The town of Catani

Carlo was honoured by having a railway station on the Strzelecki Railway line named after him. The Railway officially opened June 29, 1922. You can read about the history of what turned out to be a short-lived railway line, here.

Report on the names of the new Railway Stations

The Age June 30 1922  http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article205046493

It was either the Bunyip Pioneers' Association or the Koo Wee Rup Pioneers' Association who could claim credit for suggesting the name of Catani for the railway station to the Public Works Department.

The Bunyip Pioneers' Association suggests the new railway station should be called Catani.

South Bourke and Mornington Journal  March 4, 1920 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article66197618

Thr Koo Wee Rup Pioneers' Association suggests the new railway station should be called Catani

Weekly Times March 6, 1920 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/222562046

Whoever did suggest that the Station should be named after Carlo, it was a popular choice according to Niel Gunson, in his book The Good Country: Cranbourne Shire   Dr Gunson quotes the memories of H.J. Boxshall of Yallock.

Mr Catani was well known to most of the men employed on the drain work, no matter how far away or how small the drain, he would insist on having  a look at it to see how the work was progressing. He got to know many of the men by name and would sit on the drain bank and have his lunch with them. These trips meant long rides on horseback and often longer distances on foot, but it was all in a day's work for Mr Catani. Henry John Boxshall, the son of Thomas and Elizabeth (nee Mills) Boxshall, early Yallock settlers.

There wasn't anything at Catani before the station was established and the area was considered to be part of Yannathan. But a small community developed in the vicinity of the station - a general store (now closed) was built early on as the storekeeper, Robert Bush is listed in the 1921/22 Cranbourne Shire Rate books. His listing that year says there was already a building on the block and a notation in one of the columns has the date 6/3/22, which I assume was the purchase date*.

Catani State School, No. 4154, opened on January 30 1923 - in a building described as a pavilion...and which also served as a church and dance hall** The school moved to another part of town in 1927 to a new building and closed in the 1993. From various newspaper reports I have discovered that in April 1923 a Postal Receiving Office opened and in October 1923 mail deliveries were established. In November 1925 the Post Office was raised to an Allowance Office, and could also provide money order facilities (I don't know what that means). The Soldiers Memorial Hall opened October 19, 1928, and a Presbyterian Church (now Community Church) opened in April 1933. Electricity came to the town in 1936. 

From 1923, Catani had a football team with the local Junior Football Association and played home games, thus the Recreation Reserve must have been established then. 1927 is the first year I can find mention of Senior team playing.


* The Local Government year used to run from October to September thus the 1921/22 Rate Books cover October 1, 1921 to September 30, 1922 so his store was erected sometime in that period. The Cardinia Local Heritage Study Review 2008: Volume 5 - Stage B Individual Places (Draft June 2008), prepared by Context P/L, actually says Robert Bush purchased the land July 13, 1922. Either way, Robert Bush is definitely listed in the 1923/24 Rate books as a Storekeeper at Catani. 

  **Vision & Realisation: a centenary history of State Education in Victoria