The Santospirito Collection comprises the personal papers of Mrs Lena Santospirito (1895-1983). Mrs Santospirito was a leader of the Italian-Australian community in Melbourne and is best known for her charitable work as President of the Archbishop’s Committee for Italian Relief in the early 1950s period of Italian mass immigration to Australia. The records in this Collection document her work with the Archbishop’s Committee, as well as her involvement with other institutions and her personal and family affairs.

Lena Santospirito was born in Ballarat in 1895 of Italian migrants from the Aeolian Islands. She devoted her adult life to the welfare of the Italian community in Melbourne. From 1940 to 1960, she headed the Archbishop’s Italian Relief Committee which, during the war, provided assistance to both Italian civil internees and Italian Prisoners of War interned in camps in Australia. After the war, the Committee provided assistance to newly arrived migrants. The material provides an insight into the difficulties faced by Italian migrants during this period. Included are: photographs; postcards; as well as official, business and personal correspondence. Access to this collection is subject to restrictions.

Santospirito’s records were deposited with the Italian Historical Society in 1992. In 2000, the Society, together with the University of Melbourne, received a grant from the Australian Research Council to fund the archival arrangement and description of the Santospirito Collection. This website is one outcome of this grant, which has enabled this highly significant collection of over 2500 documents to be preserved, described and made accessible to the public.

The Lena Santospirito Guide to Records is a finding aid to the Santospirito Collection. The Guide also contains a summary description of every document in the Santospirito Collection. This inventory data was created by Tony Santospirito.

Further information on the Santospirito Collection can be found on the following webpage via https://www.coasit.com.au/the-santospirito-collection