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packing (Lucini) and the inclusion of weUs (Lucini, Sartori), In the constmction of the
actual house, most Italian speakers placed the largest stones at the quoins or arches to
support and form the home, Parma House at Hepbum Springs providing one example.
Apart from the windows and door jambs which, for safety and stabUity, demanded
extra care, the section of wall between the comers was done quickly. Most window
spaces were made small to ease stress on the walls and their frames were embedded
into the mortar with chicken wire. Both the windows and door openings were well
bonded wdth longer stones. Due to the numerous creeks around Jim Crow most
settlers were able to obtain good supplies of mud, clay and sand to be used as a
mortar, some of which they strengthened with lime. Settlers, such as Pietro Gaggioni,
often walked many kilometres to find the most suitable building stones, assembling
those of different sizes and shapes in a random-mbble fashion without any regular
coursing and flatter stones in a strata-formation,*' While the first method allowed the
use of hard, intractable stones, the second method was easier and, with little mortar,
gave great strength to a building.
The preparation of the frame to support the roof was one of the most difficuh
parts of the building process, the completed constmction requiring walls of extreme
thickness to support its weight,*"* The ItaUan speakers made boards, roofing rafters
and props from the local stringy bark and yellow box timbers, covering them wdth a
slate or timber shingled roof The extemal rendering of the house was usually in a
material similar to the mortar, although sometimes mixed wdth cow manure depending
on the wishes of the individual builder. The interior walls were plastered for hygiene
and insulation and the floors made from flagstones. Iron brackets, nails and chains
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