Early years
As Italian-Australians, Antonio Casamento and his wife Giuseppina (nee Palmisano) represent one of the largest non-Anglo groups in Australia.
But the Casamentos are unusual, as they arrived in Australia after the Gold rush but before the Second World War.
This was a time of famine and instability throughout Italy. Entire villages emptied as people looked for a better life in the New World.
Career
After marriage in 1905, they settled in Ballarat where they ran a fruiterer’s on Sturt Street. Their 2 children, Antonino (Tony - 1906) and Nunziata (Nancy - 1913) were also born here.
Although Antonio was an Australian Citizen by the start of the First World War, Giuseppina was not. Like others who were not naturalized or British, the State registered her as an ‘Alien’.
In 1919, the family moved their fruiterer’s business to 356 Queen’s Parade, Clifton Hill.
Many Italians set up as fruiterers and none more so than the extensive Casamento family. Their network of shops dominated Melbourne's northern suburbs.
Death
Antonio died in 1923, followed by Giuseppina in 1924. Antonio’s brother Giuseppe (Joseph) brought up their children and ran the family business. He managed it until his death in 1945.
Antonio and Giuseppina Casamento are buried with their daughter Nancy, son Antonino and his wife Cecilia.
Their monument stands as an impressive reminder of this early Italian-Australian family.
Bibliography
Adapted from material supplied by historian Dr Jan Penney, GMCT Trust member 2010-2020, and by the Friends of Coburg Cemetery Inc.
Church J (2005) Per l’Australia: The Story of Italian Migration, Miegunyah Press
The Italian Historical Society (n.d.) [website]
Loh M (ed) (1980) With Courage in their Cases: The experiences of thirty-five Italian immigrant workers and they families in Australia, Italian Federation of Emigrant Workers and their Families
Image source
Courtesy of the Friends of Coburg Cemetery
