Interview with Lina Campagnaro (nee Ballestrin) [sound recording] / interviewer, Madeleine Regan, Part 5 of 5

Lina Campagnaro was born on 22 July 1944 in Adelaide, the daughter of Narcisio and Maria Ballestrin who had migrated to Adelaide in the 1930s from the Province of Treviso. They were market gardeners first on Valetta Road, Kidman Park and then near Findon Road at Flinders Park. In this interview, Lina provides details of her family background and her own family of eight children and 13 grandchildren. Her father arrived in 1938 to join his two brothers who had migrated in 1927. She explains circumstances of the arrival of her mother and older brother aged 11 months in Australia in 1939 just as war broke out. The ship was prevented from landing in Perth for ten or more days. She speaks about her father having to work in the Allied Works Council during the War. Other areas covered include: memories of growing up on the market gardens; location of the market garden; description of the family home and which vegetables were grown; her mother's working life in the home and the market garden; neighbouring market gardeners including a Chinese market gardener who provided hospitality to Lina and her brother; connections with other Veneti market gardening families; family involvement with the local Church; and the family move to Findon Road to a new market garden in the 1950s. Lina recalls family traditions such as celebrating Christmas; her mother's baking; the seasonal tasks of making salami, wine and the process of tomato sauce; her jobs helping out in the market garden; going to market and shopping in the city with her mother; helping repair the glasshouses after little whirlwinds; sale of the land at Flinders Park and her father's employment as a council worker; relocation to Findon in about 1963; housing developments and establishment of the Flinders Park oval. Lina speaks about going to school at St Joseph's Flinders Park and walking across market gardens to get there. Lina continues to recall aspects of her childhood growing up on the market gardens; Veneto dialect which was spoken at home and social occasions; friends; her parents' naturalisation; her mother's shopping preferences in the city; and food shopping; going to Henley Beach during the summer. Other memories include completing Intermediate or Year 10 at St Joseph's Hindmarsh and being asked to teach at St Joseph's Hindmarsh, at 16 years old first a primary school class and then every subject except Typing and Shorthand to first year high school students for four years; studying Leaving and Leaving Honours with one of the Sisters at Saturday mornings; playing sport with Veneti young people; marriage to Lui in 1964 and her five month honeymoon in Italy and meeting her mother's family and her husband's family. Lina reflects on the some of the major changes in the area of Kidman Park in her lifetime from the open spaces of the market gardens to the opening up of housing developments and the intensive suburban landscape and the increase of trees; Lina speaks about the close bonds with other Veneti which continues the kinds of relationships her parents had with other Veneti. She reflects on her Italian heritage and states that she sees herself more Italian than Australian; maintaining traditions of making salami, wine and sauce with her family members and the significance of her Veneta roots; and reflects on her siblings.

No restrictions on copying or publication except acknowledging State Library of South Australia OH 872/28 if published.