Councillor Brian Corr

Ezio Luisini

The National Trust plans to develop the 'old' Luisini Winery (on the edge of Lake Goolelal, Kingsley) in the next 18 months or so. The development will include a museum, a wine-tasting area, a cafe, a kiosk, and toilets. There are plans for a boardwalk on the edge of the lake. The development will link with the dual-use path, 4.5km long, which now encircles the lake; a pathway with stunning views, as many walkers and cyclists are discovering.

This development is important to the community; the involvement of the National Trust is important; remembering Mr Luisini is important. He represents the efforts, and sacrifices, of many thousands of migrants who came to Australia in the pioneering days.

Ezio Luisini was born on St Valentine's Day 1891 at Ferentillo, Umbria, in the north of Italy (about 80km north of Rome). He was an only child. When he was 4, his father emigrated to Western Australia, promising to make his fortune. It didn't work out and the family (grandmother, mother, and child) was left in poverty in Italy, his mother working as a servant. Ezio grew up a lonely child. His mother died, then his grandmother, and he followed his father to Western Australia, leaving his village in December 1908. He joined his father, clearing bushland south-west of Perth. After a while, determined to make his fortune, Ezio set up as a sub-contractor with his own team of workers. Then the 1st World War came and, fearing that he would be forced to enlist in either the Australian or Italian army, he spent the duration of the war in the outback, possibly with the monks in New Norcia. In 1918 he took a job with the State Saw Mill in Manjimup.

Luisini was naturalized in 1920. Then he met his only true love, Antonietta, and was married in St Patrick's, Fremantle, in 1921. They bought a wine saloon, with living quarters upstairs, at 215 William Street, in Northbridge; the area became known as 'Little Italy' and Luisini lived there for the rest of his life. He extended his premises next door, opened a shop and stocked a wide range of goods, including equipment for rural workers. In 1924 Luisini bought 40 hectares near Wanneroo (now Kingsley), cleared the land, and planted vines.

Their only child, a daughter, was stillborn in 1922. Antonietta died in 1931, aged 27, shortly before Luisini's first vines bore fruit. From a personal point of view, he never recovered from this loss.

From a business point of view, however, he was very successful. And he helped many Italian migrants, especially those who had recently arrived: he spoke their language, he answered their questions, he gave them advice, he gave them credit, he fitted them out for work in the bush. His premises became a storeroom for new migrants' baggage, a temporary address for many, and a meeting place for the Italian community.

In 1936 at St Brigid's Church, in Northbridge, he married Carmela Strano from Calabria in the south of Italy. Many Italian men, in those days, arranged marriages with girls from Italy. In Luisini's case, the lady who arrived, I've been told, was not the one expected. He initially resisted marriage but relented later. It was a loveless relationship; sad when you remember that he was born on St Valentine's Day. They had no children. From a business point of view, they appear to have worked well as a team.

In 1942, during the 2nd World War, Luisini was interned in Kalgoorlie, on the ground that he held fascist sympathies. He pleaded his innocence and was released. After the war, he bought more land near Wanneroo and established a second vineyard.

'Mr Luisini', as he became known, was courteous and kind. He was strongly built, intelligent, and had a great sense of humour. He loved children and helped those in genuine need. He was not easily duped. He was mean to himself and led a simple life. He worked long hours in his shop during the week and in his vineyards on weekends. His generosity and humility endeared him greatly to members of the Italian community. He gave large sums of money, anonymously, to worthy causes.

Luisini's obsession with making money was rooted in his childhood poverty and his father's lack of achievement. So was his generosity. Although he was a self-made man, he was often sad. The deaths of his mother and first wife left a deep sense of loss that he endured for a large part of his life.

He died in 1964 and was buried in Karrakatta cemetery. He left the bulk of his estate, at £233,905, to two nephews of his first wife. Carmela was left £35 a week for maintenance. In 1965 she successfully challenged the will, and was awarded £10,000 plus £50 maintenance per week.

There are numerous people in Perth who remember Mr Luisini with great fondness, more than 40 years after his death. They may have been helped by him, or their parents may have been. It might have been work in his winery, been fitted out for a job in the bush, or help with some problem.

The first landowner in the area, William Shenton, was born in 1802 in the village of Kingsley near Winchester in Hampshire in England. Kingsley, in Perth, was named as recently as 1974, 10 years after Mr Luisini died and 8 years before the winery closed.

This development will stand as a monument to all the pioneers, who, for various reasons, came to Australia in search of food, shelter, and work. They came from many countries, endured great hardships, cleared the land for farming, started the mining industry, and worked hard to produce a bright future for both their families and the migrants who followed later.

The museum will keep their story alive.

Brian Corr
7th March 2009