General News
7 February, 2025
CONTRIBUTORS TO A GREAT AUSTRALIA
At the age of 22, Andrew Della Vedova set sail in 1870 from Tirano, Italy as an unassisted passenger travelling in storage.
It would have been only the hardiest who could endure such conditions. Apart from feeling the full impact of the waves, the overwhelming smell of the ‘bilge waters’ and a diet of limited substance, he survived.
This journey took 90 days before he finally disembarked at the Port of Melbourne.
Immediately he proceeded to Ballarat (by coach) and on to Creswick, where he found work as a ‘charcoal burner’ in the Bullarook Forest.
A move to Chinaman’s Flat followed, where his axe skills assisted in clearing forest in Alma.
Still, his ambition was to make his fortune on the goldfields.
Andrew headed off to Queensland, where rumours were of massive gold deposits. On reaching Sydney, he realised such stories were baloney and returned to the wood business, supplying timber for the mines, building and the ‘energy producing’ steam engines.
He was also kept busy with carting and contracting in the area around Avoca and Homebush.
He acquired a property on the fringes of St Arnaud, where he was a highly successful share farmer. With his sons growing up, crops being bountiful and prices sky rocketing, Andrew was rewarded for his hard work.
Along with his wife, Catherine, they raised a large family of 16 children — 11 daughters and five sons.
Their diamond jubilee (60 years marriage) was celebrated in February 1934. They both saw out their days residing in St Arnaud.
•••••
Dominic, born 150 years ago in 1875, was Andrew’s first-born. He started the lineage that left its mark on Maryborough’s history.
William (Bill), his first-born, established himself in Maryborough. In his early days he and his father headed off early on Monday mornings with their horses and axes to cut timber, returning on Saturday afternoon. Neither was afraid of hard work.
In this article I am concentrating on Bill’s descendants and the part he, along with his wife Mary (Palmer), played.
Their first-born was Marie, a remarkably impressive individual who belies her 90 years. She married Victor Del Din, having two children, Linda and Helen.
Marie had a distinguished career in education, reaching the status of deputy principal in a male dominated era. Upon retirement, she worked at the university using her self-taught Italian skills.
Colin married Elaine Walton, the daughter of local farmers, and together they formed a formidable team, producing four children — Shane, Peter, Colleen and Jennifer.
Together they started the local branch of what is now Incitec Pivot.
The fertiliser supplier was and is situated in the impressive bluestone structure formerly the ‘turntable’, or commonly known as the ‘Loco Shed’.
Barry, Colin’s younger brother, joined the business and stayed for 33 years.
Colin was awarded a bravery medal for rescuing local policeman and champion footballer, Brian Coleman, from a flooded creek at Carisbrook.
Colin’s son, Peter, was an excellent junior tennis player who was on the fringe of the circuit. He played in the French circuit competition as a resident professional.
Barry graduated as a teacher and specialised in physical education. He started at Somers Camp, followed by stints at Swan Hill, Hamilton and Yarrawonga before finally returning to his home town.
He was an outstanding footballer with the distinction of playing in a premiership in two major leagues — 1965 and 1968 at Maryborough and with Yarrawonga in 1974 in the powerful Owens and Murray league.
Barry’s wife, Lois, was a fellow teacher and they have two children, Brett and Kim Louise.
Alan Dellavedova married Joan Burke and was initially a policeman stationed in Daylesford. He followed his uncle Andy into the petroleum industry, purchased school buses which he ran for years, and was an outstanding tennis player, winning the Lawn tennis championship.
Alan and Joan’s children (Mark, Nicole and Sue-Ellen) have all left their mark on the town — Nicole in the teaching ranks and Sue-Ellen as a nurse.
Mark always harboured ambitions of enterprise. Together with his wife, Leanne, they have made their ambitions a reality — their property development has had no peer.
Nothing in Maryborough’s history can compare. Thanks to their enterprise, many young couples have quality housing. It is a win-win situation.
They had ambitions for their son, Matthew. Mark, a keen basketballer himself, provided every incentive for his children Matthew, Yana and Ingrid to excel.
Matthew gained a sporting scholarship to the Institute of Sport in Canberra, where he completed his secondary education. After a highly successful stint, he gained a scholarship to St Marys College in California, where he excelled both in basketball and academically.
It is every basketballer’s dream to be drafted to the NBA, and Matthew’s dream came true when he was drafted to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
This team contained the legendary Lebron James and were to win the NBA championship (a dream come true).
Matthew earned an unbelievable contract. At present he is playing with Melbourne United. As far as I know he is the only Maryborough athlete to compete at the Olympics, which he has on four occasions, winning a bronze medal at Tokyo in 2021.
When he is required to support the local competition, he endeavours to be available.
Matthew’s sisters Yana and Ingrid are a physiotherapist and a teacher respectively.
Such achievements would have been unimaginable to Andrew as he contemplated his future in the cramped confines of storage all those years ago.
