|
 Although
born on the 1st November 1933 in the town of Lia,
Malta to parents Amelia & Luciano Farrugia, Sam was
raised in Birżebbuġa and was commonly known as Salvu
(tal-Carabott) from Birżebbuġa. He always loved the
outdoors, the sea and playing music.
At the age of 14 he left school and went to work for
a builder mixing mud & concrete. At 15 his uncle got
him a job as a fitter apprentice with the Shell
Company, where he repaired & installed petrol pumps,
did plumbing, electricity, computer & meter work,
and also worked as a mechanic on their trucks. He
left the Shell Co at 20 to come to Australia with
his wife, Mary.
They arrived in Australia on the 14th June 1954 and
lived in Richmond for the first 22 years. His first
job in Australia was with Lucas Batteries. He then
applied for a job with the Shell Co in Australia,
and within 1 week he was their number one fitter.
Because his knowledge on mechanical computers was 6
years in advance of Australia, he spent more time
smoking cigarettes with the foreman and soon tired
of being inside. Then he worked for Shell at the
brewery as a fitter for 3 years.
After this he decided to work for himself and bought
a bread delivery round and worked as a mechanic on
cars in the afternoons. In 1958 he bought a
semi-trailer and drove the truck for 3 years. He
then worked as a painter for the Housing Commission
for 10 years. As a hobby in his spare time he built
a 21-foot fibreglass cabin cruiser. When the Housing
Commission saw the quality workmanship in his boat
they told him he could do tiling, carpentry or
anything he wanted.
Soon after, he went to work for himself again doing
home renovations and building kitchens. He did
everything himself from foundations, to plumbing and
electrical. Unfortunately, this came to a sudden
halt when a neighbour dubbed him into the council
because he was building the kitchens in his garage
at home. So he retired. Soon after, his health
started to deteriorate. But he still loved to tinker
with his tools in his garage and this is when he
turned his talent to making guitars. No matter what
he put his hands and mind to, he was a
perfectionist.
Sam Farrugia died on the 23rd of October 2002. May
he rest in peace. |
