Veneto Club Relazione Annuale - May 2021 - October 2022

Relazione Annuale May 2021 — October 2022

President’s Report 5 Vice President’s Report 6

Vice President’s Report 7 Secretary’s Report 9

Commercial Report 17

North East Link Project 17

In the News 19-27

President's Dinner 2022 28

Christmas Picnic 2021 29

VC Disco is Back in 2022! 31

Australia Day 33

48th Anniversary December 2021 35

Sagra di San Marco 36-37

Volunteers Week May 2022 39

Bulleen Men's Shed 40

Mario Bonis 100th and 101st Birthdays 41

Membership Stats 41

Na Storia Na Lengua - El Veneto 43

Sports Day 45

FC Bulleen Lions 46-47 Bocce 48-49 Golf Report 50-51

Squash Report 51 Tennis Report 53

Ladies Auxiliary 54-55

VC Choir 56

Alpini 57

Associazione Padovani nel Mondo 58

Associazione Trevisani nel Mondo 59

Associazione Veronesi nel Mondo 60

Associazione Ente Vicentini nel Mondo 61

Comunità Montana dei 7 Comuni 63

Federazione delle Associazioni Venete del Victoria e Regione Veneto 64-65 Bereavements 66-67

È con grande piacere che il Veneto Club vi presenta la sua rivista annuale – quest'anno per un periodo prolungato fino a Settembre 2022. Abbiamo fatto il cambiamento in via eccezionale, per questa e per la prossima annualità in modo da far coincidere la prossima edizione, quella del 2023, con il 50° anniversario dell'apertura del Club.

Il nostro Club ha avuto molti alti e bassi nell'ultimo mezzo secolo ma nessun periodo è stato più impegnativo come quello che abbiamo affrontato a causa del Covid negli ultimi due anni. Sebbene stiamo iniziando a ritornare alla normale operatività, ci sono rimaste molte cicatrici dovute alla pandemia, dalle quali stiamo cercando, ulteriormente, di riprenderci – tra le più impattanti, la perdita sostanziale della fine dello scorso anno finanziario, il significativo stop temporaneo ai nostri piani di rinnovamento della Sala Venezia e le carenze di personale che il nostro team deve affrontare mese dopo mese per cercare di far fronte alle necessità operative della nostra ampia offerta servizi.

Inoltre, in aggiunta alle criticità sopra indicate, siamo anche fortemente concentrati sulle trattative con il North East Link Authority, per cercare di ottenere il miglior risultato possibile per il Veneto Club.

Quindi dobbiamo tutti guardare avanti e pensare positivamente al 2023 e ai prossimi anni che ci aspettano.

Le nostre strutture sportive sono tra le migliori di Melbourne e le nostre squadre che rappresentano il calcio, lo squash, il tennis e le bocce sono competitive e hanno un discreto successo. Continueremo a investire nel miglioramento della nostra infrastruttura sportiva per garantire che tutte le nostre offerte siano attraenti per i potenziali nuovi soci e per aumentare ancora di più la partecipazione a tutti gli sport.

Finanziariamente ci stiamo riprendendo, questo grazie a voi, nostri soci e simpatizzanti comunitari che scelgono il nostro Club, che degustano il nostro ottimo cibo nel bistro, che partecipano ai nostri numerosi eventi di intrattenimento e culturali e che ci sostengono ulteriormente anche acquistando i nostri prodotti tipici al VCDELI che si sta rivelando, anno dopo anno, un grande successo. È con piacere che posso farvi partecipi del fatto che la nostra banca, la ANZ, ha molta fiducia in noi e continuerà a sostenerci.

Siamo quindi in una buona posizione, dato che a breve rilanceremo i nostri piani per la ristrutturazione della Sala Venezia. Ma prima di iniziare vogliamo rivedere alcuni dettagli con i costruttori, poiché vogliamo assicurarci il miglior risultato possibile in modo da essere competitivi e attraenti, per eventi e attività, non solo per la comunità veneta ma anche per il settore del business aziendale commerciale.

Abbiamo buone prospettive e molti cambiamenti in serbo per i prossimi due anni e mi auguro che anche voi siate entusiasti come lo sono io. Tuttavia, parallelamente a queste migliorie, ci saranno probabilmente delle interruzioni nell'accesso alla struttura così come nelle disponibilità di alcuni servizi. Quindi, per favore, cercate di essere comprensivi e solidali nei confronti del nostro personale che cercherà tuttavia, come sempre, di soddisfare le vostre esigenze e di venirvi incontro il più possibile. State certi che il nostro Club sarà sempre aperto per voi.

Infine, vorrei riconoscere e ringraziare tutte le persone che rendono il nostro Club un successo. Il mio Comitato, il nostro Direttore Generale, Joe Morello e tutto il suo Staff, i nostri Volontari, i nostri Sottocomitati sportivi e il nostro Coro, nonché tutte le Associazioni storiche, a sfondo provinciale e non solo, che contribuiscono alle attività e ai risultati del Club.

Ringrazio anche voi soci, vostri amici e tutti gli ospiti che frequentano il Club per eventi ristorativi, sportivi o culturali e che lo rendono quello che è ancor oggi, a 49 anni dalla sua apertura, una realtà fiorente, prospera e vigorosa. Grazie!

Vi auguro un Buon Natale e un felice e sereno Anno Nuovo a tutti!

Dear Members & friends

It is with great pleasure that the Veneto Club presents its annual magazine – this year for an extended period through to October 2022. We have made the change for this year, and for next year so that we coincide the next edition for 2023 with the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Club.

Our Club has had many ups and downs over the last half a century, none more challenging than the impact of Covid over the last couple of years. Whilst it's great that we are now starting to get back into normal operations, we have been left with many Covid scars, that we are trying to recover from - beit the substantial loss at the end of last financial year, the significant pause put on our plans to renovate the Sala Venezia, and the staffing deficiencies our operations team face month after month trying to fill roles in the hospitality field.

In addition to these challenges we are also heavily focused on negotiations with the North East Link Authority to get the best possible outcome for the Veneto Club.

So we all must look forward and think positively towards 2023 and the next few years to come.

Our sporting facilities are some of the best you will find in Melbourne, and our teams representing football, squash, tennis and bocce are competitive and relatively successful. We will continue to invest in improvements to our sporting infrastructure to ensure that all our facilities are modern and attractive to prospective new members to increase participation in all sports even more.

Our financial position is recovering steadily, that’s thanks to you, our members and the community patrons who come to our club, eat our great food in the bistro, attend our many entertainment and cultural events and further support our club by making purchases at our very successful VCDELI. It's good to know that our bank, the ANZ, has confidence in our financial viability and will continue to support us.

This is a good position to be in, as we will now resurrect our plans for the Sala Venezia refurbishment. But before we start, we will need to review our plans with the builders as we want to make sure that the vision for the renovations will put us in a competitive position for events and functions that are attractive not only to the Veneto community but for corporate functions as well.

