A hard-working family man and devoted husband of 66 years to Margaret, Leonard Jeffrey Caccianiga is being remembered for his great sense of humour and quiet one-liners.
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A proud father of five, grandfather of 10 and great-grandfather of 13, Mr Caccianiga was an average sort of bloke who supported his family in times of need — physical, emotional or financial.
Family, friends and community members have shown their support for the much-loved Numurkah man, who died on May 14, aged 92.
Mr Caccianiga was a loving father to Brian, Kevin, Graeme, Wendy and Debbie.
He was born in 1927 in Manangatang, a remote town in north-west Victoria, to parents Claude and Daisy among three brothers and three sisters: Elvie, Ken, Stan, Hannah, Herb and Frances.
His parents owned a wheat and sheep farm. Their home was built of corrugated iron and had dirt floors, with white-washed hessian hung for walls.
Everyone had to share bath water, their only source of light came from candles and kero lamps and they had no refrigeration, no power, no phone and no car.
In his eulogy, his family said Mr Caccianiga loved horses and playing tennis and football.
Mr Caccianiga’s first job was in Echuca, where he worked on a dairy farm at age 13.
“From 14 he worked for many years cleaning out channels that carried the water from Waranga basin to the local farm dams,” they said.
At 19 he joined the Mittyack football team.
“He used to play as a rover but we remember the day he played centre — he got the ball and took off, ran the wrong way and he couldn’t work out why nobody tried to stop him,” they said.
Over the years he played with Manangatang and Miepoll (near Euroa) and continued his love of footy by watching his sons and then grandsons play local games.
“He would never admit to retiring from football; the fact is, the club folded when he was 34 years of age,” they said.
In his early 20s, Mr Caccianiga found work with local wheat farmer Jack Hughes.
“He thought this was a great job because the farmer had a tractor and a daughter,” they said.
“He said that over time he would have left if it hadn’t been for the daughter.”
In July 1952 he married Margaret Hughes and was offered the farm on shares, and they stayed until 1958.
The family settled in Karramomus for 12 years before building a home in Kialla Central in 1970.
“Their second eldest son, Kevin, had left school and was asked if they bought a dairy farm would he work with them. So we packed up again and moved to Strathmerton in 1974,” they said.
The three of them ran the farm until 1990.
At this time they went on to lease the farm out for eight years before subdividing the land and downsizing to the two-acre house block, where they lived until 2005.
“Not sure he really loved the cows but he would work around the clock to make the best quality hay possible. Kevin then moved on and Mum and Dad decided to retire,” they said.
“They moved into their current home and became townies here in Numurkah.”
While his death has left a huge hole in his family, they all agreed Mr Caccianiga would be remembered by his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren for the legacy he left behind.
“He was a truly wonderful man who we are very grateful to have had in our lives,” they said.