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knife and eaten on toast or bread, or chopped finely and added to scrambled egg or
other foods needing flavouring. Serafino and Lucy also enjoyed blackberry picking
along the river banks, teaching their grandchildren how to gather foods from the
natural envu-onment. Serafino was an exceUent marksman, no doubt, bringing home
rabbits and other wildlife for the table; a grandchild later attributed his shooting skills
to his Swiss heritage, reinforcing the commonly-held stereotyped views.**
Serafino died on 21 December 1917, aged 78 years of age, willing aU his
property to his youngest son Leonard. His wdfe Lucy died the following year on 26
March 1918. The couple were buried in a family vault which Lucy had insisted
Serafino build: costing 300 pounds,*' it reflected the desire of both partners to be
united wdth their family in death. As all their children eventually moved away from
Heywood, however, no one else was buried there. Of their children, Edmund led a
military career, like Franklin Perini enlisting in the Boer War. After rising to the rank
of captain, he retumed to Australia and became licensee of the Heywood Hotel,
foUowing in the steps of his father. He served his country again during the First Worid
War, eaming further honours as a major.*" Moving to Queensland, one of his chUdren
became a joumalist and later editor of the Herald newspaper in Melboume ~ roles far
removed from the 'peasant' roots which the family continues to celebrate right up to
the present.
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