A page from La Sampa Italiana (or The Italian Press) newspaper.

LE DIRETTIVE DEL GOVERNO ITALIANO NELLA POLITICA MONDIALE IL DISCORSO DEL DUCE A NAPOLI. (1931, December 3). Stampa Italiana = The Italian Press (Perth, WA: 1931–1932). http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article249697143

Front page of anewspaper with the title 'Allora!' in blue green and red. The newspaper is an Autralian-Italian publication.

CNA-Italian Australian Services and Welfare Centre, issuing body. (2017). Allora! : bollettino, educativo, gratuito : Il bollettino degli Italo-Australiani  http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-507972756

A photo of The Italian Press, 1932.

L'AVANGUARDIA D'ITALIANITA' NEL MONDO. (1932, January 7). Stampa Italiana = The Italian Press (Perth, WA: 1931–1932), http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article249698250

Newspaper Resources

La Stampa Italiana

Allora!

Eco Italiano

Il Canguro

Italo-Australian

Italian Settlement in Australia

Migration from Italy to Australia can be dated back to the 1800s and, since that time, many groups have followed. Following World War Two, many Italian and southern Europeans migrated to Australia to escape war ravaged lands and seek new prospects. Many found jobs working on building sites, farms and major public works like the Snowy Hydro Scheme. Migrants primarily arrived by ship, with shipping lines specialising in migrant passage to Australia.

A poster of a ship heading for Australia by Lloyd Triestino

Lloyd Triestino. (1957). Australia Lloyd Triestino [picture] : MN Australia, MN Oceania, MN Neptunia. http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-137241735

Language use in the Italian community in Australia has evolved quite distinctly, in that many now older Italians who arrived post-World War II viewed their migration as temporary and did not socialise outside of their community or learn English. The Allora is the Italian community organisation’s bimonthly newsletter. It is published entirely in Italian in order to support and maintain linguistic, social and cultural connections. Italian communities, like the Greek communities in Australia, also specialised in family-owned and community-oriented businesses.

Activities:

  • Have students write an article about a mystery (real or imagined). Use this exercise to make students consider writing style and tone. Students will need to demonstrate a range of writing and grammatical styles and consider the tone of the article, the audience and the purpose of the article.
  • Discuss the ways different language newspapers might be affected by the delivery of information from the land of origin.
  • Explore the articles and content of the newspaper resources linked above.

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Cultural Notification

Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are advised that this website contains a range of material which may be considered culturally sensitive including the records of people who have passed away.

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