Tony Pagliaro
Updated: Sep 29, 2020
Living in Hawthorn East for the last 38 years it was at a young age that Tony Pagliaro first became a regular visitor to Glenferrie Hawthorn. Attending Xavier College as a young boy, Tony grew up in Malvern and from the age of seven would take the 69 tram, now the 16 tram since 2004, along Glenferrie Road and stop and frequent the shops along the way.
There were always a lot of different characters on the trams back then, Tony recounts. From the girls at MLC to the conductor taking tickets. There was even a sliding door to separate the tram from smoking
and non-smoking commuters.
In his school days Glenferrie Road was lively in a different way compared to today. Tony notes how he is impressed that the shopping precinct has remained so popular and vibrant throughout the years. In the 1950s, when freezing food wasn't as common, it was the "sort of economy that meant many visits to the shops" where people would visit the butcher shop, deli and other variety stores regularly.
Tony enjoys the community that exists in Glenferrie Road these days. Unlike an indoor shopping centre which can seem as if it manipulates its visitors to stay longer and buy more, Glenferrie offers an outdoor experience and small businesses where you are able to form a relationship with shop keepers. Though he understands that high rents can make it difficult for small business owners to stay in the
area.
No longer visiting Glenferrie for the daily commute to school, in the late 60s Tony returned to the area but this time as a teacher instead. Teaching Italian Literature and History at Swinburne University a couple of nights a week for two years. This inspired his move to Rome in 1970 for Italian studies returning to Melbourne in 1973 where he began as an Italian professor at La Trobe University.
Retired since 2009, Tony still remains a part of the Italian academic community, co-editing an Italian Studies Journal for the past 25 years. Outside of academia Tony plays the violin and has since the age of 9. A few years ago he attended a violin making course on Auburn Road and has continued making violins ever since.
No longer a young boy visiting Dobsons for school uniforms, these days Tony makes regular visits to Readings for its excellent selection of books and CDs along with coffees at Supernova and Red White & Amber Liquor Merchant to purchase those hard to find wines.
