Giovanni Comparin, was born on 24 March 1899 in Thiene, Vicenza. He enlisted during World War One by putting up his age by a year, during his service he learned to drive and to fix cars. After the war he migrated to Australia, arriving in 1919. In Australia he found work in Brighton as a gardener, chauffeur and mechanic for the family, of one of the owners of Latoof and Cahill. By 1923 he had saved enough money to buy his first bus/taxi, and he established a business transporting people from Spencer Street to Reservoir. His business grew and in 1927 Giovanni had introduced a passenger transport service between Melbourne and Ballarat.

He returned to Italy in 1929 to marry Clementina Crosara, born in 1909, also from Thiene, Vicenza. The couple returned to Melbourne, living first in North Melbourne, before moving to a house in Young Street, Fitzroy, where there were a few paesani (other Italians) living in the same street. Giovanni and Clementina had two daughters.

By the 1930s Giovanni had extended his transport service from Melbourne to Albury, and was also transporting the mail and newspapers like the Argus, the Age and the Sun to country towns. Giovanni operated his passenger transport company until his death in 1949. Clementina died in 1986.

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