From Volcanoes We Sailed: Connecting Aeolian Generations

Between April 30th to October 30th 2016, the Immigration Museum of Melbourne hosted the exhibition From Volcanoes We Sailed: Connecting Aeolian Generations which was curated by Cristina. Collaborating with fellow Aeolians, Laurence Strangio and Janetta Ziino, she was able to create this wonderful memoir of Aeolian history in Australia.

The photographic wall panels, video presentation and three central display cabinets examined Aeolian migration to Australia, explored the Aeolian islands, explained unique Aeolian traditions as well as exposed the remarkable, cultural heritage of this resourceful community that hailed from the volcanic archipelago of the Mediterranean. The exhibition also celebrated many of the extraordinary families who have shaped Melbourne’s Aeolian community and the Società Isole Eolie which continues to nurture and connect Aeolians in Victoria and abroad.

Our Story – Celebrating 70 years of the Aeolian Family Picnic

On Sunday the 3rd of February, the Società Isole Eolie celebrated 70 years since the inception of the annual Aeolian family picnic. To commemorate this festive occasion, Cristina wrote and designed a series of 10 panels that recount the history and activities of these popular occasions. The exhibition was presented to the Mayor of Frankston and the general public on that same day on the first floor of the Keast Park Pavilion. The exhibition now resides in the historical room at the Eolian Hall in North Carlton.

Here’s a little bit of background …

Since its beginning, the Aeolian community gathers on the first Sunday of February for the annual Società Isole Eolie Family Picnic. A celebration of our cultural heritage, the picnic brings the Aeolian people together and signals the start of a new year of club activities.

The first official event was held in 1929 at Aspendale Racecourse and later moved to Keast Park in Seaford.

Apart from the war period when Italians were forbidden to convene in larger numbers, Aeolian families gather at the annual picnic to enjoy a day filled with wholesome fun by sharing homemade Aeolian foods and participating in the many games and events, such as running races, egg and spoon race, watermelon-eating competition, tug-of-war, three-legged race, jumping sack race, a spaghetti-eating contest and the Miss Isole Eolie and Mr Isole Eolie pageant.

Although Keast Park has undergone many face-lifts, the picnic contests continue to be a focus for each new generation. In 2016, Keast Park underwent further redevelopment which included improvements to the playground and general park facilities. Though the annual picnic is able to continue, the diminished availability of clear space now provides challenges to the staging of some of the traditional picnic events.