We have many good changes to look forward to in the next couple of years and I hope you are as excited as I am about these. Whilst these changes are being made there will probably be disruptions to access and availability to some of our facilities. So please be understanding of this, and our operations team will try to accommodate your needs as much as possible. But rest assured that our Club will always be open for you.

Finally, I would like to recognise and thank all the people that make our Club a success. My committee, our General Manager, Joe Morello and all his staff, our volunteers, our sporting sub-committees and our choir as well as our cultural sub-committees that contribute to the club’s activities and achievements.

I would also like to thank you our members, your friends and guests that attend the club for dining, sports or cultural events that make our Club what it is today, 49 years after its opening and still thriving. Thank you!

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

LOUIS CREMA President

Cari Soci e Amici

It is with much pleasure that I present to you my Vice-President’s Annual Report for 2022. It goes without saying that the last couple of years have been quite a challenge for most of us in every aspect of our daily lives due to the COVID pandemic. Government mandated lockdowns significantly affected operations of our great club, and this has impacted significantly on our finances. We are now through the worst of these difficult times, and we can look forward to a sustained period of enjoying all the great facilities that the club has to offer.

The last 12-18 months did provide the Board and management of the club an opportunity to focus our attention on improving the sporting facilities that the club has to offer. The Veneto Club Board is very dedicated to ensuring that all our sporting facilities are of a very high standard so that we continue to be a sporting club of choice in the Manningham area.

The list of improvements is quite extensive i.e., new synthetic soccer pitch with state-of-the-art lighting and dressing rooms, improved road access to the Baracca, fencing around both soccer pitches, lighting upgrade to the Bocce drome, resurfacing of the basketball court and working with Vida Fitness to expand and improve our gym area.

Undoubtedly, the success of the Veneto Club sporting program would not be possible without the commitment and hard work of the staff and volunteers, that tirelessly dedicate themselves to ensure members and guests, have a very positive experience when patronising the club. My personal thanks go to Veneto Club staff members David Del Monaco, Karl Hodge, Karen Daley as well as the many hard-working volunteers who dedicate themselves week in week out to the sometimes painstaking tasks that need doing to help run a sporting club of this magnitude. To the members of the FC Bulleen Lions committee, Sonya Velo and her Bocce sub-committee and the Squash and Golf sub-committees, a very big thank-you!

On a more general note, I would also like to offer my thanks to the members that continue to give up their time to volunteer their services. These include the wonderful ladies of the Ladies Auxiliary, the Coro Veneto, NELP Sub Committee chaired by Frank Freschi and the Alpini who have been a fantastic recent addition to our Veneto Club. I would also like to acknowledge the continued hard work and dedication of our General Manager, Joe Morello and his staff. These past few years have been quite a challenge especially for those of us in the hospitality industry. Joe and his team have done a wonderful job to ensure that we are now able to mount a sustainable recovery.

Finally, I leave you with the wise words of my respected colleague and friend Fabio Sandona, “Sempre avanti, Mai fermarsi!”

It is with great enthusiasm that I pen this report, as it seems that we have passed through the COVID dilemma and come out the other end. The last two turbulent years seem to be a blur of horrid times which have now passed, and we embrace a new era of recalibrating and rebuilding our operations.

As I walked around the grounds recently, it was so pleasing to see thriving sporting and social activity around the club. Our sporting numbers are growing in squash and tennis, our numbers and achievements in my beloved bocce are becoming more frequent, and as for football it continues to flourish. Even more pleasing is the range of new and diverse events that have been very popular. Events such as the monthly Frittole classes that are always sold out and the Veneto language exhibition and film Na Storia Na Lengua: El Veneto that was attended by over 200 people each time. And as for the crostoli making - its humbling to receive the countless compliments about the taste and quality of our crostoli - made in true Veneto style, light and crispy with a beautiful gusto. They are made weekly by a group of relentlessly hardworking volunteers and sell out within a day of production. The Books & Bubbles events have also exposed a desire for us to stay connected with our Italian roots and culture.

This year we embarked on a membership drive to entice descendants (of current Foundation & Veneto members) to themselves become members of the Club. This has been quite successful in increasing our younger memberships and, also that of female members. This too reinforces to me and the rest of the committee that there is a true desire for us to stay connected to our heritage. We welcome any descendants of past Foundation and Veneto members to take up the special offer to become members of the Veneto Club – contact membership@venetoclub.com for more information about this offer.

Italian Clubs like ours are great employers of staff of all ages, especially for hospitality type roles, be it a mature aged person wanting to re-enter the workforce or for a younger person who wants a part-time role. For the young, our Club provides an opportunity to be exposed to the hospitality industry work environment and earn a reasonable income. But most importantly clubs like ours provide the opportunity for second, third and fourth generation Italians to stay connected with the Italian culture by mingling with our members, hearing Italian being spoken and experiencing events they are servicing, an intangible benefit of the job. I encourage you to promote our Club as an employment possibility with your children and grandchildren. If you would like to explore any employment opportunities at the Veneto Club –email operations@venetoclub.com.

As we turn our attention to 2023 change seems to be the theme that we must welcome, embrace and take the positive of whatever we are faced with. The North East Link Project will start to impinge on the Veneto Club more and more as the project gains momentum. There will be inconveniences and disruptions which we must accept but rest assured the Club will always be here, and always be open. The board is committed to negotiating the best possible outcome for our Club. And whilst the Sala Venezia renovations have been on hold for longer than we would have liked – we will refresh our plans for these and reassess how this might be implemented.

Next year we will try a range of different events to connect with members – its going to be an exciting time for us, so look out for these! But most importantly, in December 2023, the Veneto Club will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the opening of the building. This needs to be a celebration that is akin to the grand opening in 1973 and I can’t wait to be involved in the planning for this. The committee welcome any ideas you may have to add to the celebration of this mammoth milestone – email culture@venetoclub.com.

In closing, I remember my dad who was one of the founding members of the Veneto Club. He saw the vision for the Veneto Club, put in his contribution in the 1960’s and right up to his last days was a passionate member of the Veneto Club. Now its my duty and honour to be part of the next generation that continues this. I’m blessed to be part of the Veneto Club committee and work along likeminded people who all have the very best interests of the Veneto Club at the core of their being.

EUGENE BRAZZALE

Vice President

SONYA VELO Vice President

It is with great pleasure that I write my first report as Secretary of the Veneto Club since I was elected into this role in November 2021. During this period the Veneto Club has slowly come out of the COVID restrictions and is now once again full of life. The bistro is busy, the young are playing football on our pitches and the bocce pitch once again rings with the sound of bocce balls mingled with laughter.

We have had much success on the football field with four of our team’s winning premiership. We hope this success will propel further success into 2023 and beyond. We are proud of our Senior Women’s team who were runners-up in the Grand Final.

