A One-way Ticket
Italian Migrants in the City of Ryde, 1860-1960: An Anthology is a moving collection of life stories from the Italian migrants and their families who courageously left their homeland to carve out a future in the northern region of Sydney metropolitan area, that of, the districts of Ryde.
These stories include intimate reflections of the migrants’ quest for a ‘better life’, and their journey into the unknown with the purchase of a one-way ticket to Australia. Arriving in the City of Ryde was not the end of their journey, but the start of a whole new life for them and for the generations to follow.
This publication represents a missing archived chapter of local history, a window into the era of agriculture, the birth of retail precincts and development of suburbia in all of which the Italian migrants played an integral role in. The chapters include a small sector of the multitude of thriving Italian market gardens, Italians in retail and commerce, the loyalty of those who settled and lived out their lives in the area, and the depth of faith displayed with the formation of Catholic religious associations.
With its yesteryear photographs, A One-Way Ticket gives lovers of local history this valuable resource allowing the opportunity to comprehend ‘the way we were’ in the district of Ryde and to discover what has shaped not only these migrant pioneers and their descendants but the evolution of the whole district.
This anthology is a tribute of recognition and gratitude to the courage, sacrifices and contributions made. Dedicated to Italian migrant pioneers: “Gone but not forgotten”.
Turmoil~Tragedy to Triumph
Salami, Shortbread & Parrot Pie
Paradiso
New Italy Remembered
