From Wollongong shantytown to caves: Digger's extraordinary post-war life
Wallaby Soldi grew up in poverty, fought at the Somme, then lived in caves back home.
Wallaby Soldi was one of nine children born into a shantytown shack at Mt Pleasant in Wollongong. At 28, he enlisted after a recruitment march passed through Balgownie.
Wallaby Soldi shipped out on April 1, 1916, first to Egypt then France, where he fought at the Somme and was shot in the leg. After recovery and service in Belgium, he made it home in 1920.
Back in Australia, likely suffering severe post-traumatic stress, he found civilian life overwhelming and spent time living in caves around the escarpment. He died in 1942 at age 54.
This Remembrance Day, Corrimal RSL is honouring Soldi and other local Diggers by laying framed photographs at the cenotaph, a project involving eight local schools.
- 1942, age 54
- Death
- Eight local schools in the region
- School participants
Why it mattersSoldi's story shows the often-hidden struggles of returned soldiers, particularly those from poverty who came home to a society unprepared for their trauma.
AustraliaLocal Wollongong and Illawarra communities are reconnecting with neglected histories of their own WWI servicemen, helping younger Australians understand the true cost of war.
