Italian Migration: A Raisin Success
Figure 1: Australian Dried Fruits Postcard, 1970.
An exploration of change as Southern
Europeans revolutionize the Australian
Dried Fruits Industry.
P
ost-war Southern European migration has
significantly influenced the rural Australian
population through the development of
Sunraysia agriculture. The Sunraysia Region has
been the largest producer of sultanas, currants
and raisins from the 1950’s and has provided the
local, national and international markets with
some of the best quality Australian dried fruit in
the world. The history of Italian migrant
contributions in Australian agriculture has not
been highly researched in the Sunraysia area and
(Gange, The Australian Dried Fruits Association,
2007).
as such, this research hopes to uncover and
acknowledge Sunraysia’s agricultural past which
is becoming increasingly unfamiliar in today’s
contemporary society. It does not wish to take
away from the hard work of the Australian
population prior to Southern European
Migration but hopes to provide an enlightened
perspective on rural migration commitment and
contributions to Australia. The dried fruits
industry was developed through the
hardworking culture of Italian migrants who
changed farming practices through the
1
establishment of new technologies and
innovations, new publicity formats, and an
increase in production and exportation of locally
dried vine fruits. This therefore demonstrates
that Southern European migration significantly
influenced the Australian dried fruits industry
through their contribution to the Sunraysia area .
The rural population of Australia has been
significantly influenced by post-war Italian
migration. The Italian migration to Australia in the
1950’s made up the largest ethnic group in
Australia, compared to that of other European
countries. The 1954 Census of the Commonwealth
of Australia revealed that 119,897 of the Australian
population were born in Italy, with the percentage
distribution indicating that 58.48% were in
metropolitan divisions, 14.82% were in urban
divisions and 26.7% were distributed in rural
divisions. 27,709 of the Italian-born population
remained in Victoria, and “before 1945, about 40%
of Italians in Victoria lived in country areas such as
Shepparton, Wangaratta, Myrtleford, Mildura and
Swan Hill.”i This demonstrates that Southern
Europeans were originally attracted to the regions
because it resembled the rural villages they had
come from back in Italy. “They brought with them
cultural values of land ownership, and traditional
skills and experience in small scale gardening and
horticulture.”ii This therefore illustrates that the
Figure 2 Joe Tassone giving a demonstration at the Mildura Field and Gadget Day,
1967. (Mildura Field Days-Archives)
rural Sunraysia region was the perfect climate for
post-war Italian migrants.
Unearthing New Farming Practices
Significant agricultural contributions were
attributed to Italian migrants and their
descendants who worked on fruit properties within
the Sunraysia region. Many descendants were
Australian-born and acquired the knowledge and
experience of farming from their parents.
Numerous families benefited from family farming
where all family members were required to help
with the ongoing work involved in maintaining the
crop. In doing so, a majority of descendants often
brought and maintained bigger fruit blocks than
that of their Italian-born parents and as a result
needed to simplify the hard-manual labour
involved. It is with this that Italian migrants shifted
farming practices and introduced new technologies
to the region. The Tassone Rotary Weeder was one
of these innovations which was invented by Joe
Tassone. He gave a demonstration of his invention
at the 1967 Mildura Field and Gadget day. The
dried fruits industry had an enormous following
from those in the horticultural and agricultural
industries and many flocked annually to inspect
new machinery and home-grown technologies on
the market. Inventions similar to this often made a
two-person job an independent job, as farmers
required manual assistance for many of
their farming practices.
“Farmers had to manually manoeuvre a
large plough connected to the back of a
tractor in and out of the grapevine roots-up
and down each row of vines. This was a two-
person job- one person drove the tractor
and the other walked behind, guiding the
plough. The Tassone weeder turned this into
a one-person job.”iii
2
Figure 3 The hard work of Italian Migrants shaped the local
community as family farming introduced grape growing to the next
generation, 1965. (Family Archives, 1965)
This therefore demonstrates that local Italian grape
growers made significant contributions in the local
dried fruit industry and were successful in their
methods of changing farming practices through
sharing their innovations with the Sunraysia
community.
The Mildura Field and Gadget day revealed the
scale to which the local rural community members
engaged with the evolving and innovative annual
mechanisation of the Sunraysia dried fruits
industry. It also emphasised the introduction of
industry to the younger generations during this
post-war period, which reflects the predominantly
male industry that encompassed society at the
time. The annual Mildura field days were first
established in 1952 and gave the hard working and
labourious grape growers who would normally be
tending to their fruit blocks, a chance to network
and exchange information with other farmers on
the challenges of farming in a period when the
acceleration of agricultural mechanisation was
taking place. After World War Two and between
1950 and 1960 the Murray region ended its use of
horse-power and manual handling systems such as
dipping the grapes after harvest with the arrival of
the tractor and hydraulic systems. This
revolutionary technology spurred the continuation
of Gadget day and it “grew into Australia’s biggest
horticultural field day, with many of the original
“gadgets” later taken up and commercialised by
agricultural machinery manufacturers.”iv This
reveals that the dried fruits industry was a serious
business and property owners had to keep up with
the constant changes in industry. It therefore
3
demonstrates that the successful innovation of
farming practices was achieved through the
mechanisation developed by rural Sunraysia
community members.
