MARCELLO BARRO
The industry has lost the last of the old guard with Marc Barro passing on the 16th August 2010. All associated with the CMPA pass on their condolences to the Barro family.
MARC was an approachable, interested and honourable gentleman. He was a person who closely worked with the quarrying and concrete industry from the wheel barrow and hand-mixer, through to its present day position where truck deliveries of over 7m3 are commonplace and crushing plants are processing at rates in one day which used to take a month to complete. The horse has been replaced with diesel and timber with steel.
The service highlighted the gentle nature of Marc and his gift of working and communicating with people. In attendance were wide ranges of the community, both young and old alike that had come in contact with Marc throughout his life and were there to pay their respects. One can still visualise his cheeky smile.
Following is his life story as presented at his requiem mass –
Marcello Barro was born on 20 July 1923 in Arcade, in the province of Treviso, Vento region of northern Italy. The family unit consisted of the father Dalfeo Luigi Barro, the mother Amalia Favaro and the children, Duilio, Marcello, Luigia and Francesco, who lived in one big house with Giovanni Barro and his family.
In late 1927 Dalfeo left for Australia to look for work so that he could earn enough money to bring his family out from Italy to the promise of a better life. Eventually, nine years later, on March 18, 1936 the family departed Genova for Melbourne on the ship ‘Viminale’, a trip that would take 47 days. Here they were reunited with their father.
Marc was 23 years old when he joined his brother Dave who had started doing concrete paving jobs and had become very busy. Their first ‘tools of the trade’ consisted of a wheelbarrow and hand mixer which could hold three cubic feet on two wheels towed behind a 1928 Chevy ute, and together they worked out the back of their parent’s house.
Word soon got around about these two brothers who could do a good job in half the time of anybody else. The concrete jobs were becoming more frequent from foundations, porches, footpaths, factory floors, and kerb and channel. As business grew, more people were hired, especially as there was a lot of local council work and many surrounding builders used them.
Meanwhile, down Carlton way, back in late 1948, there was a group of local girls who regularly went to the St Georges Dance Hall in Rathdown Street. Adeline (Dina), city girl, meets Marc, concreter with the old Chevy ute.
Dina only saw Marc about once a month as Marc would ‘do the rounds’ of the dance halls. Marc suddenly started going to the St Georges dances more regularly with his other brothers. Eventually they became engaged and married in 1953 at St Brigids Church, North Fitzroy. They went on to have two daughters, Gina and Brenda.
In the 1960s one of the biggest jobs the business had was supplying all the concrete for Westfield Doncaster, Shoppingtown. A concrete plant was purpose built on site, and Marc stayed the duration of the project working tirelessly alongside his men. It was hard for trademen coming to the building site to find just who the ‘boss’ might be!
Marc was awarded a Life Governor of Ashcare and Scope Victoria for his tireless efforts and was a philanthropist for many other charities. He was a man who made you feel that you were the one person he had been waiting to see all day, such was his ability to make you feel special.
As a brother and uncle, Marc was loyal and faithful. His partnership with Dave, was to see the Barro Group grow into the business it is today. He was highly respected and loved by all who worked alongside him over the years. A man of great integrity, who was practical, showed great strength, but also compassion and kindness.
One of life’s true gentlemen.
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