Summary

Taxi driver business card issued to Michael (Mike, Michele) Attardi, dated 30th January 1965, and carried by him to hand to his potential taxi customers.

Mike Attardi migrated to Australia from Sicily, Italy through the Assisted Passage scheme in 1960 on the 'Roma'. He was placed in the Bonegilla Migrant Reception and Training Centre near Aubury before moving to Melbourne, where his family joined him on the 'Neptunia' in 1961. Mike worked as a fitter and turner in factories throughout Melbourne and took up taxi driving part-time between 1964 and 1968 to save for a house. His experiences of taxi driving reveal both the dangers of the industry, and its place at the heart of Melbourne's history.

Physical Description

Single piece of thick, beige card. Printed on both sides in black ink. One side with company details and the other with personal details of the driver. Driver details handwritten in green ink. Registration number stamped in black ink on top left corner.

Significance

One of a small set of objects which contribute to representing the experiences of taxi drivers in metropolitan Melbourne during the 1960s and 1970s. In conjunction with an oral history interview it provides valuable insights into the history of the taxi driver industry in Australia and the daily working lives of taxi drivers. It also further contributes to narratives of European post-World War II migration through the Assisted Passage scheme, and specifically Italian and Sicilian migrant experiences.

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