Rafael Bonamusa

"He got across the border that way, but of course once he got out of Spain he couldn’t go back again because he dodged the military" Ralph Bonamusa

Rafael Bonamusa was born in 1897 in Mataró. He was the only boy and had 5 sisters.  When he was 20 he was called to military service, but he did not want to go. His godfather told him that it was 60 Spanish pesetas to get out of the army unless he got a high number. But he did not even have enough money to pay for the fees of his own sons. He wrote to Borrells in Bendigo, who paid 20 pounds for the boat fare, from Toulon in France to Melbourne.

“when he was 20 he had to go to the military, and the military he didn’t want to go. They wrote to Borrells in Bendigo and they paid his fare which was 20 pounds from Toulon in France to Melbourne. When they got to Bilbao, a fellow said to dad you go into the ladies toilets and hide in there and if anybody comes and knocks, don’t answer. He got across the border that way, but of course once he got out of Spain he couldn’t go back again because he dodged the military”

He came to Australia in 1913 and stayed with Borrells for a while, and finally moved to Echuca where he grew tomatoes with the Pou´s and Payroli´s and shifted to Koondrook where he lived with Mas. There he met his wife and had a son and a daughter. He died in 1971.