Speaker 1: Sad passing this week with a family patriarch of Cardillly Fireworks,
Speaker 1: Jimmy Cardilly, brought fireworks to w A seventy years ago,
Speaker 1: passed away sadly, aged eighty six on Monday, and Rob
Speaker 1: Cardilly from the Cardivi Fireworks joins us. Now, gooday, Rom,
Speaker 1: I'm sorry sorry to hear of your family passing.
Speaker 2: Thanks Simon. Yeah, it's never good and yeah, yeah, it's
Speaker 2: still a bit bit fresh for us all. You know,
Speaker 2: it's only been a few days, but we're getting through it. Yeah.
Speaker 1: And I know with great interest that jim he passed
Speaker 1: his name onto one of your kids, didn't you.
Speaker 2: I did, Yeah, my son and who's also involved in
Speaker 2: the business, and he's he was so proud of his
Speaker 2: grandfather and dad was off him. And Dad's got six
Speaker 2: grandkids in title and he loved them all dearly, you know.
Speaker 2: But yeah, it's just it's the way things go, and
Speaker 2: you know, we'll keep on going.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I appreciate you talking to us today.
Speaker 2: Rob.
Speaker 1: It's been andie's fairly fresh and raw for you. I
Speaker 1: was reading this morning. I had no idea that the
Speaker 1: Cardilli name goes back and fireworks and pyrotechnics as she
Speaker 1: goes back to the eighteen eighties in Italy.
Speaker 2: That's correct. Yeah, we're five generations, so great grandfather, grandfather, Dad,
Speaker 2: myself and my son Jim. Yeah. So you know, in
Speaker 2: the early days, there wasn't much. The business isn't what
Speaker 2: it is today. Obviously things have developed and grown over
Speaker 2: the years. And Dad was very keen, as I remember
Speaker 2: as a kid, to push the industry here in Western
Speaker 2: Australia to give fireworks throughout the state. And he wanted
Speaker 2: to give everyone. You know, I really are really given
Speaker 2: that experience and he did it. And I can remember
Speaker 2: as a kid going all over the place with Dad,
Speaker 2: and I've got some really fond memories.
Speaker 1: Yeah, life will live, hey, And I hope I got
Speaker 1: this pronunciation right. He's great, His dad, your girl grandfather
Speaker 1: is a Gauitar. Is that he pronounced it?
Speaker 2: That's correct?
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah Gaetano, Yeah, yeah, he was the same, right.
Speaker 1: He took him around as well.
Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah, Gaetano came out from Italy and he learned
Speaker 2: his craft over in Italy. Over in Europe there's a
Speaker 2: lot of religious festivals and stuff, so that's where they
Speaker 2: sort of you know, sort of learnt their craft down
Speaker 2: in southern Italy and then he came here, my grandfather
Speaker 2: and they were working in Osmond Park. They had a
Speaker 2: market garden and my grandfather would go to the Ostmen
Speaker 2: Park co op on Main Street and by the chemicals
Speaker 2: that he needed to make fireworks. So it's an interesting story,
Speaker 2: you know because back in the day they made everything
Speaker 2: and and you know, like my dad had, his life
Speaker 2: was not all roses because in the early days he
Speaker 2: was making black powder, you know, as the propellant for fireworks.
Speaker 2: And he had a big accident when he was making it,
Speaker 2: and he was three months and in the hospital he
Speaker 2: had skin grafts to his arms, his arms. Sorry, he
Speaker 2: pulled through that. He was eighteen at the time and
Speaker 2: he kept on going. So, you know, his vision was
Speaker 2: so strong.
Speaker 1: I would imagine when Rob card Dilli says, my granddad
Speaker 1: had a big accident and he's working wing fireworks. That's
Speaker 1: a that's a that's a big accident that involves an explosion.
Speaker 2: Yeah, well that's my dad. Sorry, but he was My
Speaker 2: dad was making black powder. Yeah, yeah, at eighteen years
Speaker 2: of age. So you know, he spoke about that. He
Speaker 2: didn't really bring it up a lot, but you know
Speaker 2: it's it's you know, there's a there's a lot of
Speaker 2: history that goes in behind it all, and and you know,
Speaker 2: we're just so proud of him.
Speaker 1: Yeah, and that's ultimately how he's I did see the
Speaker 1: post on social media and that came through loud and clear.
