ALLA FINE DEL MONDO.

Remembering our Ancestors - Cataldo & Maddalena (nee Maione) Muollo

Family Profile - Raffaele Muollo

Raffaele is the paternal great grandson of Cataldo & Maddalena Muollo.
Raffaele Muollo: fisheries entrepreneur; b August 31, 1940; d December 7, 2021
Raffaele Muollo was an extraordinary man who devoted his life to driving highly successful businesses and to seeing his family follow closely in his big footsteps. This larger-than-life character was the epitome of the saying “hard work never killed anyone”, and his drive, entrepreneurship and ambition could be seen in everything he did. Raffaele Mario Muollo was born in Island Bay to migrant Italian parents Antonino and Ida, from the tiny fishing village of Puolo near Sorrento, south of Naples. He learned from a very young age that making sacrifices usually delivered positive results. The family was steeped in the fishing industry. His father, who arrived in New Zealand in 1925, was the first of four brothers to emigrate. Two became fishermen and two grew tomatoes commercially in Nelson. Two of Raffaele’s brothers, Carlo and Tony, also owned and piloted fishing boats out of Island Bay, across the road from the family home. While he enjoyed getting on the water, Muollo concentrated on the wholesale, retail and distribution side of the seafood game. It started when he was just 10, selling groper throats door to door around Island Bay. His parents bought him a bike, but it was for selling fish, not for fun and games. Schooling tended to take second place as he pursued his interests, working after school and on Friday nights at the Lambton Quay fish shop run by the Barnao family. When he gave up schooling, he worked fulltime for Croatian migrants at Jurie Fisheries. At the age of 19 he bought the Dominion Fisheries shop in Courtenay Place, and it was hugely successful at a time when seafood retailers thrived long before the one-stop shop supermarkets swept most of them away. He sold the business and, at the age of 26, established Southern Cross Fisheries on a big site in Hansen St, Newtown, now the home of Southern Cross Hospital. He also bought New Zealand Fisheries in Lorne St. His drive and determination to succeed saw the businesses grow enormously, and he ensured a steady supply of fresh fish by purchasing a number of fishing boats, including Sea Harvester, the Southern Cross, Sea Reaper and the Lady Kay. Muollo worked long hours. The fishing boats would arrive at all hours of the night, and he was always there to unload and transport the catches to his plant. As he worked through the night, wife Josephine would bring him a fresh set of clothes so that he could continue at the job. He saw the opportunities in exporting crayfish and wet fish to Asia and the United States, and recognised he needed to have a better export-standard facility to operate from. In 1978, the old Southern Cross building was replaced by a new, purpose-built factory to process fish for exports, and it was officially opened by Prime Minister Robert Muldoon. Muollo had a hand in designing his office, which The Dominion described as like a “Hollywood suite”. In 1983 he sold the Southern Cross business to Dunedin-based fishing company Skeggs, but maintained his interest and investment in the fishing industry and later in commercial property. However, a new interest was born. For several years he had admired the location and outlook of the old Park Royal Hotel in Oriental Bay, and told his family that one day he wanted to own it. The hotel was on the site of the Oriental Bay tearoom and kiosk, and then an old hotel and a hostel. The Park Royal was a victim of the 1987 sharemarket crash and closed for a period. In 1991 Raffaele made his dream come true by buying it. It was to bear his name, Hotel Raffaele, and in many ways the boutique hotel’s design, refurbishment and menu reflected both his temperament and his spiritual homeland of Italy. He and Josephine oversaw the management of the hotel, and their adult children became involved in the business in some form or the other. They ran the hotel for 13 years, finally selling the building in 2004 for conversion to apartments. Muollo’s work ethic, attitude and determination to succeed was evident to all those many people who counted him as a friend and confidant. Behind the cheeky smile and hearty handshake was a passion for new ideas, a sense of creativity and style and picking investment winners. He would say to his children: “Work for yourself in life – be the captain of your own ship and no-one can tell you what to do.” The Muollo family lived just 100 metres from where Josephine Basile grew up with her family, another Italian family heavily involved in the fishing industry. When the time came to pluck up the courage to ask her for a date, and she accepted, Muollo celebrated with the purchase of a Chevrolet Bel Air to take her to town in style. His generosity was well known, and he enjoyed a wide circle of friends. He loved big family gatherings, which were marked by his infectious laugh, and enhanced with many of his favourite Italian dishes. For the last two years, he suffered ill health and, during that period, lost both his sister and youngest brother. He is survived by Josephine, five children and seven grandchildren.

Source: www.stuff.co.nz

Family Profile - Antonino Muollo

Antonino is the paternal grandson of Cataldo & Maddalena Muollo.
Antonino was the first of the Muollo brothers to emigrate to New Zealand arriving in 1922 and he was followed by Raffaele (1926), Giovanni (1931) and Cataldo (1933). The youngest brother Antonio and his two sisters Maria and Maddalena did not emigrate. The Muollo brothers lived and fished together in Island Bay, a seaside suburb in Wellington. Giovanni and Cataldo eventually moving to Nelson to become commercial Market Gardeners.

