close knit during the war, all nationalities were friends, despite some being enemies in Europe. The family attended many dances at Carilla and enjoyed life, despite the hardships. There was only one incident that upset Antonio during the war and that was when someone told the Police that he was holding political meetings on his property. The Police visited Antonio who said, "Yes! I have friends visiting me - if you call that a meeting - but all we discuss is the price of cauliflowers!' Italians had to have permits to travel to Perth and Antonio did not risk going without one.

In 1945, Lucia married Carmelo Foti who had come to Western Australia from Totarici, Sicily. She had first met him when they both visited the Silvestris in Perth. Carmelo then went to the goldfields to work at the state battery with his brother Gaetano, who had been there since 1927.

Carmelo had arrived in Western Australia in 1938 and in 1940 was interned, firstly at Rottnest and then at Harvey. After nine months he was released to work for his brother. Carmelo did not think life at Rottnest was so bad, although the barracks were a little overcrowded. When Lucia and Carmelo were married, he worked at a pet meat butcher at Bayswater, then at Valencia Vineyards before buying a sawmill at Wanneroo, in partnership with a friend. His share was later sold and he worked at a quarry at Spearwood. As he was taken to work each day by truck, that left from Perth, he and Lucia moved to the city where they lived in one room.

Their son Charles was born while they lived in the room, which Lucia had made very nice for them. Lucia cooked and washed at her sister Josephine's shop, in Oxford Street, Perth. Finally, they returned to Pickering Brook and worked the orchard.

Carmelo and Lucia are now living at Kalamunda, in semi retirement, but are still producing superb vegetables.

Family Information.

Giuseppi Vaccaro married Giuseppa Zulla (a widow).
Children; Antonio born 1902, Stepson Gaetano, went to U.S.A. before coming to Western Australia.

Giuseppina ? married Gaetano Scuderi.
Children; Carmella, Angela, Maria, Giuseppe.

Antonio Vaccaro married Carmela Scuderi.
Children; Lucia, Josephine.

Josephine married Franco Conti.

Lucia married Carmelo Foti.
Children; Charles, Lynete, Rita.

Charles married Nancy Pizzino.
Children; David, Robert, Rebecca.

Lynette married Graham O'Meagher.
Children; Grant, Leisha.

Rita married Grant Adam.
Child; Scott.

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:    Valley of Solitude by Jenny Keast

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