Bombadieri Rosa

**Fast Facts**
Type of person	Individual

The following is an interview conducted by Daniel James Down with Rosa Bombadieri regarding her family property at 29 Angle Vale Road.

This land was originally titled Gawler Blocks and along a road called Government Rd. The house and land (18 acres) were owned by George and Mabel Paine from 1935-1957 who had bought it from the previous owner James (Jimmy) Croft. The son Samuel Paine and his wife Phyllis lived with George and Mabel in the house until they built across the road in about 1954. George and Mabel followed suit in 1957 after selling the land to Frank and Vince Bombadieri. Coming to Australia in 1953, Rosa married Frank Bombadieri and they moved into #29 Angle Vale Road right away. The house had had many hands before then and the deeds show at one stage the property was bought for 38 Pounds. The family grew and this meant the house was too small. The 2 bedroom house was getting too small for the family and a choice was made in the mid-'70s to build a brand new house in the bottom left corner of the land, almost opposite. The house had 2 taps, no hot water, no gas, no heating (fireplaces only) and the bathroom was built on lean-too. Children had to sleep in the same room as the parents. Really not sufficient. Mrs Bombadieri said she couldn't get used to her brand new ELECTRIC stove so she would go across to the old house just to cook biscuits on the old wood oven she'd used for so many years.

The land was used to grow tomatoes and other fruit and vegetables and flowers. The family would make their own passata from the tomatoes grown in the greenhouse. Pigs and chickens were also on the land. The house basically laid dormant since the mid-1970s. The family did not want to lease it to anyone and so it just sat there. Rosa would have to have her son come over to cut the grass and weeds and maintain the land, as being in a suburb it was expected by the council. After a nasty fall things came to a head when it was realised the family and Rosa especially could just not maintain the property any longer and the land was put up for sale with instructions that the house built in the 1970s would stay. Rosa has lived on the land for over 60 years. Flowers and fruit would be sold from the land to florists etc.

A developer bought the land and it will be turned into 19 separate blocks. There is no indication if there will be any kind of name or recognition of the Bombadieri family on the land.

The house and land were cleared and gutted on the 12th of October 2021 and on the 13th the demolition commenced. The roof was apparently so well fixed that it would just not come off (as was the plan) and so the front and back walls were torn off ready for the side walls to be pushed in. on the 15th of October the house was officially flattened. A gentleman was there collecting rocks and bricks to re-use in his own house that he is building.

Rosa hoped to be able to get a square of the metal ceiling to be able to frame as a keepsake.

Gawler History Team thanks Daniel James Down and Rosa Bombadieri for providing this interview.

To see photos of 29 Angle Vale prior to demolition, please <click here>

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