Our membership numbers are strong. We recently had a descendants’ membership recruitment drive which has proven very successful and now we are at an all-time high, nearing 1,200 members. Currently more than 60% of our members are Veneti or descendants of Veneti. Recently the Club has recommenced the monthly new member nights which have proven to be very popular, as most nights we have up to 20 prospective Veneto Club members come and learn about the club.

Our work continues to be challenging with post COVID issues with securing staff and now the North East Link road development is taking up considerable amounts of our energy. As Secretary I am leading a review of our constitution and will, before the next AGM, hold several information evenings with members to discuss the proposed changes and seek members’ support.

I am confident that in 2023 and well beyond, the Veneto Club will continue to thrive as a meeting place for our sports participants and activities, our members, and the wider community.

Finally, I pray that the coming year will bring joy and happiness to all our members and their families and to all our dedicated staff.

E con grande piacere che scrivo la mia prima relazione in qualità di Segretario del Veneto Club da quando ricopro il ruolo dal Novembre 2021. In questo periodo il Veneto Club è uscito pian piano fuori dalle restrizioni COVID ed è ora di nuovo pieno di vita. Il bistro è affollato, giovani giocano a pallone nei nostri campi e il campo da bocce risuona ancora una volta con il suono delle bocce mescolate con le risate.

Abbiamo avuto molto successo sul campo da calcio con quattro “premiership” vinte della nostra squadra. Ci auguriamo che questo successo promuova un ulteriore miglioramento nel 2023 e oltre. Siamo molto orgogliosi della nostra squadra delle Senior Womens, che si è classificata seconda nella Finalissima.

Abbiamo un buon numero di soci. Di recente abbiamo effettuato una campagna di reclutamento per "appartenenza dei discendenti" che ha avuto molto successo e ora siamo ai massimi storici, con oltre 1.200 soci. Attualmente più del 60% degli stessi sono Veneti o discendenti di Veneti. Abbiamo ricominciato le "serate per i nuovi soci". Queste serate mensili sono molto popolari poiché nella maggior parte degli incontri abbiamo avuto fino a 20 potenziali soci interessati a conoscere il Club più da vicino.

Il nostro lavoro continua ad essere impegnativo con il problema post COVID e con le conseguenze sul personale e ora anche con lo sviluppo delle progetto stradale del NELP, che sta assorbendo una notevole quantità delle nostre energie. Stiamo conducendo una revisione della nostra costituzione e prima della prossima assemblea generale organizzerò diverse "serate informative" con i soci per discutere le modifiche proposte e cercare il sostegno degli stessi.

Sono fiducioso che nel futuro il Veneto Club continuerà a essere rilevante come punto d’incontro sia per i nostri associati sportivi che per i nostri soci comunitari così come per la collettività nel suo insieme.

Infine, prego che il 2023 porti gioia e felicità al nostro personale e a tutti i nostri soci con le loro famiglie.

LOREN ZANIN Secretary

Financials for the financial Year 1 May 2021 – 30th April 2022

This was another difficult year for all Victorians and the Club. I trust that all members have been safe and can now enjoy their personal and family activities without the restrictions of the last two years. As you will recall, we were required to close all our operations in late May through to October 2021 due to the pandemic lockdowns. With the expiry of Job Keeper in March 2021, we were only able to keep critical staff employed during the lockdown period. The Deli has been established as a permanent facility which has produced a significant return for the club. Since late October 2021, it has been wonderful to see many of our members enjoy our food, culture and facilities on a regular basis again.

Without being able to trade until after October 2021, the club had produced a significant loss of $873,000 for the six months period to October 2021. Trading since October 2021 saw a high level of activity in all areas which was particularly pleasing, but the club operations were subjected to difficulties with cancellation of functions or reduced numbers, as well as staff shortages due to Covid 19 isolation requirements. Our operations for November 2021 through to April 2022, albeit limited at times, produced a good profit of $367,000, but with no Job Keeper and reduced assistance from the Federal and State government, it was very difficult for the club to recover the loss hence we produced an overall loss of $506,000 for the financial year.

Many of you would have seen our young soccer players running and kicking the ball on the new soccer pitch. It is a substantial improvement to our facilities enhancing the status of the Club and junior development opportunities. We now looking forward to a three-pitch facility about to start development on Templestowe Road Bulleen (where the old golf driving range was located). Our wonderful sporting facilities are all back and running at a high level with football, squash, tennis, and bocce fully operating at high participant levels. I would like to thank both Karl Hodge for the excellent development of the various Veneto Club sports and David Del Monaco for the continuing development of the FCBL Football program.

May to October 2022

Membership as at the end of April 2022 was 1,184. The Committee has been working to recover the reduced membership from the last 2 years with a membership drive targeting Veneto descendants which has been quite successful. We ask all members to continue to support the club by renewing membership and to introduce friends and family to the wonderful facilities and culture of the club.

The Club repaid its bank loan in August 2021. We have started a savings strategy, and each month contributing $40,000 to the Sala Venezia building fund – as at the end of October 2022 the fund holds a balance of $644,000. Our strong cash position allows the Committee to refocus on the Sala Venezia project subject to a review of the post pandemic operation and the NELP effect on the club. ANZ has confidence in the Veneto Club’s operations and has confirmed the availability of funding.

The Committee is focused on continuing to improve the Club’s financial position in all areas to ensure a strong growing facility that continues to support the Veneto sporting activities, heritage, and culture, well into the future. This vision cannot be achieved without the continuous support of our management team, their staff and the many volunteers that have contributed during the year to enhance and advance the Veneto Club for the benefit of all members. Thank you to Joe Morello, his team and all the volunteers for you hard work during this difficult year.

DE BORTOLI Treasurer

DINO

Negli ultimi anni, il mondo ha visto enormi cambiamenti e il club non fa eccezione. Stiamo per affrontare una grande transizione che cambierà per sempre la nostra entità. I lavori del Nordest link rimodelleranno in modo significativo il Veneto club. La cosa più importante è che il Comitato e il team di gestione rimangano concentrati sui nostri valori fondanti. Dobbiamo ricordare che il nostro club rimarrà sempre operativo durante questo periodo di transizione affrontando le attività come di consueto. Anche se ci saranno innumerevoli disagi che ci impatteranno, incoraggiamo i nostri soci e la comunità locale a continuare a supportare il nostro bistrot, partecipando ai nostri eventi, alle nostre attività, frequentando i nostri impianti sportivi o semplicemente acquistando prodotti dalla nostra selezione di gastronomia dal delicatessen.

La costruzione del nuovo collegamento Nordest link richiederà diversi anni e il club si prefigge di rimanere sempre attivo e a disposizione più che mai durante questo periodo così cruciale.

Quest'anno abbiamo volutamente posticipato la pubblicazione di questa nostra rivista di modo che sia allineata, anche per la prossima edizione, al 50° anniversario dell’apertura del club che festeggeremo a Dicembre 2023. Management e Comitato hanno già iniziato a pianificare le attività per celebrare a dovere questo enorme traguardo.

