My father retired in 1985. After his retirement he enjoyed a trip to Italy in 1987, saw six of his children marry, and enjoyed the many years he had left. In 1999 he began to write the story of his life. He showed me a rough draft near the end of 1999 and I had a quick read. I soon realized that these memoirs would become an important document to the members of my family. With the help of my brother Domenic we set up a computer for dad and taught him how to use it so he could work on his memoirs. Towards the end of 2000 he finished the second draft. I worked on editing this draft for about six months.

In October 2001 we learned that our father was terminally ill with a liver condition, so the urgency to finish the memoirs gained a new momentum. By this time I had re-edited at least half the first draft into something more readable, as dad’s Italian made some of his English grammar confusing. Two months later the doctors said dad’s time was near. We felt it would be an honour to our father’s memory if we created a finished edition of the book available for all future family generations to read. I enlisted the help of my wife Amanda’s editing skills and she raced against time to re-edit the book to its final version.

My father was a simple man with simple needs. Despite this he had an amazing life that would be the envy of many. He had struggled through poverty and family disunity in his youth; he managed to survive the devastation of Italy during the Second World War, and to make a new start in a far-away land—Australia, a land of opportunity—and of course what he would have considered his greatest achievement: his large and much loved wife and family of seven children.

He worked for over twenty-seven years in the field of amputee rehabilitation helping many hundreds of people regain and maintain a greater quality of life, so when I say my father was a simple man, I say this knowing he was also a great man. He was not a leader of men, but he was the most caring person I have ever known. He unselfishly gave his care to many people, strangers and family alike. To say he will not be forgotten is an understatement, because although my father leaves no monument to this world, he created the lasting legacy of his family, and many generations of the Falvo family to come. These memoirs will serve to both remind us of Salvatore’s life and be a guide to leading our own lives like his, with care, compassion and greatness. This is his story.

—Vincent Falvo