Local Italian Initiatives take on the globe
The transformative power of locally produced
Italian innovations and technologies contributed to
the culture of farming practices around the world.
Italian agricultural inventiveness was demonstrated
as Sunraysia farmers created and exhibited various
different implements and technologies to use on
their dried vine fruit blocks. Many farmers had
developed their own designs and often produced
similar or modified versions that were made
unique by naming the machine after its creator.
This was demonstrated by the machinery and
Figure 4 Iconic Dried Fruits Character Raisin Joe was created in the
1950's and used as a promotional campaign right up until after
2000, 1970. (Gange, The Australian Dried Fruits Association, 2007).
attachments that transgressed beyond the 1970’s
with the development of the Mac Rotary Weeder,
which was invented by Sunraysia’s wine grape
grower Jim Macri. The Australian Dried Fruits
Association News reports the grower “developed
and applied for an Australian patent for a new
weeding attachment that fits to a standard
undervine weeder.”v The machinery had several
functions for fast and effective under-vine use
which enabled a cost-effective way to cut and
eliminate heavy weed growth without disturbing
the vines. It was also used on soil as a plough, was
powered by hydraulic energy, and aimed to replace
the weedicide programmes. The new weeding
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.

Raisin Joe Success

The Australian Dried Fruits Association
established a publicity campaign influenced by
the significant Australian intake of Southern
European migrants with the introduction of
Figure 6 The Nibble Bag was popular with consumers throughout the
Raisin Joe. The aim was to promote three different mid 1950's and appealed to all ages, 1955. (Gange, The Australian
varieties of dried vine fruits including currants, Dried Fruits Association, 2007).

sultanas and seeded raisins. It was recommended

This publicity campaign was breaking entirely new
that the theme was to have a universal appeal,
ground despite receiving initial criticism based on
advice and knowledge about dried fruit usage and a
various misconceptions, “the task that our publicity
bit of humour, and as a result the character Raisin
has to perform is to eventually convince the
Joe was formed. In an attempt to increase the sales
consumer that dried fruits are an essential health-
of Sunraysia’s dried fruit, the character release of
giving and tasteful form on diet.”vii Numerous
Raisin Joe demonstrated the significant influence of
publicity avenues were conducted to include
the local community and in particular, the impact
various advertising platforms including direct
of rural Italian community members as data reveals
consumer contact, public relations and educational
that 98% of growers and packers at the time were
pursuits. A nationwide slogan competition was also
members of the Australian Dried Fruits Association.
initiated to publicise the use of Australian dried
fruits with the winning slogan “For Vim, Vigour and
“For Vim, Vigour
Go, Eat Raisins, like Raisin Joe”viii won by a Victorian
and Go, Eat Raisins,
resident. The Scottish winner announcing “my
like Raisin Joe”
5
children eat them like lollies. My three-year-old
daughter born since we came out here, is a picture
of rosy health, and would pass for “Raisin Joe’s
twin. She is full of go-no mistake!!”ix This reveals
the significant impact of the community and
therefore demonstrates the state wide Southern
European influence that changed the culture and
development of horticulture within Australia.
The campaigns used to publicise and increase dried
fruit consumption largely targeted women and
children as the core consumers. The most effective
use of advertising concentrated on the Australian
housewife and as such, two of Australia’s largest
women’s magazines were used “bearing in mind
that the approach to housewives is based on the
use of recipes.”x New avenues of consumption
were explored with new recipes to tempt the
family featuring in these magazines, which were
advertising a range of raisin-based recipes. These
included steak-raisin rolls, raisin sandwiches in
school lunches, mixed-fruit pies and raisin breads.
The Nibble Bags were also highly the consumer.
Nibble bags consisted of a small proportion of dried
vine fruits encased in cellophane which featured in
many Interstate Royal Easter Shows, and also made
an appearance at the 1955 Mildura Raisin Festival
which had extensive nationwide publicity. A crowd
of 8000 people watched as awards were given for
Figure 5 Australian Dried Fruits Promotional Displays, 1960's.
