DEATH OF FLORIANO VOLPATO, OAM
Page: 4700
The Hon. Dr B. P. V. PEZZUTTI [10.19 p.m.]: I wish to add to the eloquent contributions of Mr Thomas George, the honourable member for Lismore in the other place, and the Hon. Janelle Saffin on the death of Floriano Volpato.
The Hon. M. R. Egan: It sounds as though he was a great fellow.
The Hon. Dr B. P. V. PEZZUTTI: He was a great fellow. I knew Floriano for almost 20 years. During that time he was a leader in the Lismore community on the North Coast, particularly for members of the Italian-Australian community who came to Australia after the war. He was typical of the immigrants who came to Australia at about that time.
The Hon. M. R. Egan: He was an economist.
The Hon. Dr B. P. V. PEZZUTTI: He was an economist; he had a degree. But many others who came to Australia after the war were learned and held high degrees, and made this country what it is. Floriano took the time to help his local Italian community. He became honorary consul and the consular agent in Lismore, serving 40 years in that capacity. He made certain that the cultural needs and cultural expression of the Italian community were at the forefront and contributed to the Lismore community. Floriano became involved in the New Italy Museum project, which is a celebration of the arrival of my forebears to New Italy during the early Italian migration there. As the older members of that organisation became less active, Floriano, together with the new Italian community that arrived after the war, took on the important task of building.
In addition to his involvement in the establishment of the museum complex, his persuasive influence encouraged the Italian Government to donate the Italian Expo building to New Italy from the Brisbane World Expo site. He was also associated with the construction of a mud-brick, three-bedroom house, which had a ristorante below it. Just recently he completed the construction of a 400-seater auditorium. He not only ensured community involvement, he also encouraged the establishment of one of the best Aboriginal art centres in the country. I understand that a number of the pieces purchased there by the Governor-General, Bill Hayden, found their way to Government House, Yarralumla.
Floriano Volpato was a very important person. Brief, but very moving, eulogies were delivered at his funeral by Dr John Rawle, a general practitioner in Lismore, whom Floriano had taught to speak Italian so that he could minister to the Italian community; Mr John Crowther, a long-time mayor of Lismore with whom Floriano had worked in an endeavour to improve the commercial centre in Lismore and improve the business outlook of the town to make it more outward-looking; and his son Luca, who is a pharmacist in Brisbane.
His son Nicola now takes over as the Italian consular agent in Lismore, and will keep up his good work. Floriano left to his family a thriving business of some 20 travel agencies around the country; and a number of important investments, including the Australian Government building in Lismore, which he turned into a successful commercial centre. His foresight and ideas were always big, his ambitions were always grand, and he was always honest. He was able to attract thousands of people from Coffs Harbour, Brisbane and Sydney to all the festas held in the New Italy Centre and make them big events. He has been recognised for his services by the Australian people and also by the Italian Government. I reiterate some of the words uttered by his son Luca in his eulogy about his father. He said:
He went, and we all know of the goodness of his heart and the purity is of his soul. Arrivederci.