Travia Family

He travelled with many other prominent Fishing families some of whom were returning to WA. These included Francesco Minissale, Salvatore Cicirello, Giuseppe Carello, Francesco Minuta, Francesco and Benedetto Migliore, Francesco and Salvatore Raffaele and Vincenzo Basile. All Fishermen were from Capo D’Orlando.

After just 3 weeks in Fremantle, he moved to Geraldton and began fishing. In 1914 he was joined by his wife Carmela and only son Gaetano, who was 8 years old at the time. They originally lived in a two-storey weatherboard house in Fitzgerald Street near Lester Avenue, which Carmela later ran as a boarding house for Italian fishermen.

Filippo was known as “King Phillip” amongst the fishing fraternity. He originally owned and operated the 45-foot, two-masted ketch Crusader. The Crusader was a 22-ton cutter (yacht) built at Williamstown in Victoria by W. White during 1895. Her original owner was Archibald Currie (Jnr) of Melbourne. Her registry was cancelled on the 17 September 1914 on sale of the vessel to “foreigners” – Italian Nationals. These Italians, including Filippo, had not yet received their nationality papers.

King Phillip later skippered the 36-foot cutter Hood owned by Frank Vinci. He also owned and skippered the 60-foot, two-masted ketch Gondolier as a hand line fishing boat.

In 1928, with Tognolini and Miragliotta families, he purchased the 16-ton, 45-foot, two-masted schooner Clonen, from Denis Ahern. The vessel was built in 1914 by Alfred E. Brown for John Byrne (Pearler of Broome). Ahern took it over as payment for a debt and had it transferred to Geraldton as part of the fishing fleet. The vessel’s name was also spelt Colonen when she was part of the Geraldton fishing fleet.

In 1932, The Clonen was involved in the rescue of the crew of the Silvery Wave. That same year, a sister vessel, the Sea Prince, was lost off Dongara. His son Gaetano later changed the name of the Clonen to the Pacific. In 1939 King Phillip was also skippering the Wild Rose with Salvatore Capone and Rincie Miragliotta onboard.

King Phillip usually line fished at Geraldton and the Abrolhos Islands. In the early days, there was only two fish loading days per week for the railway wagons to take their catch to markets in Perth. He was very well known around Geraldton for his skill as a sail maker and he spent his declining years making and repairing sails for other boats in the yard at number 39 Francis Street. King Phillip and his wife Carmela passed away in 1955.

Gaetano (“Tani” or “George”) Travia began fishing with his father as soon as he was old enough, and from time to time worked on other boats as crew. He worked on the Kia Ora, Wanderer, Gondolier and Clonen. He began skippering boats when he was 19 years old, including the Conti Ciano for Frank Merendino, and the Hood for Frank Vinci. In 1927 he married Concetta Merendino. Gaetano and Concetta had numerous sons including – Phillip, Frank, Tony and Vince. All the boys followed him into the crayfishing industry. He started crayfishing around 1934. In 1937 he brought the Fremantle licensed Conti Ciano to Southern Group. He later purchased the Hood from Frank Vinci and in April 1940 brought the boat to Geraldton. The Travia’s established a camp on Big Rat Island. That year, he and his Father were line fishing at Rat Island and also working a small number of craypots with a large clinker-built dinghy which they rowed around. The pots were set in shallows on the west side of Little Rat Island.

For a brief period, the Travia’s were not allowed to operate their boats during the War years, but by 1943 they were allowed to return to the sea. Tani and his Father leased Saga from Nick Pilatis. They hired Bert Carr to assist them and engaged in a mix of line fishing and crayfishing at Wallabi Group. They later hired Laurie Cousens to assist them. The Travia consortium was also involved in the fishing boat Syeda. In 1945, King Phillip’s wife became quite ill, and so he made the decision to base himself at Geraldton rather than the Islands. His son was left with only one option – to return to Geraldton. His son Frank left school to join him on the Pacific and the pair continued to crayfish on the coast.

He later used the Pacific as a carrier boat at Rat Island and then for a group of Italian fishermen at Southern Group at the Abrolhos. Gaetano also utilised the Pacific for line fishing at the Abrolhos Islands and in the Shark Bay area with Mauro Valenti.

In 1947 they set up a new base on Roma Island, where they would remain for 7 seasons. George operated the Pacific, and his son Frank operated the Margie. In April, the Pacific was catching 10 to 11 bags per day from 30 to 35 pots. The following year Frank worked on the Atom. By 1950, George was using the Pacific to explore new fishing grounds off Port Denison.

Gaetano Travia was a founding member and director of the Geraldton Fishermen’s Co-operative. The Co-op’s foundation stone was laid on the 7 February 1951, with the greatest part of the labour required to construct the building provided by fishermen who manufactured bricks on site. The team included R. E. “Dick” Carr, Frank Travia, Angelo Valenti and Don McDonald as foreman, amongst others.

In 1955 he purchased the 72-foot Fairmile Lady Joyous from Jack Lopes and Salvatore Miragliotta. Jack and Salvatore found the Lady Joyous a little too large for their needs and swapped her for the Pacific, along with a cash settlement. Gaetano purchased the Lady Joyous primarily as a carrier boat for the Abrolhos Islands because by this time the Pacific was too small for their needs. That same year, The Linda and the Lady Joyous assisted the Buongiorno – Operated by Fedele Vinci, Luigi Santaromita, Steve Camarda and Salvatore Basile – after it had lost its propeller and drifted onto a reef near Wreck Point. The Lady Joyous was involved in many other rescues over the years, including the New Mexico.

The Lady Joyous was later sold to Manuel Correia. The vessel foundered and sank in deep water West Southwest of Beagle Island on the 5 January 1972. Gaetano “Tani” Travia passed away in the same year - 1972.

The Travia brothers moved to Perth in later years and continued crayfishing north of Fremantle. Frank Travia was tragically drowned in 1977. His story has been captured as part of a broader effort to build a memorial for Fishers Lost At Sea and can be found at https://www.fisherslostatsea.org/fishing-lives-lost/stories/crusader