Elisa and Peter Sandrone

These days, Elisa Sandrone is retired from her work as restaurateur, cooking teacher, child care provider, caterer and chef. But with her friends and large family, including two children and five grandchildren, dropping in and out so often I doubt she will ever retire from taking care of others, offering hospitality, and responding to their desire for traditional Italian fare.

To her daughter Luana, Elisa is an inspiration.

‘I wish I could be more like her,’ she tells me, simply.

When Hudson Street hummed

At the northern end of Hudson Street, Hamilton, amid residential houses, was a veritable hive of industry. But it was more than that – it was a community. Three large commercial enterprises were interlinked, bartering their goods and services in a friendly, mutually beneficial exchange.

The towering wheat silos of McIntyre’s flour mill were a Hamilton landmark for many decades. Between 1899 to 1989, the mill supplied flour to bakers in Newcastle and beyond, including overseas.

The Michelangelo Centre

It had been his dream for a dozen years or more – an opulent function centre in the heart of Hamilton, a dazzling extravaganza of imported sculptures and marble floors, fountains, hand painted murals in the fresco style, and 60 crystal chandeliers. Recapturing the splendor of 15^th century Rome and the Renaissance, the centre would also reflect the twin loves of its creator, Giuseppe Risicato - his Sicilian home, and immortal Italian artist Michelangelo Buonarroti.