Mentre il mondo cerca di lasciarsi alle spalle la pandemia, stiamo affrontando molte nuove sfide, negli ultimi due anni la nostra forza lavoro è diminuita anche in considerazione, come ben percepibile, del fatto che si sta rivalutando il proprio equilibrio tra lavoro e vita privata. L’essere attrattivi per personale qualificato e disponibile a lavorare per noi è diventato una missione sempre più difficile. Non è, ovviamente, solo un nostro problema circoscritto, bensì è una criticità di sistema che interessa ogni settore in questo momento. Questo problema sta avendo un enorme effetto sulla nostra conduzione e sulle nostre attività. I tempi in cui ogni spazio o sala per gli eventi venivano riempiti per tutto il fine settimana, o talvolta anche raddoppiati dal pranzo alla cena, sono purtroppo finiti poiché la nostra carenza di personale ci impone di essere selettivi rispetto alle tipologie e alle quantità di cerimonie che possiamo accettare. Siamo tuttavia fiduciosi che, con la stessa perseveranza che i nostri soci fondatori dimostrarono cinquant'anni fa, saremo in grado di ritornare presto alla nostra consueta e prospera realtà che ci appartiene.

Guardando avanti ed impegnandoci lavorando per rimodulare alcuni aspetti operativi cruciali, rimaniamo comunque fiduciosi e determinati nel cercare nuovamente di crescere e migliorare il nostro business a livelli pre-pandemia oltre a mirare ad essere ancora più reattivi e responsivi per quanto riguarda aspettative e necessità di tutti voi, nostri soci. Ad esempio, alcune di queste soluzioni, riguarderanno l'ammodernamento della sala Rialto e della sua cucina, per renderla ancora più facile da usare, migliorandone, nel contempo, l'atmosfera e l’usabilità generale. Siamo inoltre ottimisti di poter riprendere in mano la proposta di rifacimento della Sala Venezia poiché siamo convinti che questo aspetto sarà vitale per la crescita futura del club se vogliamo essere competitivi e al passo con i nostri concorrenti del settore.

È confortante vedere il continuo supporto che stiamo ricevendo da voi per la nostra offerta enogastronomica al Deli. È incredibile sentire il feedback non solo dei nostri soci, ma anche delle persone di passaggio che tornano, settimana dopo settimana, per acquistare i deliziosi prodotti fatti a mano dal nostro team. Faremo del nostro meglio per incrementare la scelta e l’offerta disponibile con nuove specialità e peculiarità alimentari.

Pensando al 2023, rimane estremamente importante essere pazienti durante tutti questi cambiamenti e questi inconvenienti che ci impatteranno specialmente per quanto riguarda il nostro parcheggio così come per l'ingresso e per l’uscita dalla nostra struttura, dovuti ai lavori del collegamento Nordest link.

Vi assicuriamo, tuttavia, che verranno prese tutte le contromisure del caso per garantire quanti meno inconvenienti possibili per tutti voi e per l’intera nostra clientela.

Un pensiero e una preghiera, infine, per ricordare i nostri soci che ci hanno lasciato durante il 2021/22.

Grazie nuovamente per il vostro continuo supporto.

JOE MORELLO Direttore Generale

In the past few years, the world has seen tremendous changes, and the Club is no exception. We are about to go through a large transition that will change the Club forever. The emergence of North East Link will re-shape the Veneto club significantly. The most important thing is for the committee and management team to remain focused on our Club values. We need to remember that our Club will always remain operational through this transitional period with business as usual.  Whilst there is going to be considerable activity at our doorstep, we encourage our members, and local community to continue supporting our bistro, frequenting our various special live events, activities, sporting facilities or merely browsing from our deli selection.

Construction of the new North East Link will take several years, and our Club will endeavour to maintain its outstanding service during this crucial time.

This year we have purposely delayed the publishing of our magazine to fall in line with the Club’s 50th Anniversary, since its opening, at the end of 2023. Management and Committee have begun plans to celebrate this huge milestone.

As the world comes out of pandemic mode, we are facing many new challenges, the past 2 years has seen our workforce diminish as people are reassessing their work / life balance. Attracting skilled people to work for us has become the most difficult job. This is not just a Veneto Club problem this is an issue affecting every industry at the present time. This problem is having a huge effect on our business. The days of every function room being filled all weekend and sometimes doubled up from lunch to dinner are over as our staff shortages mean we need to be selective on how many functions we accept. We are confident that with the same perseverance our foundation members had fifty years ago we will return to our former prosperous Club.

Going forward, while we work to integrate our valuable solutions and services, we are confident that as we seek to grow our business again back to pre-pandemic times, we aim to be even more responsive to evolving the needs of you our members and guests’ expectations. Some of these solutions will be to look at updating the Rialto room and kitchen to make it more user friendly and improve the overall ambience of the room itself. We are hopeful we can get the Sala Venezia upgrade back on the table again as this will be vital for the future growth of the Club if we are to be competitive and ahead of our competitors in the functions and event space.

It is very pleasing to see the continued support we are getting for the Deli. It’s amazing to hear the feedback not only from our members but also from people off the street that come back week in week out to get the delicious products made in house by our team. We will constantly look to refresh our offerings with new product lines.

Looking towards 2023, it is extremely important to be patient during these developments especially through the changes with our car park, and entrance during the North East Link works.

Rest assured appropriate steps will be taken to ensure the transition will be as easy and as comfortable as possible for our patrons.

We should also take a moment to remember our members who have passed during 2021/22.

Thank you for your continued support.

JOE MORELLO General Manager

2022 finally saw an end to restrictions, and the Veneto Club started to return to normality with several special events returning to the club. Sagra di San Marco, Easter Sunday, Veneto Film festival and Babba are the year’s highlights so far! This year the demand for Christmas has exceeded our expectations, and the club is looking forward to hosting members and their families once again.

The Deli continues to develop into an integral part of the club with a wonderful following from our members and the countless guests who attend the Veneto Club. Chef David Gauci and his team work around the clock to produce house-made goods and source kitchen staples for us all to stock up our pantries.

The Bistro remains highly sort after by our members and guests alike, with the Bistro reaching capacity most nights of the week and weekends. The continued support of our members showing off the club to their family and friends and the pride shown by so many members of the Veneto Club are great to see. Functions have bounced back in 2022; whilst not at pre-covid levels, the demand for a wide range of events and celebrations show the community’s support for the Veneto Club as a destination of choice.

The early part of 2022 has seen a transition of several long-term employees changing careers with several new faces around the club. It certainly has been challenging to find appropriately skilled people to fill roles, however, several staff have been promoted internally, which is a great testament to those who have grown into these roles.

As one of the newer employees of the Veneto Club, it has been an amazing experience to see the culture and heritage being passed to the new generation of members, employees, and the wider community. This shows the standing in the community that the Veneto Club continues to uphold. The regular events held by our Associations, sporting groups and our Ladies Auxiliary are a testament to this.

