Domenic Cafarella's Story in his own words

This is my life to this day 24-3-00.

I am Domenico Cafarella, the youngest of eight children. I was born on the 3-12-1909 in a little village called Capo, Isle of Salina, Province of Messina, Italy. I was born to Francesco and Maria Francesca Cafarella. My mother died of cancer at the age of 53 after a long illness caused by shock. It was in the middle of the first world war around about September 1916. One morning, dad and I were at the beach ready to go fishing when a policeman came around the corner and said, "Good morning Francesco, is your wife at home". "Yes" said dad, "What has she done, robbed a bank or something"? "No" the policeman said smiling," I have a message to pass on to her". Dad said. "Tell me and I will pass it on to her". "Oh no" said the policeman, It is personal" and went on. I remember dad looked worried. After he finished what he was doing, he said “Son, I do not think that we are going fishing today". So, we walked home about two miles away to find mum on the floor not moving. Dad revived her and asked what happened. She told him that John was missing. The ship he was in had struck a mine and sank with all hands missing. Fortunately, John was rescued; ten hours after being in the water, by passing fishermen returning to port after night work he said in a letter that reached home a fortnight later. In the meantime, the admiralty sent a note to my parents that John was safe and well. That note came too late for mum, the shock had already taken its toll. She died three months later with stomach tumor (by the way I had three brothers in the First World War John, Joe and Frank all in the navy). I was seven years old when my mother died. I remember her in the coffin. Her face was black, her eyes closed, she had her best dress on and black shoes, her hair was combed back. I noticed all these when my dad lifted me up to kiss mum good bye. He lowered me down and the man put the lid on the coffin. I began to cry with rest of the other people in the room, I did not understand why. The lot of the village people went to the funeral. My mother and father were well respected by everyone. After seven days of mourning I started school, which was about a three-mile each way, it went that I walked about six miles a day from home to home. I will not go into detail about my young school days (there are too many to mention) except that when I was fifteen years old, I passed all the exams and received my merit, which in turn I gave to dad. He was very pleased with me and said, “Son I am very proud of you. Would you like to continue your studies further? It means that you'll be away from home for each term.” I did not like that so declined.