Speaker 1: How proud of him was he just in the phot
Speaker 1: didn't like a really big bloke, Rob like a little blokes,
Speaker 1: a little feller.
Speaker 2: He wasn't he wasn't too tall. Yeah, he had a
Speaker 2: great sense of humor. He started out with the Ostend
Speaker 2: Park Agricultural Society. He went to them and he said, listen,
Speaker 2: I want to put fireworks on and they told to
Speaker 2: go away. It was Ron Beaver actually. Then he went
Speaker 2: back the next year and Ron Beaver said, okay, we'll
Speaker 2: go in tonight and we'll give you. I think mum
Speaker 2: and Dad. I think I can ask my mum, but
Speaker 2: I think it was like a shilling on the gate.
Speaker 2: It was something silly, you know, after six o'clock, and
Speaker 2: Dad did it, and the crowds grew and everything grew,
Speaker 2: and you know, like Dad went from there and built
Speaker 2: some really strong relationships and they're like family to us,
Speaker 2: Like the Royal Aguacultural Society. Dad's been there for seventy years.
Speaker 2: You know. Wanna roue Osbond part show, the Claremont Speedway
Speaker 2: with the Migros, the it just goes on and on
Speaker 2: kelm Scott Show, Cannington Show. It's just endless. All the
Speaker 2: Crown Wester Strating Troding Association. Dad brought in the first
Speaker 2: five weeks for New Year's Even Perfect at Gloucester Park
Speaker 2: with Rob Bovale, you know, and it grew to be
Speaker 2: so big that they had to close the gates when
Speaker 2: I was in my teenage years because the crowds were
Speaker 2: so massive, you know, and everyone would go to the
Speaker 2: trots on Newyear's Eve, you know, it was so big
Speaker 2: and sorry, no, you're right.
Speaker 1: I was going to say, when when Gaetano was involved
Speaker 1: with fireworks in Italy, I'd imagine they'd been very different
Speaker 1: to it. Because a lot of your stuff now is
Speaker 1: electronic timing and sequencing, a digital type work, which you know,
Speaker 1: for ignition sequencing purposes. I'd imagine it'll be very, very
Speaker 1: different in the eighteen eighties in Italy it.
Speaker 2: Was and even as a kid growing up, we all
Speaker 2: we still Dad fired to fireworks manually with what we
Speaker 2: called a portfio, which was like a it's like a
Speaker 2: long cigarette with a flame at the end. So and
Speaker 2: that's and that's what Dad knew. And it's only the
Speaker 2: last twenty odd years, I suppose, or you know, or
Speaker 2: twenty five years that we've gone this other way with computers.
Speaker 2: And obviously it's it's just changed the industry one hundred percent,
Speaker 2: you know, so what you can do now. But you know,
Speaker 2: Dad always was old school as well, and and fireworks
Speaker 2: for a funny industry, you need that bit of old
Speaker 2: school with you all the time. And you need the
Speaker 2: and you need the new, and you need and you
Speaker 2: mix it with the technology and you just create, just create,
Speaker 2: wondering the sky, you know. And that's and that's what
Speaker 2: he did. And even until last week, my dad would
Speaker 2: we were talking. He was in Charlie Gardner's and we'd
Speaker 2: still talk a little bit of shop a little bit,
Speaker 2: you know. We'd ask me about certain things and I
Speaker 2: tell him I'm going to a meeting and he and
Speaker 2: he wasn't well, but he was always you know, asking
Speaker 2: me what's going on and how we're going, And in
Speaker 2: his blood, it's just it's in his blood. It's just incredible.
Speaker 2: You know. I know we've all got dads and we
Speaker 2: all love them dearly, and parents and siblings and it's
Speaker 2: but it just really hits his home, you know.
Speaker 1: Yeah, of course, Hey, thanks for chatting this us today
Speaker 1: and again, sorry for your loss and it's and I
Speaker 1: have I have heard you talk about the family connection,
Speaker 1: but I didn't realize it was so it was so
Speaker 1: long running and the tradition started back in the home country, Rob,
Speaker 1: So take care, give give James Jimmy a cuddle for us,
Speaker 1: and look after yourself. Thanks for chating to us today.
Speaker 2: Thanks, Simon, appreciate it. Thank you very much,