Looking ahead to 2023, already several special events are being planned, so keep a lookout for the special shows and events on our website. A sincere thank you to all those who tirelessly volunteer and continuously contribute their time in assisting around the Club, whether it be for FCBL, the regular Thursday crostoli makers, or those that support the various associations or the other sporting groups - you are an essential and important part of the core of this great club.

CHRIS ROSE Operations Manager

Anniversary.

We celebrate the legacy of those who believed in and acted upon a vision and the leaders and members who expanded that vision.

For those that I have not met, my name is Brad Ford, and I am the Commercial Manager of the Veneto Club. Whilst I have only been here since July, I have been impressed with how the Club has navigated the previous challenging years. The Veneto Club finds itself in an exciting position coming out of the 2021/22 financial year and as we move ahead into the busy festive season, trading is returning to pre-covid levels as our members and guests frequent the Club.

From a commercial perspective there continues to be an immense importance placed on human resources, legal obligations, regulatory compliance, payroll and financial control. Like most other clubs and businesses, we are still experiencing the challenges of rebuilding our staff team coming out the other side of COVID. We are focusing on staff training and development to ensure we meet the highest standards in food and beverage service as business grows.

During the past year the Commercial Department has ensured that the analysing and reporting on all facets of our business for the Committee and management has been precise to assist with making sound decisions for the business.

Over the next 12 months a focus for the Commercial Department will be rebuilding our workforce, staff training and development, reviewing and ensuring compliance of all legal/regulatory requirements, implementing new processes that can improve/streamline the accounts process as well assessing new opportunities for the commercial operations of the Veneto Club.

BRAD

FORD Commercial Manager

Veneto Club - North East Link Project Negotiations Sub-Committee Report

As a result of the progress of the North East Link Project (NELP) the Veneto Club will see construction work around our premises that has not been seen since the building of our Club way back in the 1970’s. The impact will begin on our land by the end of this year as work gradually increases over several years.

First to appear is the construction of our new car park on Bulleen Park land which is located to the south of our current car park. The next stage will be a new temporary entrance, which includes the removal of the front archway, the relocation of the Leone di San Marco and the removal of the covered canopy. Trees will be removed, and new temporary traffic deviation paths will be built.

The impact for patrons will be that when you arrive at the Veneto Club, there will be new signs that will direct traffic to the remainder of the existing car park and into the new car park area which has over 500 spaces. The temporary deviation paths for club traffic are designed to be clear and simple and allow for smooth traffic flow and ensure the safety of patrons.

Our Sub-Committee is developing a Veneto Club Masterplan because the North East Link Project construction phases will have considerable impact on our sporting and club amenities for the next 6-7 years. Our focus, efforts and negotiations are always to maximize the best outcomes for the long-term interests and benefits of the club and its members.

Located near the Club’s Reception area, you can view the latest construction update and how these impact on the Veneto Club site. I encourage all members to read this the next time you are at the Club, and most of all I encourage you to not be discouraged in attending Club events during periods of peak construction.

FRANK FRESCHI Chair of VC-NELP Negotiations Sub-Committee

North East Link Project

Barro Group congratulates the Members of the Veneto Club on its 50th

President's Dinner

At a ceremony held at the Manningham City Council function centre, the Hon Kevin Andrews, Federal Member for Menzies, presented Veneto Club Board members Eugene Brazzale, Dino De Bortoli and Orlando Bernardi with a certificate and the Australian National Flag (previously only raised once in the House of Representatives Chamber on 3rd August 2021). This award recognizes the valued contribution to the local community in Menzies Electorate and the ongoing loyal commitment to the Commonwealth of Australia.

Australia Day 2022 was a very busy day for the Veneto Club. In addition to the Australia Day breakfast held around the Fontana and the Mixed Triples Bocce Interclub event, the Veneto Club was honoured to receive the ‘Menzies Australia Day Community Organisation Award’.

From the world famous Harry’s Bar in Venice, the original Bellini. Since its inception the peach Bellini is made with only the best white peach puree, whose smooth texture combines with sparkling white wine to conceive a joyous cocktail that celebrates life! From the very first sip the palate is delighted by a lively sparkle that brings out the sweetness of the peach puree, which in turn balances the slight tart note of the sparkling wine, the pink hue is the same as the cocktail served at Harry’s Bar. The peach puree and sparkling wine combination complete each other harmoniously, no other aromas or flavours are required!

Sagra di San Marco 2022

Sagra di San Marco 2022

Sagra di San Marco

Diventa un Volontario dell’Amicizia!

Become a Friendship Volunteer

Il CO.AS.IT. è alla ricerca di persone di lingua Italiana che offrano due ore settimanali del proprio tempo agli anziani Italiani isolati e bisognosi di amicizia. Visitare un anziano isolato offre l’opportunità di migliorare la vita di un’altra persona oltre che arricchire la vostra.

Si tratta anche di una splendida occasione, per persone che parlano l’italiano, di farne un uso pratico e di rimanere collegati con la lingua Italiana e la sua ricca cultura.

Se siete interessati a diventare volontari dell’amicizia o desiderate ottenere maggiori informazioni, chiamate il numero 0418 995 525.

CO.AS.IT.’s Visitation Program offers friendship and social support to elderly and socially isolated Italians living in the community. We are currently looking for Italian speaking individuals willing to volunteer a couple of hours per week to visit older persons of Italian origin who are lonely and in need of company. By assisting an older person on a social level, you have the chance to make a difference in their life as well as in your own. If you are interested in becoming a friendship volunteer or wish to obtain more information about the program, please call 0418 995 525.

CO.AS.IT. - Italian Assistance Association 189 Faraday Street, Carlton VIC 3053

Tel. 03 9349 9000 Web. www.coasit.com.au

Thank you to all the wonderful volunteers who contribute their time, energy and expertise to the Veneto Club. The dedication of volunteers has been the backbone of the Veneto Club for over half a century. Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the Veneto Club community.

It’s highly rewarding, fun and suitable for all ages and backgrounds and offers you the opportunity to learn new skills whilst meeting new people and making new friends. It also helps to generate events and activities for the club, has the added benefit of increasing confidence and well being and enables you to extend your knowledge on how Club activities are run.

There are many ways that you can volunteer at the Veneto Club, by joining one of our sub-committees such as:

• FCBL, or one of the other sporting codes such as bocce, squash, or golf etc

• via the Ladies Auxiliary, organising events targeted for our seniors and ladies

• helping at some of our regular events such as the Sagra, Christmas Picnic, or even the Discos

• getting involved with the FAV and the various provincial Associations to promote and organise their events

• working with the Crostoli Ladies on Thursdays to make our delicious Veneto style crostoli, or even

• helping with special projects, such as the 50th Anniversary planning group .

If you are interested in volunteering at the Veneto Club– please email culture@venetoclub.com and we will get back in touch with you to discuss opportunities that might be suitable for you to be involved in.

