Welcomed into her historic Victorian home by her friendly canine companion and husband Gregory, Il Globo chatted with Martinuzzi about her illustrious career and family history.
Her great-grandparents migrated from Italy to Queensland in 1891, travelling on the famous ship, Jumna.
Like many other Italian migrants, who also hailed from the Lombard and Veneto regions, they began working on sugar cane plantations.
Some of Martinuzzi’s relatives were among the founding members of New Italy, a settlement in northern New South Wales that was originally called “Piccola Venezia” by Italians who survived the De Rays expedition in the 19th century.
In 1911 Martinuzzi’s paternal grandfather migrated from Pordenone to Queensland, where he met his Australian-born wife.
The historian recalled a sense of nostalgia about her grandmother, who, though geographically distant from her ethnic heritage, would often tell stories about Italy and its customs.
Martinuzzi credits these stories with inspiring her love of history and investigating the past.
“I remember when my grandmother told me about New Italy and how she kept in touch with all the family members who’d been involved,” she explained.
“She’d often visit them in Sydney to hear their tales.
“The community I grew up with in North Queensland was very Italian and it’s an aspect of my identity I feel deeply connected to.”
Martinuzzi learned dialect from her grandmother and Italian from her father, who decided to join a language club during his years at university.
Having grown up in a wealthy family that valued education, Martinuzzi’s academic career seems to have been a natural extension of her passion.
She originally worked as a teacher but had to leave the role after she married, according to the laws at the time.
She then obtained a PhD in history and anthrolopology and commenced research that allowed her to work with various minority communities.
Around 50 years ago, Martinuzzi moved to Melbourne with her husband, a mathematics professor, as he accepted a new post in the city.
Before the move, the couple had worked at a host of universities, including the University of Queensland, the University of New England and the Australian National University in Canberra.
As is often the case when vocation and genuine passion collide, the boundaries between Martinuzzi’s work and life have blurred, and she often collaborates with organisations such as CO.AS.IT.
For the bicentenary of the landing of the first Italian settlers, Martinuzzi worked with the Italian Historical Society, curating the Australia’s Italians: 1788 – 1988 exhibition.
The historian has worked on countless publications and projects, often focusing on the history of Italians who migrated from Northern Italy and the Veneto region.
One particular subject that Martinuzzi feels particularly passionate about is that of internment – her own father was interned when she was only a few months old.
He was first placed in the Loveday Camp, in 1942, and then in the Gaythorne camp.
This experience had a significant impact on Martinuzzi’s childhood and led her to explore similar stories in the diaries and letters of her father’s compatriots, searching for profound primary evidence of some of the most challenging events in Italo-Australian history.
