Finocchiaro family in Australia
Hello all,
I live in Darwin, Australia. I believe that am related to Anthony Finocchiaro of New York/Brooklyn. He posted a message on December 4, 2000. He mentions the Finocchiaro families in Australia.
There are a number of seemingly unrelated families spread throughout Australia. I believe the largest single related family is that decended from Rosario and Teresa (nee Lo Presto) Finocchiaro. My grandfather Rosario died in Falcone, Province of Messina, Sicily, Italy in the early 1940's but he was not originally from that town. I think that the origin was Catania.
My grandfather was a soldier who saw action in World War One. He then spent may years going to and from New York, helping to establish his brother Antonio there (the current Anthony Finochiaro's father - help me here Anthony, I am writing this without the benefit of my father to help me).
My grandmother Teresa died in 1966 in Darwin Australia and was returned to Falcone for burial with my grandfather. She was my grandfather's second wife. The first gave birth to my Uncle Salvatore (deceased).
My grandfather had eight sons that survived him (no daughters!) They are in order of first to last birth: Salvatore (deceased) by his first wife, Giuseppe, Antonio, Pietro (my father) and Santi (deceased), Marco Aurelio, Ottavio and Benito.
Pietro and Santi (deceased) were identical twins.
Interestingly, Ottavio (meaning the eighth) is seemingly the seventh son, however, he was named Ottavio in memory of a son that died before Ottavio was born; hence Ottavio was the eighth son born.
All of the sons (my father and uncles) spent some time in Australia. Except for Antonio (who lives in Genoa, Italy with his wife, Franca and has two daughters: Lorella and Loredana) and Santi (deceased - who with his wife Luisa lived in Serra Rico, Liguria, Italy)the rest all settled in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.
In 1951, my father was the first of the brothers to arrive in Fremantle, Western Australia and then on to Melbourne then Sydney and then to Newcastle where he worked for what was then Australia's largest mining and steel milling company, BHP. He learnt how to repair autobodies after work hours while there. Not long after, he moved to Fremantle in Western Australia to join his brother Marco Aurelio.
In 1953, my father recognised Darwin as the land of infinite opportunity and so he moved again. Darwin was (and some say it still is) a very small frontier town in Australia's north.
Darwin was starting to recover from World War Two and so it did not have much of a civilian population apart from the many chinese and aboriginal people. Darwin was bombed on February 19, 1942 by the same Japanese carrier force that bombed Pearl Harbour on December 7, 1941. There were many casualties because, like Pearl Harbour, it was a surprise attack. Many of the casualties were american sailors on board the USS Peary. Darwin was bombed on a further 63 occasions.
My father and his brothers Ottavio (Otto) and Benito (Ben)opened an autobody repair business in the early 1950's.
My uncle Marco Aurelio (Mark) opened a bakery (Fannie Bay Bakery) in the late 1950's. My uncle Giuseppe (Joe) worked for him for a while and then joined by my father and his other brothers at the panel shop.
They all prospered, particulary my uncle Marco Aurelio who eventually bought out all of his competition and opened a larger bakery (Darwin Bakery). In the 1980's he sold his business and pursued property development in earnest. I suppose lots of people have rich uncles (he is also my godfather).
Cyclone (Hurricane) Tracy struck Darwin in the early hours of Christmas Day 1974, virtually destroying the city of Darwin in what was Australia's worst natural disaster. Most of the Finocchiaro women and children were evacuated to Fremantle, Western Australia where my uncle Marco made his apartment building available to the families. While in Fremantle (at the age of 12), I met my father's cousin, Rosina Finocchiaro (deceased) who was related to Anthony of New York/Brooklyn.
The disaster, while sparing the family, succeeded in scattering us all over Australia.
The brother have all but retired from working life although some keep a hand in it.
The brothers that settled in Australia all marrried and most had children as follows (I have mentioned two of my uncles' families above)with present disposition next to each name or family group:
Salvatore Finocchiaro (deceased - Sam) married twice, his second wife is Elia and they had one son; Giacinto (Jason) and two daughters; Pinucchia (Pina) and Adele (all in Perth, Western Australia). My uncle has a son from his first wife, my cousin Rosario (Ross - in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia)
Giuseppe Finocchiaro (Joe) married Rita (I don't know her maiden name) and they have two sons; Fabio Rosario (Fabio to others or Fab to family!) and Paolo Ernesto (Paul) (all in Darwin NT, Australia).
Pietro Finocchiaro (my father) married Giovanna Zanghi (of Torre Faro, Sicily) and they have two sons; Rosario Salvatore Antonio (me! Just call me Ross) and my brother Salvatore (Terry) (all in Darwin NT, Australia) .
Marco Aurelio Finocchiaro (Mark) married Gaetana Travia (Gay) of Fremantle, Australia (sicilian origin) and they have two sons; Rosario (Ross) and Salvatore (Terry)(sounds familiar!) (all in Darwin NT, Australia) and two daughters; Teresa (Mukinbudin, Western Australia) and Maria (Perth, Western Australia.
Ottavio Finocchiaro (Otto) married Angela Fazio (Angelina)(both in Adelaide, South Australia) and they have two daughters; Maria Teresa (Teresa)(in Melbourne)and Franca (Fran) (Adelaide)and two sons; Marco Rosario (Mark) (New Zealand!!!) and Roberto (Robert)(Adelaide).
Benito Finocchiaro married Franca Dell'Aquila (Franca) and they have no children. They live in Darwin and still actively operate businesses and tend to their realestate.
I could go on with the next generation but I'd get lost in the detail. My aunt Gay seems to keep track reasonably well.
I am married, no children (yet). My wife Angela (nee Skillas - origin Kalymnos and Patmos in the Greek Dodecanese islands near Turkey) works for the Northern Territory Government. I pursue my profession as an Architect by working for one of Australia's largest architectural companies, Woodhead International. We live in an apartment above my brother Terry and his wife, Lisa (nee Chapman).
Our city, rebuilt and unrecognisable since Christmas 1974, though still small at 120,000 people, remains a city on the Australian frontier; nearest to Asia and its conflicts, dependant on tourism, minerals, primary production and the military.
Our city's climate is tropical with two main seasons; the "wet" (with monsoon rains and humid heat) and the "dry" (the most glorious weather on earth).
It takes me 6 minutes to get to work and even less to get home.
Does anyone recognise the above Finocchiaro family? Anthony Finocchiaro of New York/Brooklyn has visited us.
More Replies:
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Re: Finocchiaro family in Australia
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Re: Finocchiaro family in Australia
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Re: Finocchiaro family in Australia
Rosario Finocchiaro 1/09/02
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Re: Finocchiaro family in Australia
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Re: Finocchiaro family in Australia
Rosario Finocchiaro 12/17/01