In 2022 the winner of the Volunteer of the Year award was the Crostoli Ladies. Check out some of the impressive stats by these ladies: During 2021, they produced 1745 boxes of crostoli– with an estimated 1,152 hours of volunteer contribution. The crostoli are a sell-out item each week at the VCDELI – with all stock sold within days of production!

Bulleen Men's Shed

The Bulleen Men’s Shed – Veneto Club is the brainchild of a few local residents and Veneto Club members. Collectively they wanted a place where men can enjoy a light feed, a chat and maybe a beer. Generally, men carry a lot of weight on their shoulders and have the “she’ll be right attitude” never really talking about how they feel and always thinking “it will be okay”.

In Australia Men’s Mental Health has always been somewhat of a taboo subject and often gets swept under the carpet by men themselves. The thought or belief that a man is weak or not as strong if they suffer from mental health issues such as Depression or Anxiety still rings true in men of all ages. In essence, the Veneto Club has been a place for men, women and children to gather and enjoy each other’s company and support, and the Men’s Shed is an extension of that. Men of all ages are welcome to come along in a safe environment, listen to guest speakers and have a chat to other like minded individuals.

The objectives of the Bulleen Men’s Shed are:

• Provide an outlet for men to socialise in a judgment free and open environment,

• Meet with other likeminded men who have mental health fitness goals,

• Meet and listen to guest speakers who provide encouragement, motivation, and life examples of overcoming adversity, and

• provide an informal offline network for individuals to seek out assistance and support.

The Bulleen Men’s Shed is held on the first Tuesday of every month between March and November at 7pm, featuring guest speakers who talk about their own experiences in relation to men’s health issues. This year the speakers have included AFL players Paul Di Mattina and Scott Pendlebury, Bernie Crimmins a local doctor and author of Men’s health books, the infamous Rex Hunt, The Hon Jeff Kennett AC, Joel Sardi, Clint Bizzell, Brad McEwan, Dr. Mandy Ruddock, Anthony Kalica and Hayden Kennedy who have all spoken with conviction about their experiences with their life challenges.

In its inaugural year the Bulleen Men’s Shed has been a resounding success with attendees ranging in age from late 20’s to late 80’s - and the numbers of attendees exceeding all expectations.

Men of all ages are welcome to come along to La Baracca for our Bulleen Men's Shed @ Veneto Club events.

Cost is VC Members $10 or Non-Members $15. For catering purposes RSVP’s are essential via email to guido@aslre.com.au or call Guido Bonnani on 0407 444 808.

The Veneto Club is proud to support this very important health and wellbeing issue for the men in our community, it’s an event that is open to all men not just members of the Veneto Club. If the Men’s Shed inspires a man to seek support or help in a time of need – then it’s done its job. The broad range of guest speakers will appeal to men of all ages and backgrounds, we should all encourage the men in our lives to go to one of these events. – Sonya Velo VP Veneto Club

8th August 2022 - we wish Mario Bonis a very happy 101st Birthday.

Mario is a very special person to us at the Veneto Club who spent countless years shaping the progress of our Club. He was a member of the very first committee of the Veneto Club, way back in 1967 and from 1969 he held the position of Treasurer until he became President in 1979 to 1981.

Mario then returned to the role of Treasurer from 1981 to 1984. He worked in the office, and became the licensee of the Club until he retired in 2004. That’s 37 years of continuous service to the Veneto Club!

Mario was an innovator, very cluey and ahead of the times. He played a major role in setting up financial systems as well as introducing Bingo to the Club and then the gaming. You might think these things sound simple these days - but back then (last century) these were major changes in the operations of the Veneto Club.

The ultimate gentlemen. We wish you all the very best for this milestone birthday Mario. I’m sure that many of us that grew up around the Veneto Club in the 1970s through to 1990s will definitely remember Mario.

You are a legend Mario.

On the 31st July and 28th August 2022 the Veneto Club hosted an exhibition and film entitled Na Storia Na Lengua - El Veneto. This splendid event was organised by the Federazione delle Associazioni Venete del Victoria.

The project promoted the evolution of our Venetian language, its history, and its features. It was really pleasing to see participants, from different generations, experiencing a sense of belonging, curiosity and desire to rediscover their own origins thanks to the visual and auditory experiences provided by the movie Brava Zente, Storie della Terra Veneta and the exhibition Storia delle Lingua dei Veneti.

Participants strolled through the exhibition reading about the evolution of the Veneto dialect and were able to listen to this as well thanks to the panels with interactive QR codes. Then as they watched the movie for many this conjured up childhood memories of living and growing up in the paese of the Veneto region.

Na Storia Na Lengua - El Veneto was also held at CO.AS.IT. Melbourne on 16th of October, with proceeds donated to the Italo-Australian charity Italian Community Emergency Welfare Fund. Due to popular demand the exhibition & movie were also shown in country Victoria – Myrtleford, at the Savoy Club on the 30th of October.

The Veneto Club and the Veneto community wish to sincerely extend their gratitude to the President of the Veneti nel Mondo APS Association Dr. Avv. Aldo Rozzi Marin as well as the President of the Academia de la Bona Creansa Dr. Alessandro Mocellin for their collaboration and proving us with this fantastic opportunity to showcase both the exhibition and movie.

Storia Na LenguaEl Veneto

Fermo Marchetti ha fondato Marchetti Smallgoods nel 1970 perseguendo un sogno di una vita: fornire a Melbourne i prodotti di salumi e gli antipasti della migliore qualità a gastronomie, supermercati, ristoranti e altre attività alimentari. Oggi il sogno di Fermo continua con la sua famiglia che gestisce l’attività, giunta alla terza generazione e abbiamo ampliato l’attività con una gamma di prodotti piu di salumi.

Fermo Marchetti established Marchetti Smallgoods in 1970 pursuing a life long dream to supply Melbourne with the best quality smallgoods and antipasti to delicatessens, supermarkets, restaurants and other food businesses. Today, Fermo’s legacy lives on with his family proudly operating the business now in its third generation and we have expanded the business with a larger product range than just smallgoods.

FABIO SANDONÀ

WE ARE A LOCAL GROUP

Who share their experience of making wine in their kitchens or sheds, and to learn from one another how to improve the quality of their wines.

Interested in joining us?

We are always keen to welcome new members and to help them learn –from a first, tiny batch, to managing a whole harvest, and on to wine appreciation.

Through invited presenters, workshops and wine shows, the Guild provides opportunities to learn about winemaking from each other and from professional winemakers.

2022 Wine Show

Our annual Wine Show, held at the Veneto Club in November, attracts over 700 entries in the most diverse categories offered in any Show nationwide.

Public Open Day Veneto Club,

November 20th

Australia’s largest amateur show for winemakers, meads and country wine makers Entries open to ALL amateur winemakers.

For more information go to www.amateurwine.org.au

The first annual Sports Day was held at the Veneto Club on the 30th of January 2022 from 10am-2pm.

