Anna was born near Lake Michigan, near the Canadian border with America, in 1890. Luigi Mioni had migrated from Italy five years before, at the age of 15. Anna and Luigi were married in the backwoods where her husband worked in the iron mines. Luigi was 23, and by the following year they had their first daughter. After the death of his brother in a mine accident, the family moved to Chicago. A priest in Italy begged Luigi to return home to care for his parents, so regretfully they made the journey. Although born to Italian parents, Mrs Mioni had to learn Italian to get by in her husband’s native country.
In 1924 Mr Mioni migrated to Australia, working as a miner in Tasmania. He returned to Italy in 1930 because the Depression made it difficult to get work, and permits could not be arranged for the rest of the family to come to Australia.
The Mionis’ two oldest sons, Joe and Leo, migrated to Australia in 1938 and 1939. They worked in the coal mines in Korumburra, Kilcunda and Wonthaggi. Although the Mionis really wanted to live in Australia, the Second World War had started and no further migration was allowed. Some of the family came after the war, but it took until 1949 before Mrs Mioni could get the necessary permits due to the loss of her personal papers and her nationality. Once permission was granted, they came directly to Korumburra with their two youngest children, Lidia and Jimmy, leaving two adult daughters behind in Italy.
Mr Mioni worked in Cyril Chapple’s timber yard. After his death, Mrs Mioni and Jimmy lived in the family home and, when Jimmy married, she lived alone until 1978. Reading was one of her pleasures; she read in both Italian and English. Another was gardening. Her house was built on land below Coal Creek Historical Village before it was established. She always had plenty of flowers and vegetables in the garden and was also a good cook. She enjoyed being independent and was able to stay in her home because of the support of her family. The underground cellar can still be seen from the bottom of Coal Creek.
Mrs Mioni left Korumburra to live with her widowed daughter Lidia in Noble Park, and later she moved in with another daughter, Ada, in Richmond; it was there that she died. Mrs Mioni, the mother of nine children, had the following family: Angelina, Maria, Nella, Joe, Leo, Mary, Clelia, Ada, Lidia and Jimmy.
Anna died in 1988 aged 97 years. Luigi died in 1954.
These stories are taken from historian Bob Newtonʼs books.
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