by Jeffry Babb
Dr Joe Santamaria was an Australian of migrant background. For millennia people had eked out a precarious existence on the margins of the Mediterranean Sea, sustained by fishing, the olive tree, the grape vine and the goat. In the late 19th century, people began to emigrate.
Many on the margins were islanders, like the Santamarias – Italians, Greeks and others. Australia was a favoured destination. Most of these islanders arrived with little more than a strong back, a will…
