After 68 years of grieving and a longing for closure, the Guseli family was given access to the Snowy Scheme site where a relative, Antonio Guseli, was killed in 1958 while working on the construction of the Tumut 1 power station.

This accident was the worst multiple fatality of the Snowy Scheme.

Antonio Guseli was one of four young Italian workers who died on 16 April, 1958 - and is the uncle of Tony Guseli, a driving force behind researching the deaths of men who worked on the original scheme.

On 14 April, Guseli family members, including octogenarians, Pietro and Guido, Antonio’s younger siblings, visited the site of the 1958 accident.

The family is grateful for the supervised access to the Tumut 1 site granted by Snowy Hydro.

The tour included the top of the lift structure where the men were working as well as the bottom of the lift 360 metres lower down.

“We were excited to continue down the hill and pass through the entrance tunnel to visit the underground power station and lift base area,” Tony said.

“We also visited the platform at the top of the surge tank/shaft, the location of the March 1959 accident, and death of another young Italian worker, 26-year-old Salvatore Dramisino.”

To honour the 121 official workers who died Tony has created ‘Remembering the workers of the Snowy Scheme’, a Facebook account set up from a very personal mission and perspective.

Tony said one of the objectives for this project is for relatives of those fatalities to have an opportunity to gain a better understanding of the details and circumstances of the tragic accidents.

The day after Antonio’s accident which killed the four men, Antonio’s brothers identified his body at the Cooma morgue and a funeral was held the next day at St Patrick’s Church followed by burial in the Cooma Cemetery.

The Guseli family connection to Cooma is from late 1952 when Tony Guseli’s father, Michele Guseli, migrated to Australia and began employment with the Snowy Mountains Authority.

“He was the first born of seven siblings, in 1954 he sponsored his younger brother Antonio to migrate directly to Cooma, followed by the next brother Donato in 1956,” Tony said.

Michele acquired land in Culey Avenue, Cooma in 1955 and with his brother, Antonio’s, support constructed a modest residence with the intention of bringing the remainder of the family from Italy to Cooma.

Michele married by proxy in November 1956 and his bride Santina (Tony’s mother) arrived in Australia in early April 1958 - tragically, Antonio Guseli’s accident and death occurred only 10 days after her arrival.

In September 1958, the remainder of the Guseli family migrated to Cooma and resided together in Culey Avenue.

Over the next few years another two family members married and six children were born in Cooma.

“I am the first born of this generation, named after my deceased uncle Antonio,” Tony said.

“By the mid 1960s all the Guseli family members had gradually re-located from Cooma to Shepparton in Victoria, leaving only a few extended family and friends in Cooma.”

Nowadays various family members live on the NSW Far South Coast and participate in snow sports in the Snowy Monaro region.

“Valentino Guseli, a fourth generation, is quite well known for his achievements including participation in Australian Winter Olympic teams 2022 and 2026,” Tony said.

Antonio’s family was not able to attend the June 1958 coronial inquest and were only privy to anecdotal knowledge of the accident.

After six decades, Tony began researching the April 1958 accident acquiring the 69-page 1958 inquest records from the NSW Archives and then established contact with relatives of the three other Italians who died - Michele Di Salvio, Benito Pizzol and Giuseppe Rugolo.

In 2024 he extended the research to include all 27 Italians listed on the Cooma Snowy Workers’ Memorial.

Subsequently, in 2025 Tony decided to research all 121 men listed on the memorial - details of which he is now posting to the Facebook account he created earlier this year.

One member following Tony’s Facebook account thanked Tony for “keeping people informed of the accidents that befell these poor individuals”.

“Your involvement in presenting this information ensures that readers see that they were young men, a long way from their homes and family and their contribution should not be forgotten.”

Following the accident site visit all four generations of the Guseli family were able to form a stronger connection to a deceased relative most had never met in person, and to the family’s Australian origin story in Cooma and to the Snowy Scheme.

“We greatly appreciated the opportunity provided by Snowy Hydro to participate in this unique and deeply personal experience - facilitated generously by Andrew Burke, Matthew Webb and Phil Dodd,” Tony said.

Snowy Hydro social impact and community manager, Andrew Burke, said more than 100,000 people from in excess of 30 countries came to work on the original Snowy Scheme and start a new life in Australia.

“During construction, 121 workers sadly lost their lives. Their pioneering spirit and tireless commitment helped shape Australia’s history and we honour their memory,” Andrew said.

“We remain forever grateful for these workers’ contribution to this enduring legacy.

“This was the first time any of the Guseli family had visited the Tumut 1 Power Station, where Antonio Guseli lost his life in 1958 along with three other workers. It was an honour to share with them their family’s contribution to Australia,” Andrew said.