In February 1877, Ferdinando Gagliardi along with his brother, Federigo, arrived in Melbourne, from New Zealand and joined their fellow countrymen Carlo Catani, Pietro Baracchi and Ettore Checchi.
Ferdinando was born in Pisa on April 17, 1843. He married Margaret 'Maggie' Noonan on January 22, 1881 and they had four children - Chinzica (1882-1911), Elletra (1885-1886), Ferderigo (1886-?) and Nando (1891-1952). Ferdinando died in Melbourne on August 7, 1898 and is buried in the Brighton General Cemetery with his two daughters. Maggie died on July 24, 1906 and is buried at Springvale.
As we can see from his obituary, below, Dr Ferdinando Gagliardi, was the Assistant Principal Librarian of the Melbourne Public Library/State Library of Victoria. The Brighton Cemetorians, a not-for-profit community group, is working with family members to have a dignified family headstone and monumental surrounds established on his unmarked grave at Brighton. A fundraiser has been initiated and they will be grateful for any contribution that you may be able to afford. Click on this link to support this cause https://www.givenow.com.au/gagliardi-monumental-family-plot
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Obituary
The Geelong Advertiser published this obituary on Dr Gagliardi -
Melbourne Public Library. The death of Dr Gagliardi has deprived the Public Library of an accomplished official, who was second in command to the late Mr Dowden, but waived his claims to succeed him in favor of Mr Armstrong, the present librarian, feeling that his own imperfect knowledge of the English language was a disqualification for the post. He was educated in the university of Pisa, for the profession of the law, and was duly called to the Italian bar; but, becoming associated with the "Gazzetta d' Italia," one of the principal papers in Florence, he came out to Australia as the special correspondent of that journal, to report upon the colonies, in connection with the International Exhibition at Sydney in 1877.
The letters that he wrote from that city, and from Melbourne, were models of their kind; crammed full of accurate information with respect to these colonies, lively in style, and exceedingly diversified in subject; beginning on the 10th of April, 1877, and ending on the 12th of June, 1878. They were collected and published in a volume at Florence, in 1881, under the title of "Australia," and the editor of the "Gazzetta d' Italia" spoke of them, in his preface, as "possessing the uncommon merit of satisfying the tastes of readers of all classes;" because they showed the economic, literary, and artistic progress and position of these colonies, while also relating their history. In fact they possess a permanent value as a graphic picture of the phase or development reached by Australia 20 years ago.
The then Consul-General for Italy offered Dr Gagliardi an appointment in his office, which he accepted, and not long afterwards the late Sir Redmond Barry, president of the trustees of the Public Library, becoming acquainted with the linguistic acquirements of the deceased gentleman, attached him to that institution, with which he was associated up to the time of his regretted death.
(Geelong Advertiser, August 19, 1898, see here)
- Gagliardi, Ferdinando Australia : letters to the "Gazzetta d'Italia" (May 1876 - August 1880) translated by Prof. Em. Colin A. McCormick ; with a biographical introduction by Piero Genovesi. This was published in 2016 and are the letters referred to in his obituary, above
- Genovesi, Piero Ferdinando Gagliardi : (Pisa, 17/4/1843 - Melbourne, 7/8/1898), v. 1
- Genovesi, Piero Ferdinando Gagliardi : (Pisa, 17/4/1843 - Melbourne, 7/8/1898), v. 2
