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is becoming increasingly unfamiliar in today’s
ost-war Southern European migration has contemporary society. It does not wish to take
significantly influenced the rural Australian away from the hard work of the Australian
population through the development of population prior to Southern European
Sunraysia agriculture. The Sunraysia Region has Migration but hopes to provide an enlightened
been the largest producer of sultanas, currants perspective on rural migration commitment and
and raisins from the 1950’s and has provided the contributions to Australia. The dried fruits
local, national and international markets with industry was developed through the
some of the best quality Australian dried fruit in hardworking culture of Italian migrants who
the world. The history of Italian migrant changed farming practices through the
contributions in Australian agriculture has not
been highly researched in the Sunraysia area and
1
establishment of new technologies and rural Sunraysia region was the perfect climate for
innovations, new publicity formats, and an post-war Italian migrants.
increase in production and exportation of locally
dried vine fruits. This therefore demonstrates Unearthing New Farming Practices
that Southern European migration significantly
Significant agricultural contributions were
influenced the Australian dried fruits industry
attributed to Italian migrants and their
through their contribution to the Sunraysia area .
descendants who worked on fruit properties within
The rural population of Australia has been the Sunraysia region. Many descendants were
significantly influenced by post-war Italian Australian-born and acquired the knowledge and
migration. The Italian migration to Australia in the experience of farming from their parents.
1950’s made up the largest ethnic group in Numerous families benefited from family farming
Australia, compared to that of other European where all family members were required to help
countries. The 1954 Census of the Commonwealth with the ongoing work involved in maintaining the
of Australia revealed that 119,897 of the Australian crop. In doing so, a majority of descendants often
population were born in Italy, with the percentage brought and maintained bigger fruit blocks than
distribution indicating that 58.48% were in that of their Italian-born parents and as a result
metropolitan divisions, 14.82% were in urban needed to simplify the hard-manual labour
divisions and 26.7% were distributed in rural involved. It is with this that Italian migrants shifted
divisions. 27,709 of the Italian-born population farming practices and introduced new technologies
remained in Victoria, and “before 1945, about 40% to the region. The Tassone Rotary Weeder was one
of Italians in Victoria lived in country areas such as of these innovations which was invented by Joe
Shepparton, Wangaratta, Myrtleford, Mildura and Tassone. He gave a demonstration of his invention
Swan Hill.”i This demonstrates that Southern at the 1967 Mildura Field and Gadget day. The
Europeans were originally attracted to the regions dried fruits industry had an enormous following
because it resembled the rural villages they had from those in the horticultural and agricultural
come from back in Italy. “They brought with them industries and many flocked annually to inspect
cultural values of land ownership, and traditional new machinery and home-grown technologies on
skills and experience in small scale gardening and the market. Inventions similar to this often made a
horticulture.”ii This therefore illustrates that the two-person job an independent job, as farmers
required manual assistance for many of
their farming practices.
Figure 2 Joe Tassone giving a demonstration at the Mildura Field and Gadget Day,
1967. (Mildura Field Days-Archives)
2
Figure 3 The hard work of Italian Migrants shaped the local established in 1952 and gave the hard working and
community as family farming introduced grape growing to the next
generation, 1965. (Family Archives, 1965)
labourious grape growers who would normally be
tending to their fruit blocks, a chance to network
This therefore demonstrates that local Italian grape and exchange information with other farmers on
growers made significant contributions in the local the challenges of farming in a period when the
dried fruit industry and were successful in their acceleration of agricultural mechanisation was
methods of changing farming practices through taking place. After World War Two and between
sharing their innovations with the Sunraysia 1950 and 1960 the Murray region ended its use of
community. horse-power and manual handling systems such as
dipping the grapes after harvest with the arrival of
The Mildura Field and Gadget day revealed the
the tractor and hydraulic systems. This
scale to which the local rural community members
revolutionary technology spurred the continuation
engaged with the evolving and innovative annual
of Gadget day and it “grew into Australia’s biggest
mechanisation of the Sunraysia dried fruits
horticultural field day, with many of the original
industry. It also emphasised the introduction of
“gadgets” later taken up and commercialised by
industry to the younger generations during this
agricultural machinery manufacturers.”iv This
post-war period, which reflects the predominantly
reveals that the dried fruits industry was a serious
male industry that encompassed society at the
business and property owners had to keep up with
time. The annual Mildura field days were first
the constant changes in industry. It therefore
3
demonstrates that the successful innovation of Figure 4 Iconic Dried Fruits Character Raisin Joe was created in the
1950's and used as a promotional campaign right up until after
farming practices was achieved through the 2000, 1970. (Gange, The Australian Dried Fruits Association, 2007).
