Swiss Italians of Australia
Encyclopedia
Swiss Italians of Australia, are Italian speaking Swiss that settled in Australia during the 1850s and 1860s. The Swiss Italians initially settled in the area around Daylesford, Victoria
. The Swiss settlers were from the canton of Ticino
and the southern part of Graubünden
The influence of the Swiss Italians of Australia - Italian speaking Swiss from the cantons of Ticino and Grison and the northern Italians is still present in the township of Hepburn Springs- through the names of its residents, the names of its springs (Locarno) and buildings (Savoia Hotel, Parma House, Perinis, Bellinzona) and the annual Swiss-Italian Festa.
The heart of the Italian speaking community was the area around the Savoia (Spring Creek) Hotel and the Macaroni Factory. The Savoia is named after the royal family of unified Italy. An Italian reading library was located at the hotel and pasta was made opposite in Lucini's Macaroni Factory which was also home to the Democratic Club. Lucini's moved from Lonsdale Street, Melbourne in 1865, where they had set up as the first pasta factory in Australia in 1864. Vanzetta's bakery supplied bread to the community and Crippa, Perini and the Gervasoni's (Yandoit Creek) produced wine.
In 2007 the Melbourne Immigration Museum featured a display entitled Wine Water and Stone reflecting the Swiss and Italian heritage of the area.
A local delicacy is bullboar, which is a sausage made from beef, pork, garlic and spices. Local families jealously guard their recipes. In 2005, Daylesford Secondary College came in second in the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
's Young Gourmets by making bullboars from the Gervasoni and Sartori recipes, which gained much media attention over the fate of Charlotte the pig, with little concern for the steer involved. The bullboar has been named an endangered recipe by the Slow Food Movement.
Daylesford, Victoria
Daylesford is a town located in the Shire of Hepburn, Victoria, Australia. It is a former goldmining town about 115 kilometres north-west of Melbourne, in the foothills of the Great Dividing Range. At the 2006 census, Daylesford had a population of 3,073...
. The Swiss settlers were from the canton of Ticino
Ticino
Canton Ticino or Ticino is the southernmost canton of Switzerland. Named after the Ticino river, it is the only canton in which Italian is the sole official language...
and the southern part of Graubünden
Italian Graubünden
The Italian Graubünden or Italian Grigioni is the region of the Canton of Graubünden, Switzerland where Italian and the related Lombard are spoken....
The influence of the Swiss Italians of Australia - Italian speaking Swiss from the cantons of Ticino and Grison and the northern Italians is still present in the township of Hepburn Springs- through the names of its residents, the names of its springs (Locarno) and buildings (Savoia Hotel, Parma House, Perinis, Bellinzona) and the annual Swiss-Italian Festa.
The heart of the Italian speaking community was the area around the Savoia (Spring Creek) Hotel and the Macaroni Factory. The Savoia is named after the royal family of unified Italy. An Italian reading library was located at the hotel and pasta was made opposite in Lucini's Macaroni Factory which was also home to the Democratic Club. Lucini's moved from Lonsdale Street, Melbourne in 1865, where they had set up as the first pasta factory in Australia in 1864. Vanzetta's bakery supplied bread to the community and Crippa, Perini and the Gervasoni's (Yandoit Creek) produced wine.
In 2007 the Melbourne Immigration Museum featured a display entitled Wine Water and Stone reflecting the Swiss and Italian heritage of the area.
Swiss Italian food and culture
The Swiss Italians loved sport, food and music. Their influence on local culture is celebrated annually during the Swiss Italian Festa. Swiss Italians of Australia have made their mark in spheres of art, music, literature, journalism, sport, education, science/engineering.A local delicacy is bullboar, which is a sausage made from beef, pork, garlic and spices. Local families jealously guard their recipes. In 2005, Daylesford Secondary College came in second in the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
's Young Gourmets by making bullboars from the Gervasoni and Sartori recipes, which gained much media attention over the fate of Charlotte the pig, with little concern for the steer involved. The bullboar has been named an endangered recipe by the Slow Food Movement.
Swiss Italian Heritage places
- Elvizia Homestead Yandoit
- Hepburn Mineral Springs Reserve
- Former Macaroni Factory Hepburn Springs
- Parma House Hepburn Springs
- Swimming Pool Hepburn Springs
- Former Carlo Gervasoni Homestead Yandoit Creek
Swiss Italian Festa
The Swiss Italian Festa was first held in 1993. The Festa is an annual event to celebrate the history, culture and lifestyle legacy to Hepburn Springs of its Swiss and Italian settlers. The theme of the Festa is supported by the community to acknowledge our history, celebrate our lifestyle and to nurture our cultural heritage for tomorrow.Notable Swiss Italians of Australia
- Ron Barassi, Sr - Australian Rules Footballer (Melbourne); AIF
- Ron BarassiRon BarassiRonald Dale Barassi, Jr AM is a former Australian rules football player and coach. During a long and decorated career, Barassi has been one of the most important figures in the history of Australian football. His father, Ron Barassi, Sr., was the first Australian footballer killed at Tobruk during...
