JACK BANCHIO

Born in Brisbane, Australia, of Italian parentage, Jack Banchio is typical of the hardy mountaineers of northern Italy, as will readily be seen from an incident here related, which took place in his childhood days, and truly shows that "the boy is father to the man." His parents went from Piemonte, northern Italy, to Australia, settling in Brisbane, and there Jack was born and reared, and his schooling obtained in the public school. He had his own ideas on the subject of education, however, and when eight years old he decided to start out in life for himself, and ran away from home, starting afoot to the interior of Australia. The school and truant officers undertook to return him to his parents, and overtook him quite a distance from home; after capturing him they made him ride on a horse with one of the officers, and while en route the officers, tired from their chase, stopped to get some refreshments, leaving young Jack on the horse; he turned a handspring off the animal, and was again soon lost in the brush. He this time headed across country, as the officers had threatened to whip him and put him in jail for being a bad boy, and he headed for Ipswich, where he arrived safely. The officers were soon in pursuit, but, being a strong, husky lad, used to the wilds, he succeeded in outwitting them and did not go home until he was about twelve years of age.

Not a long time following this occurrence, his parents left Brisbane for New Zealand, and after remaining there a short time they went to Sidney, Australia, and then decided to return to northern Italy via the Indian Ocean to the Isle of Ceylon, through the Red Sea and Suez Canal, then down the Mediterranean to Italy; so before their son Jack was much older he had become quite a traveled youngster and knew how to find his way about. On reaching young manhood he came to California, and finally landed in Merced County in 1910, where today he is one of the influential men of that district, one of the city trustees of
Gustine, and proprietor of the Gustine Hotel, and Gustine Hotel Grounds. A man of originality and strong character, his influence is always for progress and
the further advancement of his home section, and he has proven himself a real citizen of his adopted country. He has in his possession citizenship papers of England, Italy and the United States.