Giacomo Iannello

Transcript

My name is Robert Iannello. Giacomo Iannello was my father and here is his story. 

Giacomo (Jim) Iannello

Born -: Capo D' Orlando Sicily June 5 - 1889

Deceased -: Fremantle November 8 - 1969

Jim completed his schooling on his eleventh birthday and not long after left Sicily accompanied by his 23 year old cousin on board the "SS Austral" bound for Fremantle Western Australia. 

He commenced work selling fish from a cane basket which he carried over his arm walking from Fremantle as far as Perth selling his fish. He not long after worked as a fisherman, joining the newly started Rockingham Fishermans Co-operative. 

He ceased fishing in 1907 at the age of 18 years to commence work at the Manjimup Timber Mill. It wasn't long before he was promoted to foreman when the Mill's owners whose labour was mainly Italian migrants, discovered he not only spoke fluent English, but he could also read and write English fluently, which allowed him to communicate to the workers for the owners. On top of that he was mechanically minded and was capable of maintaining and repairing the mill machinery, among other things such as reading letters from Italy sent by the workers' wives for those that were illiterate, writing dictated letters back to the wives and writing letters to the Italian Consul for those workers who wanted to bring their family to Australia. He continued doing this for most of his life.

In 1913 he returned to Sicily to get married, which he did in that same year.

In 1914 the second world war started and he was enlisted into the Italian army. On completeting his training he was sent to fight in the Austrian Alps where after three months he received frost bite in the lower half of both legs (he told us he had a vision telling him he would survive his ordeal), he was transported to an army hospital. While recovering, the hospital was visited by an American Colonel whose job was to return those soldiers he thought sufficiently fit to the front. Hearing that Jim was mechanically skilled but unfit to return to the front, he decided he would send him home for 40 days convalesence leave then send him to a tractor factory in Rome to instruct the workers in the assembly, handling and maintenance of these tractors, which he did until the end of the war, returning home to his wife and family in late 1918 finding work at a lemon orchard operating and maintaining water pumps to feed the lemon trees. In this same year he received notification of being a combatant in the war.

In 1921 he went to Peru to work as a fisherman, in Callao Lima, and also in Panama (where he had brothers-in-law working in the same profession), operating a one man boat using drag nets and other varieties. During this period he learnt to speak, read and write Spanish fluently.

Late 1924 he returned home.

In 1925 he told his wife he had decided to return to Australia to live and on earning enough money would bring his wife and four children famity to Australia to join him.

On November 13, 1925 two weeks before his 5th child was born, he sailed from the port of Messina arriving in Fremantle on February 26, 1926.

He immediately found work as a net and line fisherman in local Fremantle waters, before finding work on a cray fishing boat fishing as far away as the Abrolhos Islands. Those days the biggest crayfishing boat was probably 30 feet long. He told me that at low tide you could walk on the reef and catch crayfish by hand they where so plentiful. When the crayfish season finished he obtained work at the Fremantle Fishermans Cooperative as a book keeper.

In 1928 Club Giovani Italia (Young Italians Club) opened up situated in Banister Street Fremantle, where at first he was on the committee before obtaining a full time job as Barman. By 1929 he had earned enough money to send for his son Giacimo Ernesto (James Ernest). He arrived in on the "SS Maria Christina," arriving that same year. 

Between 1926 and 1931 Giacomo (Jim) had saved enough money to send for his wife and three daughters to come to Australia, they arrived on April 28 - 1931 on the "MY Ormonde" to live in the house he had rented for them at 44 Arundel Street Fremantle.

In 1933 he had himself and his family naturalised as Australian citizens.

In 1934 he bought his own house at 13 Howard Street Fremantle.

In 1938 he joined the Returned Servicemans League (RSL)

Jim continued to work at the Club Giovani Italia until 1940. When war broke out anyone living in Australia whose country was not on the side of the allies was classed as an alien and interned in the local prison or sent to work camps such as farms or wood mills. The women and children where left alone to fend for themselves.

All business houses owned by aliens where not allowed to operate, Club Giovani Italia was placed in the hands of an Australian committee and renamed 'Fremantle Club.'

Jim was interned on June 11, 1940 and released on September 5, 1940. Not long after his release he obtained a temporary job at the Richmond Cold Stores as a freezer hand. Later that year he obtained permanent employment at the Fremantle Port Authority working as a launch driver on the "Rose" which was used as a channel marker and light house tender.  When not used in this capacity, it was used to transport navy personnel from one side of the harbour to the other, including wharf workers. 

He retired in 1954 at the age of 65 years receiving his Australian Pension, he applied for his Italian Pension to which he was entitled, but refused on the grounds that the Italian archives had been destroyed during the War and his records had been destroyed, therefore in the Italian governments eyes he did not exist unless we could produce his Army travel papers, no other papers mattered. Probably the reason he had no army travel papers was because he had been seconded by the American colonel and sent to Rome without the Italian government being notified. We have since tried to have him recognised, but the Italian Consul will have no part of it telling us as far as they are concerned he does not exist.

Jim supplemented his Australian Pension by making various types of fishing nets, including prawn and crab nets. Other things he did was repairing boat compasses, clocks, watches, cooking utensils and anything at all that needed repairing.

Jim and Maria had eight children in total. Jim in 1915 followed by six girls, and finally I was born in 1935.