Our Debt to Three Italians. Their Enduring Work in Victoria.
By R.S.M.M.
Only last year the remaining survivor of the trio died, at the age of 93. He was Ettore Checchi, an engineer of considerable skill, probably best known for his work in connection with the harnessing of the waters of the Murray.
It was about 1874 when Checchi and his two colleagues, Carlo Catani and Guido Baracchi, came here as refugees from Italy, after spending a few weeks in New Zealand. They were vigorous, active young men, seeking fame and fortune. All rose to important positions, and left an indelible mark.
Catani was the most successful. The well-known clock tower on the Upper Esplanade, almost opposite St. Kilda baths, was erected in honor of his beautification work on the St. Kilda foreshore. A bust of him is included in the memorial. The gardens extending west from the Royal St. Kilda Yacht Club are known as the Catani Gardens, and at Mount Buòalo there is a Lake Catani.
Carlo Catani (1852-1918)
Image: Koo Wee Rup Swamp Historical Society
In Love With His Work
Catani had a gift for beautifying. He was one of those individuals who could dream of wonderful schemes and then apply the realism necessary to put them into effect. He was a small and wiry man, with an unparalleled enthusiasm for his work. Overcoming his early difficulties with our language, he became a master of word pictures, and could explain his ideas with such fervor and exactitude that his enthusiasm was contagious.
Most of Catani's work was performed as chief engineer of the Public Works department. He was prominent in the early days of the planning of Alexandra-avenue, in which his knowledge of native flora proved of additional value. The St.Kilda Foreshore Trust has, as already stated, remembered its debt to him. At one stage of this work funds became insufficient to give all the men employed their full pay. So that the work could continue, Catani paid them himself from his own resources.
Catani fell in love with Mount Donna Buang. He visualised it as "the poor man's Buffalo," and produced the drive necessary to develop the area. He engineered a bridle track from Warburton to the summit, although his grant was limited to a few pounds. The construction of the present motor road up the mountain can be largely attributed to his initiative. Lake Catani was so named after his artistic work at Mount Buffalo, where the lake was formed by the construction of a dam.
The Yarra Boulevard was his conception. The Heidelberg end was built under his direction after he had drawn the plans and had had the surveys made. His original idea was to construct a boulevard on each side of the river, one for outgoing and the other for incoming traffic. This plan, however, was considered rather too elaborate.
The opening up of the Grampians is another of this realistic dreamer's self-erected monuments. He was captivated by the rugged beauty of the country, particularly that of the Mackenzie Falls. Catani was also responsible for the draining of the Kooweerup swamp, about which some humorous stories resulting from his enthusiasm are told. This work was done on a small contracts system, groups of men having to dig channels to take away the water. To see that the channels were dug to a regular and prescribed depth, Catani would wade along them in gum boots. One group of men, deciding to have a practical joke at his expense, dug a hole in one of the channels. The result was that Catani, during one of his inspections, temporarily went out of sight and yelled to the men to rescue him from the murky water.
Catani's death in 1918 was hastened by the loss of his son in the first world war.
Ettore Checchi
Photographer: Johnstone, O'Shannessy & Co. Image from Cyclopedia of Victoria, v. 3.
Hume Reservoir
Like Catani, Ettore Checchi entered the Public Works department, where, in 1878, at the age of 23, he became assistant engineer. Twelve years later, he transferred to a similar position in the Water Supply department, which was eventually taken over by the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission.
Like Catani, Ettore Checchi entered the Public Works department, where, in 1878, at the age of 23, he became assistant engineer. Twelve years later, he transferred to a similar position in the Water Supply department, which was eventually taken over by the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission.
After being in charge of river gaugings for a number of years, Checchi, in 1912, was made available to the inter-State conference on Murray waters, which carried out technical investigations in connection with the potentialities of that river. In this capacity, he was responsible for the investigation of Upper Murray sites, including the site which became the Hume reservoir. His investigations also formed the basis of agreement between the three States regarding the distribution of the Murray waters, later embodied in the River Murray agreement.
Checchi spent no less than 50 years and three months in continuous service with the State - probably a record. Even, then, it was at his own request that he retired in 1927. He was able to work for so long because he was a man of amazing physical strength, said, in fact, to be one of the strongest men in Victoria. He died last July. A great deal of his work is perpetuated in the printed record of river gaugings in Victoria, which provide the basis for the State's large-scale water conservation projects.
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Among the Stars
Guido Baracchi lived among the stars - he was Government astronomer for a number of years. Particularly competent on mathematical problems, he was an expert on the use of instruments. He had control of the mapping of the positions of the stars; he was engaged at Darwin determining longitudes and obtaining star observations, and he headed an expedition to observe the solar eclipse. Baracchi, well-built and slender, never looked his age. He retired at 65 and died eight years later.
Guido Baracchi lived among the stars - he was Government astronomer for a number of years. Particularly competent on mathematical problems, he was an expert on the use of instruments. He had control of the mapping of the positions of the stars; he was engaged at Darwin determining longitudes and obtaining star observations, and he headed an expedition to observe the solar eclipse. Baracchi, well-built and slender, never looked his age. He retired at 65 and died eight years later.
This, briefly, is the story of three immigrants who adjusted themselves to the new world with singular success. Many would say they were great Australians.
