From peasant shoemaker. From San Marco in Lamis in Melbourne. The story of a sammarchese become leaders in the field of footwear in Australia.

Antonio Longo was born in San Marco in Lamis October 18, 1920. In 1949, after the father Nicola Strong willed him the notice of appeal and found work in his farm in the country of Tattura, emigrated to Australia.

After 6 months of fieldwork, Antonio "Tony", now English, decided to return to Melbourne, where he knew he would find other sammarchesi and look for a job in the city. Through a friend he met Constantine Pennisi and together they began to manufacture shoes for men under the name "Crown Brand". This company lasted seven years.

Since October 1958, Tony; sitting on his own, began to manufacture shoes for children under the name of EAGLE.

This factory went ahead with the help of his father Antonio, sisters Isabella and Francesca Angioletta (reached in 1956 at the request of reunification by the same Tony) in-laws and some friends.

After two years, the demand on the market of men's shoes was so great that Tony decided to manufacture shoes for men and children in a new building constructed exclusively for the production of footwear.

Due to strong demand for shoes EAGLE in 1964, the North 500 Brunswick Street Fitzroy, another factory was built much larger and in 1966 enlisted the sons Mario and Tony Nicholas and the company came for them to produce more than 100,000 pairs of shoes per year.

His son Mario was put at the helm of the business affairs and his brother Nicholas as head designer.

In 1975 the first store opening in AQUILA Bourke Street, Melbourne. Tony Longo continued his activities for years traveling in many countries of the world in search of furs always first quality. Among the characteristics that have made these shoes unique, famous and requested by all, stands out as the marketing of Australian and New Zealand models of shoes in plain Italian style and for this we must be grateful to him.

Tony has disappeared on the evening of May 27, 1987.

Today, 50 years after its establishment, the third generation of Longo continues to work hard to continue the path that Tony has left them as their inheritance.

The company now has 27 EAGLE SHOES stores and 2 franchises in Australia, New Zealand. Based in Gipps Street Abbotsord.

EAGLE is proud of his work situation and its leading position in the field of footwear in Australia.

(Brief biography written by his son Mario).

The Factory "Aquila Shoes" is 50 years old and for the occasion, the children of Tony Longo decided to create a volume with the history of Aquila Shoes accompanied by many pictures, a few copies, almost exclusively for their family, grandchildren and grandchildren Tony, so they can read and know the will, the courage and the work of his grandfather.

I enclose some photos in the book.

Tony was a great friend of my father, Victor and all our family, I really liked the book so that Mario Longo how I wanted to send part of their family and are very grateful, I asked him away from sending a few copies at the San Marco in Lamis: the "Documentation Centre on Sroria and Literature of 'Emigration Capitanata" at the Public Library, coordinated by Sergio D'Amaro and that will be available to anyone who would look. Another volume in the Municipality of San Marco in Lamis.

I think you can be proud to have among our citizens a character like Tony Longo, who, with a strong, strong-willed, passed by the Australian harvest tomatoes in the fields - despite being a shoemaker and a farmer - and the Eagle Factory 27 stores of magnificent "Italian Shoes" scattered all over Australia and New Zealand.

This demonstrates how the "will to achieve and fulfill their" open unimagined and unexpected ways.

I hope that the Municipality of San Marco in Lamis also reserve the memory of Tony Longo, a well-deserved recognition not only to have achieved everything that is still expanding but to have provided work for many Italians and immigrants sammarchesi there.

The best chance would be next year when the eldest son of Tony, Mario, with his wife and three children, will be in Italy, San Marco, to introduce young people to the country house of his grandfather Tony.

Tony was a dear friend and I remember him with a flash-back: "I was about five or six years and we were having lunch, suddenly the Giant vibrator door that had the output of the Abbey Lane, appeared with a big smile to Tony, besides bringing a wave of joy, took a bucket full of prickly India "ammunnate" and his inseparable accordion. For us it was always a party on his arrival, and while we were eating the sweetest figs of India, with the accordion accompagnadosi Tony sang: "For three months we are engaged, we meet every fortnight ... I love all mine, photography, sake of smiling, holding a beautiful flower, I love all mine ..

I don't think the article above is related to the shoes I saw at the weekend. I think the above is just Aquila shoes.
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Tony Longo founded Aquila in 1958. After arriving in Australia under the Government's Assisted Passage Program, he worked many jobs before opening a shoe repair shop in Melbourne in 1953-54. A few years later, Tony decided to start manufacturing shoes and in 1958 Aquila was born. In Aquila's early days, the company was only producing children's shoes but Tony soon identified a shortage in the supply of quality men's footwear which ultimately changed the company's destiny.

Response to the Aquila product was phenomenal and Tony needed to expand his operations. In 1965, Aquila opened a brand new factory in Brunswick Street, North Fitzroy. In 1966, Tony enlisted the help of his two sons and Aquila was soon producing in excess of 100,000 pairs of shoes per year. Still only manufacturing and wholesaling its product, Mario the eldest of the two brothers, envisaged the need for the company to open its own retail operations. In 1975, the first exclusive Aquila store opened in Bourke Street, Melbourne. The store proved successful and soon after, Sydney became home to Aquila's second store.

With Mario at the helm of the retail operations and his younger brother Nick in charge of design, the company established itself as a quality men's fashion footwear manufacturer and retailer.

Today, now 50 years since Tony Longo founded the company, a third generation of Longo's are hard at work continuing his legacy. Aquila now operates 27 retail stores nation-wide. Now based in Gipps Street, Abbotsford, Aquila is proud of its rich heritage and its position as the leader in men's fashion footwear in Australia.
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lnteresting info about the Aquila. They used to be a half decent shoo once and many of the t.v blokes used to wear them as you probably can recall, l always used to watch the t.v with the primary purpose of checking out the shoos. Now Aquila have the more expensive `ltalian imports'...average leather with blake stitching and also have the upper Aquila brand called `hudson'.

Never heard of `Marca Corona'. Pity Mr X isn't here, he would know everything about Aquila and Marca Corona. Anyway, l have many tricks up my sleeve...got a few shoo big guns to still talk to who will know everything. l'm not even supposed to have their number, but l do. There are still some factory owners to talk to also. Pity l am so busy doing crazy nonsense now....makes it hard to find the time to talk about shoos with local men.