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Gossip concerning bigamous relationships remained a part of Daylesford Ufe for many
decades (as the Gaggioni section revealed). Some of the men had also entered into
de-facto relationships or consoled themselves for their wives' absence by visiting
'vagabond women' (see Scouting), For the majority of immigrants, however, this
'transgression' was temporary and they stmggled to maintain contact with their
famiUes. As soon as they were able, they encouraged their wives to join them in
Australia, For many this was a recognition that their fiiture was to be buih in the
adopted country ~ and a positive step in actually taking control of the future.
For single men seeking wives in the Colony, the problem of finding a suitable
partner was not easily solved. Most of the women arriving in Australia after the initial
gold msh years were being reunited with husbands or were joining fiances, resulting in
an uneven gender balance. The problem for the Italian speakers was further
compounded by their tradition of endogamy which imposed certain rigidities upon their
choice of partner. This practice, which has been referred to on several previous
occasions, restricted a man or woman to a partner from his or her viUage, thus
encouraging harmonious and closely-knit households where everyone shared a similar
cultural and religious background. The choice of partner, says Cheda:
era undubbiamente un elemente impertante della struttura sociale
e mentale, perche contribuiva — come del resto il livello ecenomico
— a formare, censolidare e mantenere i gruppi sociali.
In the Valle Maggia, between 1855 and 1875, 1341 of the 1534 couples uniting in
matrimony were bom in the same viUage. In Verzasca, the figures were similar, with
884 out of 944, or 93 per cent,^ Judging by the cases in this study, in Australia, of the
men who married ItaUan-speaking women, the majority wed from wdthin their native or
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