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By 1869, the Guscettis had moved to Daylesford taking up residence in a home
in North Vincent Street.'* Now young aduUs, their children - the eldest Virgilio 23,
Sofia 22, Federico 21 and Emilio sixteen ~ were almost all living away from the family
home. In 1866 Sofia had married Italian speaker Carlo Bravo who had arrived from the
small farming community of Cugnasco in Ticino in 1855. Considering their different
socio-economic backgrounds, the immigrant experience had possibly been a uniting
force. The couple eventually moved to Newbridge near Maryborough (ref figure 6)
where Carlo found work as a labourer.'* Confirming their cultural heritage, most of
their eleven children were given Italian names. Sadly, and again indicative of the
colony's high childhood mortality rate, only six survived to adulthood. While littie is
known of VirgUio's life, the second son Federico married Margaret Josephine
McPherson on 21 October 1871 in St Peter's Catholic Church in Daylesford. Also
moving to Newbridge, on 2 July 1869 he took over the Old Newbridge Hotel, where
he remained for several years." Despite the high value which Severino had placed on
education during his time as a govemment minister, for whatever reasons, his own
children did not pursue professional careers.
Following his transfer to Daylesford, Severino, Uke Francesco Rossetti, was
appointed honorary surgeon at the Daylesford Hospital. Unlike many of their
compatriots, whose ethnicity often hindered employment by English speakers, a
professional status appears to have guaranteed employment. On 14 January 1869, at
the Annual Meeting of Subscribers to the Daylesford Hospital,'* one Dr Manipole had
moved that Dr Guscetti be appointed the third honorary surgeon. One week later, and
along with resident doctors McNicoU and Mclntyre, Severino had been re-elected
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