Emilia and the Monument Builder (ePub)

Based on the true story of the man who built the monument base for the Desert Mounted Corps Memorial on Mt Clarence in Albany, Western Australia.

While he worked, Jack pushed the reminders of war to the back of his mind. He didn't want to remember those experiences.

Giovanni took another nail from his carpenter's leather bag, picked up the hammer and rammed it straight into the jarrah timber frame. Memories of a different life assailed him, and he wondered if he had done the right thing. He wasn't sure anymore and nearly hit his thumb with the hammer because he wasn't paying attention to what he was doing.

Emilia was alone, again. Her spirits were at an all-time low, and she'd had enough but what else could she do? Were the sacrifices they'd had to make worth it?

Italian immigrants Emilia and Giovanni came to Albany, Western Australia in the early 1950's. A story sown in snow-capped mountains that reached across oceans to a vast land of hope. It took courage to overcome hardships and determination to seize an opportunity for change. They battle their way through the trials of WWII in Europe and a new life journey in an unfamiliar country while holding their cultural traditions close to their hearts. They left their beloved families behind in Northern Italy and embarked on a rough ride to navigate their way through heartrending events for a better life than the one they knew.

And remembering the sacrifice of those who fought for their country, and for the freedom of their loved ones.

For many Anzacs in World War I - Albany, in Western Australia, was the last glimpse of their homeland. The soldiers who survived the war treasured the memory of the rugged granite coastline as they sailed out of Princess Royal Harbour. They watched the watery view until the rocky islands were a blimp in the distance but the faces of their loved ones remained etched in their minds. In 1962, Jack Nostrini took great pride in reconstructing the block base of the Desert Mounted Corps Memorial on Mt Clarence in Albany. The Monument had previously been erected in Port Said but was damaged during the Suez Crisis uprising in 1956. Jack's masonry skills and team leadership on this project grew a legacy of new Australian pride for himself and his family. Fifty years on, his Australian born son was a Senior Project Officer during the construction of the National Anzac Centre on Mt Adelaide, not far from where his father had contributed in the previous salute to those who gave their lives in the service of our nation.