The next morning, he woke me at about six, which was fairly dark outside. I wanted to show you your inheritance, (which consisted of; one pick, one shovel, one axe and one crowbar). I looked at the articles in front of me and said, "No dad that's not for me" and went outside the shed and went in for my breakfast. After a while dad spoke for the first time and said "What are you going to do with your life if you do not want to do farming". "I responded, “First I will have a holiday and then look around for a suitable job". After three weeks of fun. one morning I went outside and there at wharf was a sailing ship. After breakfast I walked to the ship about four miles. I approached the skipper, by the way he was my cousin, and asked if he had a job for a junior To my astonishment he said "Yes I have, but you are too young, you need your father’s consent". So I walked back home to talk to dad about the job. He listened to me and then he said, "If that's what you want, I give consent". So, he gave me permission in writing. So, I returned to the ship and handed the written consent to the skipper. He said, “Thanks boy". I knew he would, I discussed the matter with him beforehand. " When can you start?" he asked. With astonishment I said now if you want me to". He responded " We will be sailing tomorrow at lunch time. Tomorrow be here as early as you can.” I went home and told my father. He was pleased for me and said "If that is what you want, I give my blessing. Remember that the door is always open if you change your mind.” Next morning after breakfast I gave my father a hug and kiss and left home for my first experience of my life. I arrived onboard about 10am. My first job was to boil the billy which consisted of a corrosive tin with a handle to lift it off the fire. So, I lit the fire. The next trick was to get the water from a barrel at the foot of the mast and fill the corrosive tin half full and place it on the fire. When it boiled, I sang out to the crew to come and get it. They came with a mug in hand and made themselves a cup of coffee with condensed milk (by the way it was Nestle). After a cuppa the skipper casually said " Domenico, you're the youngest on board so it is your job to wash the drinkers all the time you are on board this ship.” He pointed to a wooden bucket with a rope attached to it, which I lowered into the sea and pulled it up on deck and washed the dishes in the cold seawater. After lunch, we sailed for Messina about 110 nautical miles away. The going was good. The sea was calm until about 8pm when the weather changed from calm to a full let loose. The ship was rolling, tossing wind screaming in the ropes, people yelling orders to slacken the sails. Me I was excited never the less I ran up and down with the others and did what I was told to do. Next morning all was quieter again and still a long way from our destination. Finally, we arrived there. We loaded potatoes, onions, flour, rice and sugar and sailed again for the homeport which was elCalpo. We arrived home three days later and quickly started to unload the cargo on the wharf. When the unloading was finished, we cleaned the hull and started to put into place wine casks ready to fill them with wine. The unloading took about four days. So, we up sail again destination (Napoli) Naples 250 nautical miles away. About 70 miles out to sea we became stationary (that means no wind) for three days when hell let loose which pushed back where we started from. We remained in port for three weeks sheltered from bad weather once again. We sailed again. This time we reached within fifty nautical miles off our destination when bad weather made us run for shelter again. This time we went to a port called Salerno, which is in the mainland of Italy, about 40 miles from Naples, as the crow flies, but by sea it is around 70 nautical miles. We remained in port for three weeks sheltered from bad weather. Once again, we up sail for our destination. When we reached the isle of Capri at the mouth of the gulf of Napoli we once again were pushed back. This time near our goal port called Sorrento in the gulf of Napoli about forty miles from our destination. After one week in port we went around the corner so to speak. Finally, we arrived in Napoli three hours later. Quickly we unloaded the wine and reloaded some general cargo and sailed again for home. This was two months later, bear in mind that we had no radio or any other means of communication, only the P.O. (just imagine the worry caused back home). So once again we up sails for home with a variable wind which it strengthened through the night. We arrived home the next day; we unloaded the ship and went on dry dock for the winter. For the next three months we worked on her on and off to get her ready for next spring. After the winter was over, we returned the ship to the water and started sailing again all over the Mediterranean waters, (taking us from elcalfa to Genova, Livorno, Reggio, Napoli, Tarronto, Messina, Palermo, Trapani). After three years of sailing each time we returned to port to unload and re load. One day the skipper called me in his cabin and said "Domenico, I have seen you grow from a fifteen-year-old to a weather-beaten man. I am getting old for this career. I like you to replace me as a skipper of this ship,” (I was astounded, me nineteen years old skipper), “so I like you to go to the harbourmaster to pass the exam to get the ticket, so you can command this ship. Be an advantage that in my spare time I study navigation. We were coming back from Taormina, which is near Messina. So, I got off at Messina and approached the harbour master. He told me that I was lucky that the examination was the next day and said that it lasted three days, that included one day of patrol seamanship. So, I went back on board and told my cousin the news. He said, “No worries, we go on, and you stay for the exam”. So, he gave me fifty lira and I remained there. The next day at nine o' clock I presented myself to the harbour master and started the examination. After four days they told me that I had passed the exam, “Tomorrow you will be doing the practical work on board”. We went, and I was introduced to the commander of the ship. He had the rank of commander of the Italian navy. He looked me up and down and called a lieutenant to show me my cabin below. When we were out of earshot, the lieutenant said, Do not worry about the old man. His bark is worse than his bite.” When we returned up on deck the commander called me aside and asked me if I had any relations at Stazzo. I said, “Yes my uncle lives there.” “I recognized the name of your people.” After a lot of ear bashing, he told me to begin the exam. He got the crew together and told them to obey my orders. He turned to me and said take her out, so I started to give the necessary instructions to take the ship out to sea. We went out of the port and I noticed that the current was against us, so I said to the captain, “What do we do now?” and he answered, “Not we. What will you do in a case like this.” I said, “The return to the wharf, and wait for six hours and then try again.” and he said, “Congratulations captain you have passed your exam”. By the way, The current in the strait of Messina ran at about 15 nautical knots— That is why I gave the order to return to port. The time was nearly one o' clock in the afternoon, so I went to the station and boarded the train for Milano. So that next morning boarded the steamer for home, from which I arrived 12 noon. The sailing ship was already there unloading the cargo. I boarded her, and everybody was asking how did I get go at the exams. I responded “O.K.”. I went below and got changed and went back on deck. The old man was doing his bookwork when I went down to his cabin. He lifted his head from the books and asked, “Well, how did you get on?” I gave the document to him and said, “Have a look.” He did, and his face lit up with a grin. He came over to me and put his arms around me and said, Congratulations. You did it. I knew you would”, and started to climb up on deck, stopped the men from working, and called them together and said, “Boys. Here is your new skipper, I got too old for this sort of life. So, I am given the command to Domenico as from now.” “Not so fast.” I said. “You maybe too old, I want you to do one or two trips with me and show me the ropes. He agreed to come with us on one more trip, on one condition that I completely take over and did not ask advice. I agreed.

