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Maurizio Morganti, sought self-employment in Australia, mostly through the
estabUshment of a farm or business. Indeed, by the 1860s, the Daylesford newspapers
had begun reporting a very active participation of the Swiss and Italians in the business
community (such as that of Alessandro Pozzi seen in the previous section): infrequent
attenders at miners' meetings, they were more serious about this altemate form of
money making. They were more familiar with the risks of self-employment and
unwilling to hand over their futures to an employer who may have no further need of
their services. With the opening of a store and dairying operation in 1854, one
member of the Morganti family had indicated his desire for an independent working life
in Australia. As many other ItaUan speakers began to set themselves up in business,
Daylesford soon boasted hotels, bakeries, wine shops and stores, all mn by the ethnic
group. It was into this growing community of Italian speakers that Eustachio
Morganti, the fourth member of the Morganti family, arrived on 2 May 1861.
The younger brother of Battista, Maurizio and Giacomo, Eustachio travelled to
Australia aboard the Great Britain, one of only two vessels to bring Italian speakers to
the Colony in that year.^^ It carried nine Ticinesi, all from Someo, and included among
them Maria Tognazzini (of whose family more will be heard shortly). The shipment,
despite being the last to bring people to Australia from Someo for many years,
reflected a viUage stiU in turmoil. Eustachio was then 20 years old and may have been
accompanied by an older brother, Lazzaro, then 22.^' It is possible, however, that
Lazzaro arrived in the colony some time after Eustachio and hence too late to see his
brother Battista who had already departed for America. After living in Hepbum as a
miner, Battista had grown tired of his lack of success on the goldfields and headed for
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