Carmel Baretta and Laraine Schembri: From Humble Beginnings: Mackay Maltese Pioneers 1883-1940, 520 pp.
The history of officially organised Maltese migration to Australia, contrary to what has repeatedly been reported by some historical accounts published so far, dates back to 1882, not 1883; the date erroneously given by historians of Maltese settlement in Australia.
It was Francesco De Cesare, commissioner from the Malta government, who, in his experimental journey to the antipodes in search of a suitable future home for prospective Maltese migrants, arrived in Brisbane, Australia, on the September 11, 1882, with the first group of eight officially sponsored young men. This was the undisputed first officially organised Maltese group of migrants to land on Australian soil.
In 1883 there followed the much publicised arrival of the Nuddea at the north Queensland port of Townsville. This venture was a direct result of De Cesare’s good work upon which he reported in his official reports to Malta’s then Imperial administration.
The most well-known passenger on this trip of 1883 was the pioneer Joseph Busuttil (later becoming Busuttin) from Żejtun. His story is documented in the well researched account written by his granddaughter Valda Busuttin Winsor (Island That We Knew – The Story of Brampton Island and the Pioneer Busuttin Family, Valda Busuttin Winsor, 1982).
Prior to organised migration from Malta, a not inconsiderable number of Maltese ended up in Australia, some voluntarily as free settlers, a small unknown quantity of others remained here after jumping ship either as stowaways or after becoming disillusioned with their marine life as sailors engaged with the various merchant navies which called intermittently at remote northwestern Australian coastal inlets.
There were also a number of Maltese convicts; some were transported directly from Valletta while others were shipped out from Britain.
Many years after this prolonged and often sad saga, in 2001 co-authors Carmel Baretta and Laraine Schembri, both of Mackay vintage, bequethed to posterity the excellent compilation of the Maltese of Mackay entitled From Humble Beginnings: Mackay Maltese Pioneers 1883-1940.
This tenderly and sensitively put together account of the principal Maltese families of north Queensland comprises the most detailed biographical anthology to date of one of the earliest groups of free settler Maltese migrant families.
The fine biographical details given of 182 families, all of whom settled in the north Queensland district of Mackay and surrounds, are a treasure trove of Maltese settlement history; an invaluable asset to the entire Maltese nation.
Interspersed with copious photographs, the clear images of the protagonists are supplanted with such detail as the traditional family nicknames each brought along with them from Malta. A few of these nicknames were also a product of the local Australian social ambience.
As one delves into the 520 pages of sheer pure Maltese country folk tales of determination, of back-breaking work, persistence in the face of incredible hardship, of unrelenting optimism despite all else and the belief in themselves, this moving historical anthology brings tears of admiration for the powerful spirit of a community come together under the harshest of conditions.
It is no wonder the descendants of these pioneering families today are not merely the worthy owners of considerable wealth but also a proud breed, and justly so, who openly boast of their noble Maltese ancestry. The strong family ties which still persist to this day, the tender family values they still foster, the deep respect towards their forebears – all these and more – are the rock solid foundations upon which is their sound sense of community based.
This collection of individual Maltese (and Gozitan) family accounts is no mere nostalgic sentimental journey in time. The invaluable information and other leads concerning Malta’s social, political, religious, demographic and economic status towards the end of the nineteenth into the early years of the twentieth century, in addition to the several individual family genealogies, elevates this book as a unique and essential reference text for high school students as much as for tertiary and postgraduate research.
Having met a number of the protagonists during my extensive research ventures into the Maltese Australian settlement story as a whole, but more specifically in reference to individual leading personalities or of people of unusual interest, one appreciates the vastness of this unique Maltese saga.
This precious collection of pioneer family biographies of the Maltese of Mackay, without any academic pretence, is in itself living evidence of the indefatigable spirit of an appreciative generation with the strongest anthropological ties to its proud ethnic Maltese roots.
Such deep loyalty is graphically depicted in a number of contemporary photographs taken by descendants of the earlier folk upon their return to, or even their first ever journey to the land of their forebears.
All libraries in Malta, including schools and tertiary institutions, should make it a point to purchase this essential contribution to our national Melitensia collection.