The crew was happy too and we worked very fast to unload and load with wine, destination Palermo. We sailed. 2 weeks later we arrived back after a very good trip. The weather was good to us. This was June, in the middle of summer. I sailed her for eighteen months, then I was called up for national service in the Italian Royal Navy. I passed all the medical examinations. This was January 1929 in the middle of winter. For the first month I was an ordinary sailor. After that time, I was called in the commanding officer’s cabin where he already had all my documents ready in front of him. I was standing at attention cap in hand and where to my surprise told me to sit down. I cannot promote you but did the next best thing, I want you in my watch, so you can guide my ship and I worked out the course. “How’s that sound to you”. I was astounded so I said, “That sounds alright, thank-you sir”. I went in the sailor’s quarters to arrange my hammock. l was on the top now, so we went to tea. After tea, some of us went to do our washing. By this time was pitch dark and cold so I decided to go to be. So, I got undressed and climbed in the hammock, next found I was sprawling on the deck of the dormitory and everybody around me was laughing to kill themselves. You see some nice boy or boys unlatched my hammock. (there are some other pranks written, but I cannot make it all out). Six months I put up with that sort of treatment as an ordinary seaman. Then the old man promoted me to an NCO (Non-Commissioned Officer). That was as far as I could get. For a conscript the first 12 months were spent near-Taronto fitting the ship with a sonar so we could detect mines under the water. When that got completed, we got orders to proceed to Sepzia jn the Genova Gulf. So, one morning we up anchor and started the voyage, about 600 miles away. We went through the strait of Messina. 2 days later we were in the open sea. We copped a storm with waves up to 18 feet high. Just imagine a mine sweep in bad storm like that. It was becoming like a cork; one second was under water, the next was up in the air. The ship was capable of making 25 knots. We were lucky to make headway. The storm lasted 3 days in that time very little of the 400 men running of the ship. By thjs time we nearly ran out of diesel, so we called in to Livorno, naval base for refuelling. We remained in port for a few days so we could repair the little damage the storm had caused. The captain suffered with severe sea sickness and during the storm he was in bed in his cabin first off the bridge. Finally, we arrived in Spezia and we all had two days of shore leave. After six months in Spezia, we got orders to go back to Taronto and that is the end of my Navy career. In returning to Malfa 26 months later and jt was time to leave for Australia. In Essendon, I got a job in my brother’s fruit shop for two dollars a week. About 12 months later one boxing day I met the most lovely girl that I had seen in my life. 65 years later I had been asked to write this story.


This is all very recent information to me, and since the Australian families are a little strange to our American branch, I should put This Dominic Cafarella in context.

 Our grandparents
Gaetano Cafarella and Giovanna Vasquez lived in Capofaro, just to the east of Malfa.

They had a number of children, but here we are concerned most with our direct ancestor Giuseppe Cafarella who married Rosa Cusolito.  His brother was Francesco who married Maria Francesca.

Giuseppe and Rosa were the parents of the five brothers in Malden Massachusetts, Gaetano, Bartolo, Antonio, Francesco, Joseph and John and the one sister Josephine.
Francesco had Dominic, among others, who married Catherine Elizabeth, known as Kitty.

That means that this Dominic was the first cousin of the Malden brothers and sister.