mechanisation developed by rural Sunraysia
community members. attachments that transgressed beyond the 1970’s
with the development of the Mac Rotary Weeder,
Local Italian Initiatives take on the globe which was invented by Sunraysia’s wine grape
grower Jim Macri. The Australian Dried Fruits
The transformative power of locally produced
Association News reports the grower “developed
Italian innovations and technologies contributed to
and applied for an Australian patent for a new
the culture of farming practices around the world.
weeding attachment that fits to a standard
Italian agricultural inventiveness was demonstrated
undervine weeder.”v The machinery had several
as Sunraysia farmers created and exhibited various
functions for fast and effective under-vine use
different implements and technologies to use on
which enabled a cost-effective way to cut and
their dried vine fruit blocks. Many farmers had
eliminate heavy weed growth without disturbing
developed their own designs and often produced
the vines. It was also used on soil as a plough, was
similar or modified versions that were made
powered by hydraulic energy, and aimed to replace
unique by naming the machine after its creator.
the weedicide programmes. The new weeding
This was demonstrated by the machinery and
4
attachment became very successful as Macri
states, “I invented the Mac Rotary Weeder, which
I patented throughout the world, and it was a
hydraulic weeder that won a five-star award in
France.”vi This hydraulic system had phased out
the hard-physical labour of the 1960’s which
enabled improvements and greater efficiency in
working and running a fruit property. The Mac
Rotary Weeder was revolutionary and this is
evident through the contemporary retail
manufacturer Hesco (Hydraulic Engineering
Service Company) who still supplies this product
both locally and nationally around Australia. This
therefore demonstrates that Italian contributions
to the dried fruits industry were successfully
recognised from abroad with the introduction of
new technologies and practices in Sunraysia
farming.
*All attempts have been made to contact the copyright University of Wollongong Australia, (2016)
owners of imagery used within research. <https://ro.uow.edu.au/thss/12/>, accessed on 16 Sep. 2018,
p. 74
i
Lydio, Tomasi, et al., The Columbus People: perspectives in
vii
Italian Immigration to the Americas and Australia, (New York: ‘Australian Dried Fruit News,’ The Official Journal of the
Centre for Migration Studies, 1993), p.348. Australian Dried Fruits Association- October-March, 30/1,
(1954), 45.
ii
Bruce, Missingham and Jacqui, Dibden, ‘A multicultural
viii
countryside? Ethnic minorities in rural Australia,’ Rural ‘Slogan Winner,’ Northern Argus, 15 Sept. 1954, 10, in
Society, 16/6 (2014), p.134. Trove [online database], accessed 6 Oct. 2018.
iii ix
Tess, Spaven, ‘Exploring Migrant's Contributions to ‘Slogan Winner,’ Northern Argus, 15 Sept. 1954, 10, in Trove
Agriculture: The Story of Italians in the Sunraysia Region,’ [online database], accessed 6 Oct. 2018.
University of Wollongong Australia, (2016)
x
<https://ro.uow.edu.au/thss/12/>, accessed on 16 Sep. 2018, ‘Australian Dried Fruit News,’ The Official Journal of the
p. 76. Australian Dried Fruits Association- October-March, 30/1,
(1955), 46.
iv
Terry, Gange, A Century of Challenges: The remarkable
xi
history of the ADFA and the Australian Dried Fruit Industry, Natascha, Klocker et al., ‘Experimenting with agricultural
(Mildura, Victoria: The Australian Dried Fruits Association, diversity: Migrant knowledge as a resource for climate change
2007), p. 103. adaption,’ Journal of Rural Studies, 57/1, (2018), 13.
v xii
‘Australian Dried Fruit News,’ The Official Journal of the Natascha, Klocker et al., ‘Experimenting with agricultural
Australian Dried Fruits Association- December, (1984), 12. diversity: Migrant knowledge as a resource for climate change
adaption,’ Journal of Rural Studies, 57/1, (2018), 18.
vi
Tess, Spaven, ‘Exploring Migrant's Contributions to
Agriculture: The Story of Italians in the Sunraysia Region,’
7
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