La storia di Vincenzo Cinanni è un esempio di "doppia immigrazione", dall'Italia natia all'Argentina a cinque anni, per poi concludersi in Australia.
Biography about My Grandfather
Vincenzo Cinanni - Written by Vincent Cinanni
My grandfather’s name is Vincenzo Cinanni and he was born in Italy on 2 November 1945. He was the youngest child in his family and lived with his 3 brothers and 2 sisters in a city called Reggio Calabria in the South of Italy. He lived there until he was 4 years old and then after World War II he moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1949. He moved there with his family
because there was very little work in Italy at the time.
His father worked as a bricklayer and his mother was in charge of looking after the family. He went to primary and high school in Argentina and learned to speak, read and write in Spanish. He loved playing soccer and learned to play the bass guitar. When he finished high school he wanted to become a bricklayer like his father. However, his father did not want him to because it was very physical work. His father encouraged him to become a tailor and work with his brother who had a clothing business.
He enjoyed working as a tailor and worked for 10 years and designed and made clothes for many different customers including doctors, lawyers and also some very powerful politicians. His family lived in Argentina during the time of the revolution, where the Argentine Army was fighting with the government for the ruling power. A very famous politician at the time was Juan Peron who led the people to revolt against the military dictatorship. During the time of the revolution people
were not allowed to leave the country but his family wanted to leave Argentina because it was no longer safe to live there while the military was in power due to the political unrest.
"After the revolution in 1968 my grandfather moved to Australia with his parents"
They went to live with his oldest brother who had settled in Melbourne in 1962. At that time Melbourne was a very different city and he did not enjoy his time in Melbourne as he had no friends from Argentina, his English was limited and everything seemed unfamiliar. During his spare time he joined a band called The Sandmen and enjoyed playing the bass guitar at parties and concerts all over Melbourne.
In the middle of 1969 he found work as a tailor with his brother at Stafford Ellison, which was a large Australian clothing business where he obtained his qualifications as a men’s suit designer and pattern maker. In 1973 he met his wife Carmelina, who was a milliner, and they married in 1975.
He worked for Stafford Ellison for 10 years and then in 1979 he joined the Australian Defence Industries (ADI), which made uniforms for the army, air force and the navy. He enjoyed working at the ADI as it was closer to home and also where his brother worked. He continued to work for the ADI until 1985; however, when the factory was going to be closed by the government he decided to join the Public Transport Corporation as a tram driver.
"He enjoyed this job as he got to see many different parts of Melbourne and meet many different people"
Then in 1987 due to his specialist skills in tailoring he was sought out and asked to rejoin the clothing factory (which was now privately owned) to design uniforms and make patterns for the defence industry again. During the 1990s he then worked as a specialist made-to-measure tailor for key Australian military people such as General Peter Cosgrove (the current Australian
Governor-General) and many other high-ranking senior Australian defence personnel. This job required that he travel all over Australia visiting all the key military bases including remote places like Thursday Island. He also travelled to Darwin and Perth for special air force and navy general clothing requirements. During this time he also made many suits for his friends and family and even adjusted my Trinity Grammar School blazer for me as the sleeves were too long.
He has had 4 children and was actively involved in his children’s junior swimming club and is a keen golf player. He continues to play twice a week with his friends.
Vincenzo Cinanni Source: courtesy of Effie Cinanni
