When it comes to footy players, he’s known many.
From when he was a child, when he would go to Carlton matches with his nonno and papa and see heroes like Sergio Silvagni pass him by, inches away, unaware of his presence.
But something that Tony De Bolfo, sports journalist and writer, would not have expected was the fact that behind these icons, who to him seemed unreachable and perfect, there were stories of sacrifice, of courageous choice: stories of migrants – stories just like his family’s.
This, in addition to his profound love for that famous oval ball, is what connects him to these legends.
Tony's grandfather came from San Nicolò, a small village in the province of Belluno, and arrived in Australia in 1927 along with many other Italians aboard the ship Re d'Italia.
His grandmother, on the other hand, originally from Filicudi in the Aeolian Islands, had preceded him some five years earlier, and met her husband near the renowned St Kilda beach.
“I have lovely memories of my grandfather and football,” De Bolfo divulged.
“My grandfather, like many Italian migrants, settled Carlton when he arrived in Melbourne, not far from ‘the old Princes ground’, then Carlton Football Club's playing field. In 1930, someone invited him to watch one of the Carlton’s games, and he loved it.”
It was then that his grandfather’s passion for the sport was born, a sport wildly different from Italian football. This passion hasn’t left the De Bolfo family since, with Tony and his father certainly having inherited it.
“When I was about eight years old, I went to the football with my grandfather - he fashioned this little collapsible stool and I can remember standing on it, seeing famous players like Sergio Silvagni, Jesaulenko and John Nicholls just a few metres away," the sports journalist recounted.
“That image is seared into my brain. In many ways it feels like yesterday even though it was fifty years ago. It’s certainly a family legacy, this love for football of mine.”
As a boy, Tony adored watching games and playing footy, but soon realised that he couldn’t make a career out of it. However, he was determined to stay connected to the sport, so he decided to pursue sports journalism.
After finishing high school, he was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to work for a newspaper, which gave him a real insight into the industry.
“I learned everything that happens at a newspaper, and came to understand how everything works,” said De Bolfo.
"Nowadays, I fear that some students, though they may be tertiary educated, don’t have a real feel for journalism because they haven’t had the chance to work in a newspaper office.”
He now works in the Carlton Football Club's media department and feels incredibly lucky to be able to tell the stories of the players, and the team, he has always loved.
“I always tell people that writing for a team as old as Carlton, which was founded in 1864, is very inspiring because you never stop learning; I realise how many things I still don't know, and I can't wait to learn more," the journalist revealed.
During his career, he has also thoroughly researched Australian football players of Italian origin.
In particular, in the early 2000s De Bolfo conducted numerous studies that led him to find more than a hundred players who fulfilled the research criteria he had set himself: those who have played at least one official game of AFL and were born in Italy, or have at least one parent or grandparent who was born in the Bel Paese.
“I really enjoyed doing the research and met some great people through it.”
And this Tuesday just passed, at Co.As.It. on Faraday Street, De Bolfo had the opportunity to moderate a meeting with some footy stars of the past, who shared the stories of their families with the audience present.
Attendees had the opportunity to hear from Tony Liberatore, Vin Catoggio and Laurie Serafini.
"It was a pleasure to be asked to participate in this project; it was great for me to be able to talk to these players again, and most importantly ask them questions about their family origin," said De Bolfo.
"It’s very rare that players are asked deep, fundamental questions about their origins.
"I remember asking Tony Liberatore, star of the Western Bulldogs, about the story of his father and mother. And he was taken aback, in all the years of his career, he was never asked that question, even though he dedicated all of his victories to them, thanking them for the sacrifices they had made so that he could have a better life in Australia.
“After that I found myself wanting to investigate the journeys of the families behind the players.”
“Tuesday's meeting was very interesting because it allowed us to learn about the life experiences of these of these players’ families, their difficult decision to take the plunge and move to the other side of the world," the journalist concluded.
