Early Years:

Iole Elena Marino (nee Crovetti) was born in the village of Belvi located in the mountainous province of Nuoro, Sardinia, on 13 May 1941. She is the second youngest of ten children born to Anna Cabras and Giovanni Crovetti. Iole recalls a very unhappy childhood in such a large and poor family. She was taunted by older sisters and was strictly disciplined by her parents, especially her mother, whom she believed was particularly cruel to her older brothers who worked as shepherds for local farmers. The family home was extremely basic, and the children shared the bedrooms. The house did not have a bathroom, toilet or running water. Washing was done on rocks by the river and water was collected in large urns from wells in the town centre. The family ate using terracotta bowls and wooden cutlery made by Iole's father.

In 1946, at the age of five, Iole was sent to live with and care for her paternal nonna (grandmother) Raffaela Gioi who had a broken leg. Even though she enjoyed being with her nonna Gioi, this caused her to miss much of her primary schooling. As she was too young to do the cooking, Iole would collect food cooked by her mother or sisters daily to feed her nonna. Iole helped her nonna with grooming and dressing and she also did chores around the house as her nonna was fastidiously clean and very house proud. She lived with her nonna until she was 12 years old.

In 1951 at 10 years of age, Iole contracted hepatitis and became extremely ill. Her nonna was too elderly and fragile to care for her so Iole was returned home to be nursed by her mother. She eventually completed her primary school education at the age of 13, she was at least three years older than other pupils in her class.

In Italy, at that time, it was traditional for women not to be employed. Girls were expected to learn needlework skills, be good cooks, care for husbands and children and take responsibility for all the household chores. However, Iole's family could not afford to pay for needlework or sewing lessons. Without her parents' knowledge, at 14 years of age, Iole attended sewing lessons for 12 months at the home of Mrs Pierina, the local dressmaker. Mrs Pierina knew of the family's circumstances and agreed to teach Iole in exchange for her doing chores.

Starting Work:

Contrary to these traditional women's roles of the time, 16 year old Giovanna, one of Iole's unmarried sisters, had moved to Genoa (a large city on Italy's north-west coast) to find work. In 1956 Iole, who had stayed with her sister Assunta in Belvì, was sent to Inglesias to assist another sister, Carmela, who was due to give birth.

When Iole returned to Belvì at the age of 15, she found her sister Giovanna there who was visiting from Genova. Iole did not have a good relationship with her sister Beatrice and chose to return to Genoa with Giovanna. There Iole lived with her father's sister auntie Sinforosa. Iole's sister Giovanna worked as a domestic maid in a large villa.

Initially Iole helped Giovanna at the villa but later, her aunt Sinfros, who lived in a nearby town, found her work in a food factory. She was then employed as a nanny caring for a little boy where she was paid a better wage than factory work. Iole moved in with her aunt where both her brothers Gerolamo and Guido lodged as well. Indebted to her aunt for receiving free lodging and board, Iole did a good share of the domestic chores.

Getting Married:

Iole married Vincenzo Marino on 26 December 1959 at the age of 18. They had a modest wedding. Vincenzo was due to migrate to Australia with his older married brothers and sisters but after meeting Iole he decided he wanted a future with her. In order to avoid migrating with his family, he secured a contract job on an oil rig through a friend. His family left without him. After he had completed his time under contract, Vicenzo returned to Italy and married Iole, immediately applying to migrate to Australia.

Migrating to Australia:

They travelled on the ship Sydney, arriving in Melbourne on 26 December 1960. Due to the numbers of Italians migrating in the 1950s and 1960s, ship accommodation was extremely basic. War ships had been quickly converted to rudimentary ocean liners in order to accommodate the large numbers of migrants leaving war-torn Europe. In order to fill ships with as many people as possible, cabins were mostly shared. Men and boys were separated from women and children under 12. Iole and Vincenzo travelled in separate cabins.

Early Settlement:

On arrival they lodged with Vincenzo's relatives. Vincenzo was a bricklayer by trade and found work where he could. Iole gave birth to son Gary on 17 April 1961. In 1964 Iole and Vicenzo (now known as Vincent) purchased their first house and Iole started working; first in a tobacco factory and then in an abattoir. Later she and her sister-in-law found work at the Southern Cross Hotel in Melbourne.

This was followed by work in the kitchen of La Scala restaurant, despite lower pay, the working hours suited her and fitted in with Gary's school hours. She eventually ran the entire kitchen there. After many years of trying to have a second child, Iole gave birth to daughter, Loana, on 1 February 1970.

In 1975 they won Lotto and purchased two blocks of land in Eltham where they built a large family home. Iole continued to work in hospitality for many years, predominantly as a cook. In 1977 she and Vincent, together with business partners, bought a run-down pizzeria in Dandenong which they ran for over six years. When the pizzeria business was sold, she continued working in various eateries for several years until Vincent, whilst working at Australian Glass Manufacturing, had an industrial accident that resulted in the amputation of his hand. After a few years they were advised to sue the company for damages and succeeded.

Home, Community and Cultural Practices:

In their later years they enjoyed several return trips back to Italy where they visited relatives. Iole and Vincent became involved with the Sardinian Cultural Association which allowed them to stay connected to compatriots from the same region and enabled Iole to refresh her interest in her Sardinian culture and participate in cultural events, making use of the costumes her mother had sewn.

Iole and Vincent spend their time visiting their children; Gary who owns a large property in Queensland and Loana, who lives on a rural property in Victoria. They also host relatives visiting from Italy. Like many Italians of that generation, they enjoy working in their large garden which rewards them with much produce.

Iole's traditional hand-made village clothing were brought from Sardinia to Australia over a number of years. In Sardinia, like other countries, there is no one national dress. Fabric, colours, stitching and embroidery, skirt and shirt designs, identify different regions and towns. Iole's collection also includes a range of photographs depicting her life in Sardinia and Melbourne.

This collection of traditional Sardinian clothing and related photographs were donated to the Museum by Iole Crovetti Marino in collaboration with the Sardinian Cultural Association (Victoria) Inc.


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