- MelbourneMelbourne Football ClubThe Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League , based in Melbourne, Victoria....
premiership player 1955, 1956, 1957, 1959, 1960, 1964; MelbourneMelbourne Football ClubThe Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League , based in Melbourne, Victoria....
Captain 1960-1964; All Australian 1956, 1958, 1961; Carlton premiership coach 1968, 1970 North Melbourne premiership coach 1975, 1977; Australian Football Hall of FameAustralian Football Hall of FameThe Australian Football Hall of Fame was established in 1996, the Centenary year of the Australian Football League, to help recognise the contributions made to the sport of Australian rules football by players, umpires, media personalities, coaches and administrators. It was initially established...
; Sport Australia Hall of Fame (2006); VFL/AFL Italian Team of the Century (coach) 2007; 2009 Victorian of the Year - Vern Barberis- Olympic Bronze Medallist and Empire Games Gold Medallist in weighlifting
- Mark BerettaMark BerettaMark Beretta is an Australian media personality. He is known by the common nickname of Beretts.-Early life and career:Beretta was born in Geelong, Victoria on 16 June 1966. He was educated at St. Joseph's College...
- 10-time Australian champion waterskiier and sportscaster. - Albert Boromeo - Australian Rules Footballer (Carlton; Richmond)
- Carlo CataniCarlo CataniCarlo Giorgio Domenico Enrico Catani was a civil engineer who worked in Australia for the Victorian Government for the majority of his career.He oversaw many projects, including:*the draining of the Koo-Wee-Rup swamp...
- civil engineer and Victorian Public Works Department engineering draughtsmen. Oversaw projects including: draining of the Koo-Wee-Rup swamp; widening and improvement of the River Yarra upstream from Princes Bridge; Alexandra Avenue;. laying out and planting of the Alexandra Gardens; roads to Arthur's Seat and to Mount Donna Buang; the Elster Canal;River Murray levees (Strathmerton district); Lake Catani; reclamation of the foreshore of St Kilda. There is a bronze bust of Catani at the foot of Schefferle's memorial clock tower on the St Kilda Esplanade. - Robert de CastellaRobert de CastellaRobert Francois de Castella, MBE is an Australian former world champion marathon runner. He is widely known as "Deek" or "Deeks" to the Australian public, and "Tree" to his competitors due to his thick legs and inner calm...
- long distance runner, 1983 World Marathon Champion, 1982 and 1986 Commonwealth Games Marathon Champion - Ann GervasoniAnn GervasoniDr Ann Gervasoni is a senior lecturer at Australian Catholic University Ballarat. Educated at Genazzano FCJ College, Kew, Christ College , Ballarat College of Advanced Education and LaTrobe University Dr Gervasoni is best known for her work in early numeracy.-Early numeracy:Ann was a member of...
- educator and author, specialist in early numeracy intervention, founder of the EMU program. - Clare GervasoniClare GervasoniClare Gervasoni, author, publisher and curator was born in Melbourne, Australia in 1962.-Education:Gervasoni was educated at Genazzano FCJ College, Melbourne College of Advanced Education and Deakin University Clare Gervasoni, author, publisher and curator was born in Melbourne, Australia in...
- author, publisher and curator. Co-author of the 2005 Victorian Local History Award overall winner Eureka Encyclopaedia and director of Ballarat Heritage ServicesBallarat Heritage ServicesBallarat Heritage Services, publisher, also known as BHS Publishing was formed in 1998 by Clare Gervasoni, Dr Dorothy Wickham and Wayne Phillipson....
. - Jack GervasoniJack GervasoniJohn Hogan 'Jack' Gervasoni was born in Daylesford, Victoria, Australia in 1929 and was educated at St Michael's Primary School and Presentation Convent Daylesford before attending Ballarat Teachers' College now University of Ballarat....
- Australian Rules Footballer (Fitzroy) Captain Coach (Northcote); educator; Mayor of Kew - Len IncigneriLen IncigneriLeonard "Len" Incigneri was an Australian rules football player and coach. He played for South Melbourne Football Club and Melbourne Football Club in the Victorian Football League and Richmond Football Club in the Victorian Football Association.-Football career:He played one game for the South...
- Australian Rules Footballer (South Melbourne) and Captain Coach (Richmond). - Steve MoneghettiSteve MoneghettiStephen James "Steve" Moneghetti is an Australian long-distance runner. Moneghetti has a degree in civil engineering, a graduate diploma in education and an honorary doctorate from the University of Ballarat...
- Olympian and Commonwealth Games Gold Medallist - Renee Pedretti - equestrian
- Tony PolinelliTony PolinelliAnthony 'Tony' Polinelli is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Geelong in the VFL during the early 1960s....
- Australian Rules Footballer, Premiership player (Geelong) and runner up in the Stawell Gift. - Len Righetti - sports administrator and sporting shooter
- Alberto Zelman - http://adbonline.anu.edu.au/biogs/A060493b.htm
- Samuel Victor Alberto ZelmanAlberto ZelmanAlberto Zelman was an Australian musician and conductor, and founder of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra....
- musician and conductor, and founder of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. - Victor Zelman - artist