Family Profile - Salvi & Giuseppina (nee Muollo) Gaeta

Giuseppina (Jo) is the paternal great granddaughter of Cataldo & Maddalena Muollo.
THE END OF AN ERA! Europe Modes Tailoring of Berhampore owned by Salvi (Salvatore) and Jo (Giuseppina nee Muollo) Gaeta, Island Bay Italians, closed its doors recently after being in business since 1977.
Salvi, a tailor was born on the island of Capri (Italy). He was educated at the School of Fine Arts in Sorrento. After Salvi completed his studies, he began serving an apprenticeship with a leading tailor in Sorrento, in the Bay of Naples. During that time, his mother saved up to help him one day move overseas. He like other Island Bay Italians moved to NZ.
He arrived as a a 19 year old and found his tailoring skills were in demand. He met Jo, his wife here. Her parents Clelia and Raffaele Muollo had also immigrated to Island Bay from Puolo, Italy.
Europe Modes Tailoring have made suits for police commissioners, city councilors and governor generals along with members of the general public.
Jo has been an integral part of the business along with their son, Michael and his wife Ratih, making it a true family business.
Although tailoring roots are fundamentally English, tailoring has always been key to Italian fashion. The sartorial custom dates back to the early 19th century when the tailors of Naples served the Bourbon monarchy of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. Most Italians say that the best tailors today still come from Naples or Sicily!
Source: Island Bay Little Italy Facebook page

Family Profile - Giovanni Muollo

Giovanni is the paternal grandson of Cataldo & Maddalena Muollo.
Giovanni emigrated to New Zealand in 1931 joining two other brothers that had already emmigrated.
He was from the fishing village of Puolo on the West Coast of Italy between Massalubrense and Sorrento. Antonino was the first Muollo brothers to immigrate, arriving in 1922 and he was followed by Raffaele (1926), Giovanni (1931) and Cataldo (1933). The youngest brother Antonio and his two sisters did not immigrate.
The Muollo brothers lived and fished together in Island Bay, a seaside suburb in Wellington. Cataldo and Giovanni met their wives in Nelson and settled there, growing tomatoes for many years.
In 1931 as a nineteen year old Giovanni left his culture, ageing parents, two brothers and two sisters and everything he knew to emigrate to a country half way around the world to start a new life. This life was one of freedom, food and love.
On the 10th June 1950 Giovanni returned to Italy to visit his parents. Two weeks earlier he had written to parents telling them that he was coming. Two days before he left to go to Italy he wrote to Cordialina Gargiulo who lived in Nelson with her widowed father, elder sister and younger brother asking her to marry him.
The boat trip from Wellington to Sydney was aboard the MV Wanganella. From Sydney he travelled to Naples via Melbourne, Bombay, Columbia aboard an Italian boat (Tuscarna). When he arrived in Italy he found that one of his sisters (Maddelaine) was very sick with asthma. She died after 40 days. On the 21st September 1951 Giovanni left Italy to return to New Zealand, arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on the 5th November. The boat trip was aboard the Italian boat (Agilivavia) via Naples, Columbia, Melbourne, Sydney and then Auckland. He stopped in Wellington for one day before travelling onto Nelson to get married the following February.
In Nelson he went into business with his brother Cataldo growing tomatoes.

Family Profile - Maddalena Ferraioli (nee Muollo)

Maddalena is the paternal granddaughter of Cataldo & Maddalena Muollo.
Maddelena Muollo came from Puolo to the U. S. about 1914. Her father, Pasquali, was a fisherman as were his 2 sons, Genaro and I think also a Pasquali. Those 2 boys immigrated to Argentina a few years before she left Italy. She also had a brother Cataldo and a sister Rosalie who remained in Italy until they died.
Maddalena married Francesco Ferraioli, whom she met in Puolo but came to the U. S. a few years after he did and married him here. Both my parents died several years ago. I am the youngest and only survivor of their 7 children.
I am 83 years old (2019) but I remember when I was about 5 or 6 having her tell me that she thought she had cousins in New Zeland.(br) After World War II she had 2 nieces immigrate to Melbourne, Australia. They each married Italian men and have children, grandchildren and perhaps even great grandchildren by this time.
I got so excited when I found your website that I haven't taken the time to look at it closely. I shall do that now and forward it to each of my 4 children and other family members.
Source: Anna Ferraioli Wilson (nee Ferraioli).

Family Profile - Cataldo Muollo

Cataldo is the paternal great great grandson of Cataldo & Maddalena Muollo.
I was born in Marina di Puolo, but now are 31 years that my home is in Scotland ( my wife is Scottish ). I'm a retired master mariner.
My father was Giuseppe Muollo and my mother is Rosa Muollo (D'Esposito) She is now 84 and still live in the family house in marina di Puolo. My Grandfather was Cataldo Muollo and Grandmother Anastasia.
My father’s sister Nunzia ( she must be over 90 now ) lives in Melbourne Australia . Also my sister Anastasia and brother Raffaele live in Melbourne.

Muollo & Gargiulo Family Website