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speakers often passed their evenings in the hotels and wine bars of their compatriots,
where their language and the songs of their native valleys were given free expression.
By 1875, Daylesford's active Swiss and Italian Association was also an important
focus. During their quieter evenings at home, some ItaUan speakers carved items from
wood, a traditional craft of the alpine regions, A small hand-carved occasional table
made by Vincenzo Perini remains the property of his family today.'*
The essence, as it were, of the Italian-speaking family in Australia was reflected
in the style of its home, its striving for self-sufficiency and its maintenance of core
values and customs. It was also reflected in its willingness to adapt to the ways of a
new country and to participate, over time, in its development. With the case studies of
the Vanzetta and Rodoni families in the following chapter, who arrived in Australia in
the late 1880s ~ thirty years after the majority of their compatriots ~ newcomers are
seen entering an already well established immigrant community, many of whose
members had begun integrating into Australian society. As the chapter also
demonstrates, however, Italian speakers stiU sought security in traditional values and
practices, even when arriving at the end of the nineteenth century.
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