La Foundation italiani.it he particularly cares about the Italian emigrants who bring our traditions, customs and traditions to the world. "Nostalgia, rogue nostalgia", said an old song and it is precisely the nostalgia for the land left behind, the feeling that unites many stories of emigration. Everyone experiences it in a personal way and each story becomes unique. In this interview, Tony Saitta tells us his story, a story of personal and professional success, that of a child who has to leave his beloved land and his loved ones to build his future in a foreign land that offered more opportunities.
Tony, can you briefly tell us your story and how was your childhood in Mandanici, Sicily?I was born in a small town in Sicily called Mandanici in 1945. I have an older sister and a younger sister (Santa and Anna Maria) both born in Mandanici. I attended elementary school in Mandanici, my teacher was Carmelo Fasti.
My father left Mandanici in 1952 to find a new home for the family in Perth, Western Australia, so at the age of seven I was fatherless for three years, and then in 1955 we boarded the immigration ship "Oceania" at the port of Messina. The trip to Australia lasted 22 days, crossing the Suez Canal. As a child I could define myself as an explorer who had built an image engraved deeply in my brain, so much so that when I returned to my country 22 years later, in 1977, I remembered every detail of the village and its surroundings, the only difference was that the country was smaller than what I had in mind.
What are the most vivid and meaningful memories of your life in your hometown before emigrating to Australia?
My most vivid childhood memories are between the ages of 7 and 10. During this time, after school, every day, I toured all over the country and its surroundings. My favorite pastime was crossing the river that flowed between Mandanici and the mountains, sometimes this adventure was very dangerous because to get to the other side I had to jump from one big flat rock to another, about 10 in total spaced about 1,5 meters with the river flowing rapidly between them. The prize on the other hand was a big cherry tree which made it worth it. When I got to the other side, I climbed onto the branches where I could reach most of the cherries and made a big feast of them.
My other favorite pastime was standing in the square in front of the main church because after a wedding or baptism ceremony, both guests and simple spectators would throw 5 and 10 lire coins, and since I was a very energetic child, I was able to move quickly to collect as many coins as possible and then straight to the ice cream shop for a reward. This was the only money I ever saw.
Another favorite time was our many trips to Messina to get tested for the medical certificates required for our immigration to Australia. I vividly remember how generous my aunt Paola was to sometimes host us for a whole day and cousins Filippo, Pippo and Rosetta helped us whenever they could. I remember eating my first banana bought from them in a shop near their house. I also enjoyed school, with math as my favorite subject, and became very good friends with the teacher.
A sad part of our life in Mandanici was that we had little or no money. My father was a carpenter who made furniture but nobody had money to pay, so we got eggs and milk instead of money.
When you emigrated to Australia with your family, what were the main challenges you faced while adapting to the new culture and environment?
There have been many challenges, but most have been overcome in a relatively short time.
The first challenge to overcome was the language – we spoke plain English within the first six months and later I got really good at spelling because I used the Italian way of sounding each letter, this overcame the many silent sounds that form the English language.
We also had to overcome the prejudice towards the people of Sicily. The first question we were asked when we said we were born in Sicily was: "So you belong to the Mafia?" I had to tell him that I had never heard of the Mafia before coming to Australia. This prejudice lasted a while, but most Italians integrated very well into Australian society, this was done through actions that showed we were equal to them and very soon we became friends. At home we kept Sicilian cuisine and there were many shops selling Italian foods. The salting of the olives, the preparation of tomato sauce, the cultivation of beans, broad beans, peas, fennel and homemade wine were some of the activities carried out by most Italians and especially those from Sicily.
In Perth, there is an Italian Club where dances were held every month and where you could meet many Italians, and that's where I met Franca who became my wife. In 1972 the Sicilian Club was born and I was on the committee for 12 years, the last 5 as president and in 1990 I was awarded the title of honorary life member. Franca's father was the first president of the “Siciliani Association Inc” and is also a life member. He was also secretary of the Italian Club for about 5 years.
How have you managed to maintain a strong connection to your Sicilian roots and Italian culture while living in Australia?
As mentioned, I have many ties to the Italian community through the Italian Club and the Siciliani Association and through our friends and family who have similar connections.
Also, we went back to Italy and Sicily many times and even had business meetings with the directors in 1982 in Rome and Taormina and I, along with six other directors, flew by helicopter to the oil drilling platform for the VEGA oil field located between Sicily and Malta.
What traditions or family values do you carry on?
The most important tradition is that we have very close ties with our children and other relatives as well. Other very important traditions are fostering a good work ethic, like the one my parents taught me, trying to do the best we can with our talents, and most of all, being happy with what you do. And again, work hard, have fun and have respect for others. We mostly follow a Mediterranean diet combined with food from other countries like China, India, Thailand, etc.
Can you share with us emotional or touching moments that you experienced with your family and friends left behind in Italy?
The first moving moment was in mid-1977. In that year, I had been appointed customer representative for Chevron's data center in Houston, Texas by the West Australian Petroleum company I had worked with since 1974. I was in Houston with Franca and our daughter Melissa (18 months). I received a call from my parents who were on holiday in Mandanici. I was told that my elementary school teacher, Carmelo Fasti, was coming to Houston to have heart surgery at the famous St. Luke's Hospital; I picked him up at the airport upon his arrival in Houston and that moment was very special and emotional. I was fortunate and very privileged to be able to accompany him to the hospital, acting as an interpreter and helping him in any way possible. He also stayed with us for about a week after the operation and we met again in Mandanici a few months later.
The second exciting moment was on our journey back to Australia when we went to Europe and then to Mandanici where we joined my parents and visited all my relatives for the first time in 22 years. The next very emotional occasion was in 2015 when we had a party of around 100 guests, friends and relatives of both families.
This was very special as there were many in attendance who I have never met before. What made this meeting very special was that all of my children and their partners and our grandchildren were present. There were many other exciting moments during the trip described above, especially visiting our hometowns of Mandanici and Randazzo with our children.
How do you think the immigration experience has influenced your life and your world view? Are there positives and negatives that you want to share?
Overall, the immigration experience has been very positive for our family, especially for us children and for our children. He has provided us with many opportunities that may not have been available in Sicily. There were some downsides to the immigration experience as well, mainly we missed an opportunity to grow up in a place where we could have had interactions with relatives, especially cousins. But the saddest thing was that my grandparents died before my father and mother could see them.