Sports involved included Basketball, Bocce, Football, Soccer, Gym, Fitness, Squash, Boxing, and small kids’ games. The day had total of 74 families registered for the event with over 100 young kids involved.

Many thanks to the committee of the sporting associations that assisted with creating a great atmosphere for children and adults to try various sports on offer at the Veneto Club.

It was a great sunny day to showcase the Club’s facilities inside and out. Many people in attendance mentioned that they never knew what the Club had to offer and some were surprised as they believed it was a members only or solely an Italian Club.

We received plenty of follow up emails from families, and patron with positive responses on the inclusiveness the families and kids felt on the day.

A special thanks to Guido Bonanni for organising the classic car exhibition in the carpark (an event we hope we can expand on) and to Paola Girardi & Josie Faggion for the Frittole Stand on the day.

This will now be an annual event at the Veneto Club - A Sports Day to kick off each year at the end of the summer holidays. It will get bigger and better each year as we expand on the offerings and learn from the inaugural event and make some tweaks and improvements. Look out for the next Sports Day to be held at the end of January 2023!

KARL HODGE Sports Manager

Sports Day

FC Bulleen Lions

On behalf of the FC Bulleen Lions Committee and myself I extend the warmest of regards to all our FC Bulleen Lions (FCBL) members and to all the Veneto Club members of which many of you are avid supporters of FC Bulleen Lions.

Unfortunately, the 2021 football season was once again cancelled due to COVID lockdowns but not before we were able to get 50 to 75% of the season played. Although it was limited, it was still great to see football being played and hundreds of children running around with their friends enjoying themselves.

A big positive of 2021 was the Templestowe United FC community teams taking the field for the first time, wearing the FCBL logo, since the merger back under the Veneto Club.

Moving on to the 2022 season, FCBL had 550 players (30 teams ranging from U6 to Seniors) and their families at the club which means over 4,000 football people were attending the venue every week.

Highlights for the 2022 season include our senior women putting in a tremendous effort to again reach the grand final despite the significant challenges that continued to haunt this team throughout the 2022 season, unfortunately, it was not to be with Calder United too good on the day.

To our other senior Grand Finalist, the U21 Men who played Northcote City in an epic game where we were minutes away from winning the championship, but that too was not to be. Football can be brutal sometimes, but we are no less proud of what our young men were able to achieve this year.

And then we have our senior men who provided some amazing highlights in the first half of the season, namely the 7-1 defeat of Northcote, the 8-0 defeat of the eventual champions – Moreland City and the very sweet victory over traditional rivals Brunswick Juventus. Unfortunately, the back end of the season did not pan out as we would have liked but we will come back better again in 2023.

Our Junior NPL Boys were exceptional this year putting FCBL back on top as the best performed junior boy’s club outside of the A League Academies. The highlight being the U16s beating Melbourne Victory to win the Division 1 premiership. The U18s won the Division 2 premiership showing that they deserved to be in Division 1 where they narrowly missed qualification. The U15s were also outstanding finishing second only to Melbourne Victory and the U14s finished fourth with little separating the top 4 teams in a strong U14 Division 1 league.

Our NPL Junior Girls were equally outstanding again with the U13s, U15s and U17s all finishing second in their respective leagues with the Football Victoria’s own NTC Academy teams finishing top of the U15s and U17s as they should. The U13s and U17s were successful in making their Grand Finals and put in outstanding performances to be Runners Up to premiers Calder in the U13s (1-0) and the NTC Academy in the U17s (2-0).

The Community Junior and Miniroos teams all enjoyed competitive seasons with the highlights being the performance of our U13 Alex team that not only won their league but went on to play the other U13 teams that topped their respective leagues in a finals series and ended up winning the state championship.

Not to be outdone, our U12 Girls, with half the squad made up of 10 and 11 year olds, were undefeated in finishing top of their Joeys’ league and went on to win the Grand Final.

FCBL is extremely proud to be one of only a few clubs in Victoria that cater for National Premier League Men & Boys, National Premier League Women & Girls and Community Teams covering Junior Girls & Boys and Miniroos (U6 – U11 Girls & Boys).

FC Bulleen Lions would like to acknowledge and thank the Veneto Club Board and General Manager – Joe Morello - for their ongoing support. No football club can operate without coaches, team managers and volunteers, so a big thank you to a wonderful group of people who do a fantastic job for the club.

FCBL also thanks and extends its appreciation to all our sponsors whose financial support is critical to the successful delivery of a football program.

And then we have the FC Bulleen Lions Committee who work hard in the background to provide the strategic direction and operational and administrative support required to run the club and have all the teams resourced and ready to participate in the competition season. We are also extremely lucky to have Karen Daley – Football Administrator and Karl Hodge – Sports Operations Manager at our club because their tireless efforts go a long way towards providing our FCBL members with a quality experience and for this I am extremely grateful, thank you!

Yours in sport,

DAVID DEL MONACO Manager & Chairman FC Bulleen Lions

Wednesday night friendly competition: Our friendly Bocce Competition is held every Wednesday evening starting at 7.00pm. The six-week competition has a steady group that continues to enjoy the wonderful game of bocce. We aim to arrange the evening in a way that makes all players feel welcome playing in a friendly atmosphere regardless of their ability. We also aim to attract new players of any age and can support new players who would like to learn bocce. The Wednesday night competition is coordinated by Romeo Brazzale, Bruna Rubin and Pasquale Marinelli.

#VCBOCCE: Every Thursday fortnight the ever popular #VCBOCCE has continued its success. We have a regular group of attendees that fill the bocce courts, and its pleasing to see the courts are buzzing with a wonderful combination of music, friends, and bocce. After two games of bocce the group enjoys a light supper and drinks.

On Australia Day 2022 – (after three covid postponements) the Veneto Club Mixed Triples Open Invitation event was held on a blistering hot day of 37+degrees. Thanks to ASL Real Estate for their kind sponsorship which enabled us to provide all players with a gift mug. The prize winners were:

1st - Lucas & Dino Mikolich and Tony Borelli (Lucas was the youngest player in the tournament – aged just 11 years old)

2nd – Nicole Samsa, Angelo Parissi and Tony Palermo

3rd – Sonya Velo, Andrew Pozzer & Steve VanMeeuwen

4th - Max Tricarico, Vanessa Allegretto and Santo Pascuzzi

Interclub and Federation Competitions: Our interclub and federated players continue to place well in competitions during the year and we are always well represented by the regular players. Most notable improvement of the year has been Laila Favrin with 2nd place in the BFV Ladies Singles in April 2022 at the Furlan Club – where Laila convincingly beat two top BFV players to make the final. Congratulations also to Connie Dentesano and Eleonora Porta who came second in the ladies Doubles State Titles for 21/22 season.

Bocce Australia – Club & National Championships: After two years of Covid related postponements the Bocce Australia Club & National Championships were held at the Morwell Italian Club in June 2022. Thanks to the generous sponsorship from CO.AS.IT and the Veneto Club - twelve players represented the Veneto Club at the championships. Andrew & Mark Pozzer, Don De Federico, Steve VanMeeuwen, Rick Gatto, Sam Mezio, Angelo Di Nome, Andrew Peruffo, Eleonora Porta, Connie Dentesano, Laila Favrin and Sonya Velo.

