SYLVESTER Garoni was born under a gum tree, or so he says.
In fact, the gum tree was hanging over the Myrtleford Hospital.
But perhaps that gum tree imbued the 88-year-old with the enterprising spirit that has driven much of his life, being a farming entrepreneur across the alpine region, never hesitating to grow his business in dairy, tobacco and then potatoes.
Mr Garoni, better known as 'Sil', grew up in Dandongadale, walking to the one-teacher Dandongadale State School, but in his eighth grade it was closed and he went to Myrtleford, though they didn’t have a place for him.
“Got unloaded at the Myrtleford State School and the headmaster came out and said ‘what the hell's going on’,” he said.
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They found some space at the convent, though that was an all-girls school.
“That was a bit tricky for a while because they didn't have any male toilet facilities,” Mr Garoni said.
Still, he wasn’t there very long.
At 14 he began farming at his father’s dairy, where his enterprising spirit started to show.
“We were milking cows by hand and I was always arguing with Dad that they do have things like milking machines now,” he said.
They did get milking machines, but their kerosene engines were slow to start, so Mr Garoni repeatedly asked his father to buy a diesel engine milking machine.
“We went to South Melbourne and to the factory where they made these things,” he said.
“We were given lunch and hot drinks and taken on a tour of the factory.”
It cost a couple of cows, but they bought one, and with it came a generator, so they wired that up to the house.
He then pestered his dad to buy a tractor.
His father was doubtful, as their 12 draft horses were far more reliable than their neighbour’s Fordson tractor, but new technology was on its way.
Mr Garoni said 16 horsepower tractors had entered the market, designed by noted Irish mechanic Harry Ferguson.
“Very basic, very uncomfortable, very hard to steer, but they went,” he said.
“We bought a plough to go behind that because the neighbour wanted us to plough a paddock for him.
“All of a sudden we were contracting.”
Later on the family moved into tobacco growing and they did so well they took over the property next door.
“We grew pretty high-quality leaf and tobacco buyers were very keen on the Dandongadale brand,” he said.
However, his enterprising spirit backfired this time.
With increasing tobacco growing came increasing irrigation, so Mr Garoni convened local farmers to lobby the State Government for a dam.
“A week after we sent a letter off, we got a reply - ‘yes, we're coming up to have a look, and we will build a dam on the Buffalo River’,” he said.
“We got all excited.”
But the Buffalo River Dam was built downstream and flooded their property.
They moved to Dederang and continued to grow tobacco, despite some resistance from neighbours who wanted the area to stay in dairy.
It was around that time when three councillors for the Shire of Yackandandah came up the drive, hoping Mr Garoni might nominate for a council vacancy.
“We had 11 houses being built, paddocks to be ploughed and sown, crops to be planted and a shed to be built," Mr Garoni said.
“I said I don't even have time to go to Yackandandah and pick up a form.
“They said you don't have to, we just happened to have one here and because there’s three of us here we’ll sign it on the spot.
“So all of a sudden I became a councillor.”
Mr Garoni said he left the tobacco industry in the early 2000s when it was first announced production was to be phased out in Australia.
After a year in peppermint he then grew potatoes and began selling them wholesale, as well as supplying local chip shops.
Nowadays the 88-year-old enjoys woodworking, having made pot plant stands, various animals and boxes, which he has sold at the Rotary market in Albury.
“I'd like to get back in there to the workshop, but there are other things that have higher priority,” he said.
“There's always a fence to fix or a gate to mend.
“I am at the moment supposed to be slashing St John's Wort.”
