04 – Valentino Giovanni Ceccato - The family legacy of an Italian pioneer and his wife Elisabetta

Today, on Italian Australians in Griffith I’m sharing the story of an Italian pioneer, Valentino Giovanni Ceccato, and his wife Elizabetta (Betta) Capello.

Many thanks to Ray Ceccato for sharing his family stories with me. Below, you can find the podcast episode, the photos of the Ceccato family in Griffith, and a short interview to Ray Ceccato.

Interview to Ray Ceccato

How much of the Italian language (or your grandparents’ local dialect) was passed on to you? Very little, my Italian is very poor. Dad was born in Broken Hill and Mum came to Australia as a 2 yr old. They both spoke english at home . Mum's mother lived with us for a while, she died when I was about 6. My father and his father thought it was very important to fit in to the Australian way of life so little importance was placed on Italian culture and language. Dad never went back to italy to visit. Peggy and I went to Italy in 2005 with a Wade High  school tour organised by Margret Graham, which we enjoyed very much. In some ways we were an atypical Italian family. Many other families had much stronger connections to their homeland.

How strong was the Italian community around you? I wouldn’t say it was partially strong in our family. It was in other families. Dad and his siblings had many Australian friends after they were married. Italian culture was present but not dominant in our family.

How has Griffith changed while you were there? Griffith has always been a prosperous town supported by the surrounding farms. Despite what farmers say farming in the MIA was alway profitable. Historically the presence of relatively cheap water in the town encouraged nice gardens. The drug episode and the murder of Donald a Mckay was a blight on the town.

How and when did you decide to collect your family memories? I will always regret not asking dad's mother and my parents about our history. As a relatively young man I was too busy doing my own thing. In my 60’s it suddenly occurred to me to find out as much as I could about my roots. I thought it was important for my 4 sons to know about their heritage. My eldest son Paul has given his son, Harry the middle name of Alasko, my dad’s name. I was quite touched by that. Alasko,  Alaska and Adolfo Nome were named after places Valentino had visited.

Did your grandparents miss Italy? My grandmothers certainly did and in the early days they expressed regret about emigrating. Valentino certainly didn’t. 

Do you feel connected to your Italian heritage? Yes and no. I am now 78 it wasn’t until my 60’s that I started to realise what I was missing and stared to belatedly collect and collate information. I have complied a family tree with over 750 entries Including details of the three siblings who went to America. I often wonder why 3 came to Australia and 3 went to the USA. I don’t think they were a particularly close family. We have had several family reunions with both Valentino's and Antonio's families, including a centenary celebration.

Thanks again to Ray Ceccato for sharing his family stories with us.

For any comment, you can use the box below. I’d love to hear your family story, too!

Thank you for listening to Italian Australians in Griffith!

Giulia