Celebrating 100 ‘fulfilled’ years

BIAGIO Galeano’s early years were tough and life didn’t get any easier when he arrived in Australia.

But he was used to toil and hardship, so he took it in his stride and made the country his own. He went from cane cutter to cane farmer, a new family tradition in a new land.

Born on February 3, 1919 in the medieval Italian city of Motta Camastra, Sicily, Biagio tomorrow celebrates 100 “fulfilled and blessed years”, says daughter Lyndell Galeano of Gordonvale.

The youngest of seven children with two brothers and four sisters, his mother passed away when he was seven and he grew up on his father’s farm.

“He had very little schooling as the farm was too far out of town and his father needed him to work,” Lyndell says.

“Dad migrated to Australia in 1937, aged 18, taking two months on the ship Escolino to Brisbane. He was barely able to read or write Italian, let alone speak English to find his way to North Queensland.

“When asked why he came to Australia, he says ‘to join my brother, he had told me that Australia was the land of opportunity”.

His brother had settled in the Babinda/Gordonvale area a few years prior, well known for its sugar cane industry.

Biagio cut cane by hand, felled trees and cleared scrub. His hands were blistered, scarred, bruised and cut. He lived in barracks with dirt floors. He yearned for Italy, but was determined to make the most of his new life and continued to cut cane by hand for another 11 years.

During WWII, he was interned for 18 months.

In 1949, Biagio wrote to Grazia Galeano, from his home town, asking for her hand in marriage.

They were married by proxy (Biagio in Australia and Grazia in Italy) on July 29, 1950. Grazia arrived in Sydney in December that year, meeting Biagio for the first time.

They settled on the farm in Goldsborough, their three sons sharing Biagio’s love of farming, and the Galeanos continuing to farm cane in the Mulgrave area for 82 years.

Biagio and Grazia moved from the farm to Gordonvale in 1985, although Biagio continued working on it for years.

“His strong commitment to his family and his humble beginnings have laid a solid foundation for the family today. Biagio is humble about most things, but when it comes to his family, he is very proud.”

His secret to a long life: “Working hard, eating good, Italian food, loving your family and plenty of hot chillies.”