Bocce set

Tan leather carry case with white piping and a white plastic handle. Closes with zip. The brand is 'Boule CAST'. Initialled A.C. by owner on the outside and on the bottom. Part of a collection of objects donated by the Molinara Social and Sports Club, which was founded in Adelaide in 1971. Most immigrants from Molinara in southern Italy arrived in South Australia during the postwar boom period of the 1950s and ’60s. They came in search of better opportunities, with father or son usually arriving first, to be followed later by wife and children. Many incurred debts to pay for their passages because they were not offered the same level of assistance as British immigrants. Most hoped to return to Molinara after they had made some money. But when relatives immigrated too, and families and friends were reunited here, there seemed little point in returning, except for visits. Instead, the Molinaresi made a home away from home in Adelaide. They re-created the religious and festive traditions associated with Molinara’s patron saint, San Rocco, and they built the Molinara Social and Sports Club as their gathering place.