(Gange, The Australian Dried Fruits Association, 2007).
champion grape-picker, best costume of raisin joe,
raisin cup for best decorated and most humorous
motor car in the procession and the crowning of
the Queen of the Raisin Festival which was won by
Miss Merbein. This highlights the receptive and
fruitful audience participation as nationwide
interest suggests a mass appeal that was much
greater than the core female consumers and
therefore illustrates a broader consumption of
Sunraysia’s dried vine fruits.
Figure 7 Local grape growers produced world class quality fruit that
was exported around the world, 1960. (Family-Archives, 1060)
Contributions exceed Industry demands
The Italian migrant contribution to Sunraysia
influenced the community’s expansion of the dried
fruits industry with the increased production and
exportation of dried fruits. After World War Two
the production in Australia was already exceeding
demands. Over 95% of sultanas were grown in
Sunraysia, with the peak production reached in
1972 as packing companies reached 93,644 tonnes
with a further 37,000 accepted by wineries.
However, the Australian dried fruits industry had
intense and consistent competition from foreign
producers in the overseas market. Out of all foreign
grape producers Australia gave firm competition to
the United States of America which saw California
dominating the production and imports of dried
6
vine fruits to many countries including Germany
and Canada. With the cost of local production
increasing the focus had turned to Australia’s
“experimental food growing capacities of
migrants,”xi which saw the development of
additional innovative ways, knowledge and
adaption of industry required to maintain the high
level of success they had previously achieved. The
expansion of new agricultural practices was
established as “Italian farmers in Sunraysia were
the ones who swung over to grow table grapes.
This was clearly influential: the region now grows
75 per cent of Australia’s table grapes.”xii This
therefore illustrates that both the dried fruits
industry from the 1950’s and the contemporary
fresh fruits industry has been significantly
influenced by Italian migration with their
instrumental development and evolution of
farming practices in regional areas.
*All attempts have been made to contact the copyright
owners of imagery used within research.
i
Lydio, Tomasi, et al., The Columbus People: perspectives in
Italian Immigration to the Americas and Australia, (New York:
Centre for Migration Studies, 1993), p.348.
ii
Bruce, Missingham and Jacqui, Dibden, ‘A multicultural
countryside? Ethnic minorities in rural Australia,’ Rural
Society, 16/6 (2014), p.134.
iii
Tess, Spaven, ‘Exploring Migrant's Contributions to
Agriculture: The Story of Italians in the Sunraysia Region,’
University of Wollongong Australia, (2016)
<https://ro.uow.edu.au/thss/12/>, accessed on 16 Sep. 2018,
p. 76.
iv
Terry, Gange, A Century of Challenges: The remarkable
history of the ADFA and the Australian Dried Fruit Industry,
(Mildura, Victoria: The Australian Dried Fruits Association,
2007), p. 103.
v xii
‘Australian Dried Fruit News,’ The Official Journal of the
Australian Dried Fruits Association- December, (1984), 12.
vi
Tess, Spaven, ‘Exploring Migrant's Contributions to
Agriculture: The Story of Italians in the Sunraysia Region,’
Post-war Southern European migration to Australia
has significantly influenced the rural population
and the development of Sunraysia agriculture. The
migration of Italian’s to Australia made up the
largest ethnic group in the 1950’s, with the
Sunraysia Region the largest producer of sultanas,
currants and raisins. Sunraysia’s success in
providing the local, national and international
markets with the best quality Australian dried fruit
in the world was developed through the
hardworking culture of Italian migrants who
changed the operations of the Australian dried
fruits industry. Through the development of
farming practices with the establishment of new
technologies and innovations, new publicity
formats, an increase in production and exportation
of local dried vine fruits, this therefore
demonstrates that Southern European migration
significantly influenced the Australian dried fruits
industry through their contribution to the regions.
University of Wollongong Australia, (2016)
<https://ro.uow.edu.au/thss/12/>, accessed on 16 Sep. 2018,
p. 74
vii
‘Australian Dried Fruit News,’ The Official Journal of the
Australian Dried Fruits Association- October-March, 30/1,
(1954), 45.
viii
‘Slogan Winner,’ Northern Argus, 15 Sept. 1954, 10, in
Trove [online database], accessed 6 Oct. 2018.
ix
‘Slogan Winner,’ Northern Argus, 15 Sept. 1954, 10, in Trove
[online database], accessed 6 Oct. 2018.
x
‘Australian Dried Fruit News,’ The Official Journal of the
Australian Dried Fruits Association- October-March, 30/1,
(1955), 46.
xi
Natascha, Klocker et al., ‘Experimenting with agricultural
diversity: Migrant knowledge as a resource for climate change
adaption,’ Journal of Rural Studies, 57/1, (2018), 13.
Natascha, Klocker et al., ‘Experimenting with agricultural
diversity: Migrant knowledge as a resource for climate change
adaption,’ Journal of Rural Studies, 57/1, (2018), 18.
7
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