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scapegoats for much that was bad on the goldfields ~ the failure of some whites to find
gold, the decline in moral standards'*^ ~ and, by so doing, set the scene for a more
ready acceptance of Italian speakers and other Europeans mto mainstream Australian
society. To the extent that it strengthened European acceptance into Anglo-Celtic
culture, the exclusion of the Chinese promoted multiculturalism and, ironically, a future
(much later) where Asians themselves would be welcome settlers to AustraUa. The
concems about a moral decline were widespread.
This supposed decline in moral behaviour, in reality, touched all ethnic groups
and was a product of the harsh and lonely life of the goldfields. Though accustomed to
extreme deprivation and hard work, the Italian speakers were iU-prepared for the
misery of this life. As the modem historian Giorgie Cheda comments:
Nei goldfields le giernate trascerrevane monotone e prive di quegli
afTetti familiari che nelle vallate ticinesi centribuivane a rendere
almene seppertabili anche la miseria piii nera e il lavoro piu
faticeso.""
The peasants had always come home to a warm fire, simple but nourishing foods, such
as wine, cheese, freshly ground rye bread or roasted chestnuts, and an emotionally
supportive family. On the goldfields there were no such comforts and the men pined
for their homes and traditional foods: says Cheda, 'la minestra non aveva piii il
sapore del prezzemolo'.'^ They even suffered days when no food at all could be
provided:
il pane bisegnava guadagnarselo sfaticando tutto il giorno nelle
miniere dove, alcuni bogioni pagavano bene, ma altri assolutamente
niente fuorche sassi e ghiaia.
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