Summary

Foreword from the book, by Henry Reynolds:

In this fine study of immigrant cane-cutters Bianka Vidonya Balanzategui has brought together two of the major themes of North Queensland history - immigration and the sugar industry. The two have always been related. The industry was founded by entrepreneurs, who although coming originally from the British Isles, had often had experience of sugar growing in other parts of the Empire. The first large labour force came from the islands of Vanuatu and the Solomons. But many other migrant groups worked in the industry - Japanese, Javanese, Italians. The first large scale immigration of Italians took place in 1891. The intention was to replace the Melanesian labour with indentured Italian labour.

The establishment of central mills and small family-owned farms created the need for teams of seasonal workers who could cut the cane when it was ready for harvest. The cane-cutter became, like the shearer, one of the key workers in Australia's great rural industries creating a highly distinctive life style, unique patterns of work and leisure and a rich folk-lore.

It was inevitable, with the labour shortages of the post-war period, that many of the new Australians would end up in the cane-fields of North Queensland. It was worlds away from what they had known in Europe. The adaptability, determination and fortitude of those young men from widely differing backgrounds is a story that needs to be told to present day Australians.

Bianka succeeds admirably in weaving together her two themes. This is a tribute to her literary skill and to her personal experience. Her father came from Slovenia, the northern-most part of Yugoslavia and joined the great exodus from war-torn Europe to Australia. Her childhood was dominated by the seasonal nature of the cane cutters life. She lived in the cane-barracks while the season lasted and then went south in the slack to attend many different primary schools in various parts of Australia. Her childhood was part of the way of life that she celebrates, a way of life that has passed into memory, history and legend.