by Pauline Humphreys, Australia

Dr Severinus Guscetti, his wife Giuditta and four children from Ambri, Quinto and Deggio in the Levantina Valley came to Australia. Dr Severinus Guscetti was a Medical Doctor and Member of Swiss Parliament (with Stefano Franscini). He emigrated 1854 to Australia, in the State of Victoria, various towns, mainly Hepburn Springs/Daylesford and Newbridge/Tarnagulla.

Several of our family are quite well informed about our Swiss heritage, but many know very little and think we came from Italy.

I speak a little Italian, but traditions have mostly been lost except that I and another cousin participate in the yearly Swiss-Italian Festa held in Hepburn Springs, near to my home where many Swiss-Italian families settled in the 1850’s. I am involved in a Heritage Centre there giving details of different families and helping people who come in to trace their ancestry.

When visiting Ticino, I just adored it all – being in the area where my ancestors had come from. The scenery is magnificent and the stone houses (especially the roofs) are so different from anything here. Was not there long enough to form many opinions other than it seemed to be more “lay-back” in the approach to life than other parts of Switzerland.

We are able to read the Pro Ticino Magazines and have our own Pro Ticino Group with our President being Claudio Rossi. The Ticinese Journalist – Piergiorgio Baroni – is also known to us and he actually wrote an article in “Alto Ticino 2005,” Pages 93 & 94 about Dr Guscetti, because he has a house in Deggio, one of the towns our ancestors came from.