Biography

My Story

In December 1955, Don Carrazza was one of two million post-war immigrants who arrived in Australia to establish a new life in an unknown land. 

From a small mountain village in southern Italy to a regional town in northwestern Victoria, My Story: A Life in Opportunity charts Don’s journey to Australia at the age of 15, the natural disaster that forced his family to start again after their arrival, and the indefatigable entrepreneurial spirit that brought successes and disappointments in equal measure. 

Buoyed by the support of his wife, Anna, and their extended family, Don Carrazza makes his mark in Mildura with a legacy of achievements borne of hard work, determination and resilience.

Blood Soaked Soil

A Caravan Holiday

To Four Mile Creek and beyond

Edith and George Rial lived much of their lives in the southern Riverina region of NSW, Australia. Their parents and grandparents typified the ambition, optimism, and achievements of those who came to Australia in the mid-1800s, some voluntarily and some as a result of minor crimes in England. Their story is one of hard work, large families, property success and failure, and the loss of sons in the Great War.

Fine Spirit and Pluck

Step back in time as everyday Australians are plucked from their homes in the outer suburbs and rural fringes and plunged into the fray of World War I. Their stories have remained untold for a century but are contained now within these pages, written by family, friends, and historians, keen to bring the memory of their loved ones out of the shadows.

There’s the unusual gift sent by a faraway soldier as a declaration of love, the military medal recipient who would return to build the Fairfield RSL, the Arthur’s Creek orchardist who left behind an unknown fiancée only to be “discovered” decades later by the family … and so much more.

Yarra Plenty Regional Library have gathered stories from the municipalities of Banyule, Nillumbik and Whittlesea in Melbourne’s north – stories that help connect us to our past and offer a sense of place in the community in which we live, and which exemplify the fine spirit and pluck exhibited by every Australian.

Fine Spirit and Pluck: World War One Stories from Banyule, Nillumbik and Whittlesea is a poignant collection of snapshots into the past, an anthology that commemorates the Australian spirit and which is sure to touch every reader.

Step back in time as everyday Australians are plucked from their homes in the outer suburbs and rural fringes and plunged into the fray of World War I. Their stories have remained untold for a century but are contained now within these pages, written by family, friends, and historians, keen to bring the memory of their loved ones out of the shadows.

There’s the unusual gift sent by a faraway soldier as a declaration of love, the military medal recipient who would return to build the Fairfield RSL, the Arthur’s Creek orchardist who left behind an unknown fiancée only to be “discovered” decades later by the family … and so much more.

Yarra Plenty Regional Library have gathered stories from the municipalities of Banyule, Nillumbik and Whittlesea in Melbourne’s north – stories that help connect us to our past and offer a sense of place in the community in which we live, and which exemplify the fine spirit and pluck exhibited by every Australian.

Fine Spirit and Pluck: World War One Stories from Banyule, Nillumbik and Whittlesea is a poignant collection of snapshots into the past, an anthology that commemorates the Australian spirit and which is sure to touch every reader.