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Mitchie Lacco
He was born into a lighthouse family at McCrae on Port Phillip shoreline of the Mornington Peninsula in 1883. Christened Mitchell Lacco, he soon became Mitchie. Leaving school he was lucky enough to be an apprentice to Anders Hansen, a Danish boat builder who emigrated to Australia in 1890. He married his wife, Lucy Marie, and they had four children,
The Lacco family moved across the heads from Rosebud on the Mornington Peninsula to Queenscliff during World War I in 1916, establishing their boatbuilding business at 31 Beach Street. The three boys, Ken, Alex and George became boatbuilders while their daughter and then daughters -in-law operated a small sail making business in a loft beside the house.
The shed and loft were close to the water, so new boats and repairs were easily handled. Lacco worked with the fishermen to improve the boats and the sails. The gaff rig that replaced the original lug rig was one aspect he helped pioneer.
In 1926 one of his shipwrights Peter Locke took over the business and soon after Mitchie established another one at Hobson and Learmouth Streets , just opposite his first employer Anders Hansen.
Two years later in 1928 the Laccos returned to Rosebud and continued boatbuilding until 1934. Mitchie passed away in 1974.
Shipwright and couta boat enthusiast Tim Phillips has always held Lacco in high regard, and proudly owns the restored couta boat Muriel, one of Laccos early boats from 1917
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