TASC ID: 24D74513
Reality
Would you stay in your hometown if it were run by organised crime groups?
What causes people to change their identity and move away from their home? Organised Crime drives people to create new identities all over the world, but it also drives them to build a new life, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse, as a result. All over the world, people have been forced out of their home countries due to issues such as war, violence and organised crime. The term “Mafia” is known to be specific to Sicily, and it first started in the early 1800s and is still being used in many different parts of the world today; it represents any organised criminal group, and since then has become a global label for organised crime all over the world. One strong reason that crime groups have remained powerful globally is due to the strong bond of family and their never-failing incorporation of tradition into their daily lives, which helps define who they are.
Having to move from your own country due to the adverse economic, social and well-being effects on communities, due to threats to personal safety and fear of violence, not only affects the people who are moving, but also affects the families who have been left behind. People who move are also leaving behind loved ones, friends and treasured memories. These forced migrations are often rushed, and people need to leave behind many of their belongings as well as their material wealth, for example paintings, cars and other expensive items People are having to leave behind their old identities in the hope of forming new and better lives in a different place, with sometimes no money in their pockets and not many people and sometimes not knowing anyone.
TASC ID: 24D74513
Impact
My grandfather, Calogero, and grandmother, Maria, both were born and grew up in Sicily post World War 2. My grandparents migrated in the early 1960s to begin a better and safer life in Australia, away from poverty and crime in Sicily. Calogero Rigoli (my grandfather) arrived in Melbourne, Australia, 31 August 1963 on the ship called the SS Sydney. Maria Rigoli (My grandmother) arrived after they married by proxy on 29th of December 1966 in Melbourne on the ship Angelina Lauro.
SS Sydney
Angelina Lauro
TASC ID: 24D74513
REAL-TIME INFORMATION
My grandfather grew up in a town called Pistitana in the province of Messina. Capo d’Orlando was the closest larger town. The mafia controlled Capo d’Orlando up until December 1990, when the locals formed the first anti-racket association in Sicily. Armed military troops were assigned to the businesspeople who took a stand against the mafia.
My mother remembers as a child in 1987 visiting relatives in Capod’Orlando and going to the bank with her father, only to be faced with armed police officers holding machine guns, standing outside the bank and having to show passports as identification to enter the bank. She remembers the streets being empty, and she wasn’t allowed to wear any jewellery, because it was too dangerous in case they were targeted as rich “American” tourists.
My grandparents often talked about how hard life was in Sicily, and how they had to work as young children to help their families provide food for their siblings.
My grandfather used to tell us stories about the wealthy “Barrons” in Sicily he worked and giving him lollies and not much pay for working for them. He said he was always respectful and wasn’t a threat to them because he was a boy and his family was hardworking. Ia. My grandfather used to joke about being poor because if they earned good money or ran their own business, it would only be taken by my local mafia in the form of the “pizzo” - this was the traditional form of mafia protection money.
TASC ID: 24D74513
Was It Really The Concrete Boots?
In the late 1980s-1990s, our family was affected by the mafia - my mother's cousin's husband, who owned a trucking business, went missing, leaving behind his wife and 3 small children. No one ever knew what happened to him, but my grandfather said he refused to pay the “pizzo”, and he used to flash around money to everyone. The theory was that he was probably at the bottom of the ocean, wearing his concrete boots, because this used to be a form of punishment. My mother's cousin was left with no evidence or any information on what had happened to him for 7 long years until he was legally declared dead. She raised her children with the help of her parents and extended family.
The mafia still is strong in Sicily and worldwide; it has evolved over the years, but in my grandfather's town of Capo d’Orlando, with the help of the police and police escorts, it has changed in a good way, as no one has paid the ‘pizzo’ since the 1990s. The streets are safer, and the town is a popular coastal tourist destination.
Map of Mafia Mandamenti in Sicily by Laura Canali for Limes (2021). A mandamento is the area under the control of a mafia family (cosca). Source Reddit
Conclusion
All over the world, people are forced to change their identity every day due to social issues, the main one being to escape violence. This personal story I have shared outlines how my family were forced to move countries due to crime and poverty, due to their lives being adversely influenced by organised crime in Sicily. Due to creating a new identity, my Grandfather could work freely, not having to pay any protection money to anyone. He got a well-paid job in the concrete industry, where he then helped construct the ABC fountain. Once my grandmother moved to Tasmania, she got a stable job working in a jam factory down at the wharf. They then felt safer here than they did back in their home country. No machine guns were guarding the bank, protecting them from the local crime, and they were then able to walk freely around the streets wearing jewellery around their necks.
Even though people are forced to make a new identity, lots of positives come out of it, like a stable job, building a new family and having kids, then expanding to have grandkids, not having to live with the fear of always owing people money and most importantly, feeling happy and safe in your new home. Moving to a new country also comes with expanding their community and learning about new cultures. Over the generations, the original Italian culture gets lost, and we start to do more Australian-type activities than traditional ones. If it wasn't for the tough move by my grandparents, I would not be here today, embracing not only my mum's culture of being Italian but also parts of my dad's culture of being Australian, that is my identity, being part of my family and being proud of who they have made me to be as a person.