The Veneto Club was successful in the Club Championships event defeating our longtime rivals the Marconi Club of NSW. Then at the Nationals our teams were very competitive and reached the quarterfinals and semi-finals in many events. Laila Favrin our youngest competition player from the Veneto Club was awarded the Women’s Best and Fairest for the National Championships, a very proud moment for not only Laila but all the Veneto Club. At the gala event held at the National Championships the Veneto Club was honored to have four of our players Agnese Giacomin, Emilio Colla, Silvio Gatto and Luigi Chiumello inducted into the Bocce Australia Half Century Hall of Fame.

Bocce at the Veneto Club has always been an important sport and we are expanding our offerings, events and use of bocce courts for all members. We are keen to expand our competition players and can train and support any men and women who are interested in taking up bocce as a competitive sport, be it for interclub or federated competitions. Bocce courts are available for casual use or for a family or corporate event. Please contact the bocce committee for further information via culture@venetoclub.com

PASQUALE MARINELLI, RICK GATTO AND SONYA VELO Veneto Club Bocce

We congratulate Laila Favrin from the Veneto Club as the new Vice President of the Bocce Federation of Victoria (BFV).

We know Laila will be a considered and dynamic contributor to the BFV and wish her all the best in this new and challenging role.

Golf Report

The Veneto Club plays twelve games a year between February and November at various suburban golf courses plus the weekend away. The local games are played in Stableford format, with prizes awarded to the winners of A and B Grade being the players with the highest scores at the end of the day's play. The Veneto Club Golf Champion is awarded to the player with the highest aggregate points at the end of the season.

The year began with a steady membership of 30 registered players and all games were well attended with an average participation rate of 26 players per game. We are always looking for new members and anyone who would like to join us will be very welcome, especially ladies, as we are looking to boost the number of lady players. Not only do we enjoy our golf, but wonderful friendships are also forged.

A special thanks goes to Frank Pezzin who decided to resign as President of the Golf Sub-Committee at the start of 2021 after serving 8 years in office. Frank’s dedication to golf and members alike will be remembered and much appreciated. A special thanks, also goes to Marisa Odorico, who resigned from the committee after her 8 years as Treasurer and Social Organiser leaving the club in a strong financial position. The 2021 Committee Members were: President - Oscar Forte, Treasurer - Sauro Antonelli, Secretary - Frank Dal SantoCaptain - Tony Spadaro, Handicapper - John Capicchiano, Sub Committee - Joe Piperno & David Gauci. Sponsors: As mentioned above, with every round played, prizes are awarded for First and Runner-Up in each of A and B grades and is with immense pleasure that the Golf Sub-Committee recognise the support of its loyal sponsors who make all this possible. To this end, the Committee and all the members extend their appreciation to the following sponsors. GASCO - Giancarlo & Paola Peruzzo, Osea Bruni, Nat Colosimo, Frank Pezzin, Nino Pezzin and the Veneto Club via David Del Monaco, Manager & Chairman FC Bulleen Lions and lastly, Frank Dal Santo.

Compared to 2019 and 2020, the 2021 season started off smoothly, although there were restrictions on group sizes and social distancing requirements, making it difficult for everyone to get together to chat and socialise. Then on the 15th of July, we were all forced back into lockdown once again, and all golf was cancelled until the 21st of October 2021, with travel restricted to the metropolitan area only which then extended to regional Victoria with no interstate travel allowed. With a major portion of the year’s competition being cancelled due to Covid lockdown, it was decided by the Golf Sub-Committee to cancel all the 2021 competitions, meaning there would be no Club Champion, no A or B Grade Champions and no Winner of the President’s Cup. However the 2021 Veneto Club Trophy, sponsored by the Veneto Club was won by Giulio Lunardi.

With interstate travel restricted due to Covid, a frantic search began for a new venue for our weekend away within Victoria, with the final selection being the All Seasons Resort Bendigo. The golf weekend away was a memorable three days in Bendigo with golf played at the beautiful Bendigo Country Club. The golf format was Four Ball Best Ball where teams of four players compete against other teams. The format was an enormous success, mixing teams of high and low handicappers, providing everyone a chance to be competitive and vie for the terrific prizes on offer. With this year's winners being the team of John Capicchiano, Oscar Forte, Lou and Sue Capannolo. As always, the accommodation was excellent, with an abundance of food and drink, and serious competition as to who made the best salami or crostoli. Our special thanks go Oscar Forte for his effort in making the long weekend a very memorable event at such short notice.

At the 2022 Annual General Meeting, the following Committee members were elected: President - Oscar Forte, Treasurer - Sauro Antonelli, Secretary - Frank Dal Santo, Captain - Tony Spadaro, Handicapper - John Capicchianno, Sub Committee - David Gauci. 2022 began as a normal season, and membership numbers are gradually increasing to pre pandemic numbers, and we hope this continues throughout the year. Year to date the VC Golf membership has risen to 39, with an average participation of 26 golfers per round, albeit Melbourne's wet and cold winter has played havoc at times, and we are hopeful as spring slowly emerges the average will improve.

Bring on 2022 and yes, the Bert Caneva Veneto Club Championships were held in front of a large spectator group of Squash members and members of the Caneva family. The Club Championships always brings out the competitive nature in everyone especially playing against our fellow members. Richard Smaldino won the Club Championships against Leon Tellis, finishing off the event with a celebratory dinner held in the bistro afterwards.

In terms of our external competitions - we were lucky enough to have four teams competing in the Winter 2022 Club Circuit Competition. In two grades (D2 & F2) we made in into the semifinals, but unfortunately unable to make it to the Grand Final.

The Spring 2022 Club circuit again sees us field four teams. All our teams are in line for the finals, we wish them all the best for success and let’s hope we bring a couple of flags back to the Veneto Club.

One highlight during the year was the Veneto Club Sports Open Day held in January. Many of our players were on hand and made themselves available to the public to highlight squash as another sport offered by the Veneto Club and demonstrate our great game. Current member Leon Tellis arranged a great afternoon of squash demonstration, finishing up with a round robin competition. The final was between David Truett and Lou Dalla Riva and was eventually won by long time member and player, Lou. Well done, Lou. The Veneto Squash Club will continue to support this open day in the hope that it attracts new members to the Vento Club and boost the squash participants.

We look forward to many more games of squash, and being part of the Veneto Club community.

Go Veneto Club.

Squash Report

FRANK DAL SANTO

Veneto Club Golf Secretary

Smiley faces enjoying good times at Bendigo. From left, John Peruzzo, Joe Piperno, Beppi Agnoletto, Frank Dal Santo (Treasurer) and the quietly spoken Tony Spadaro (Club Captain)

Bendigo All Seasons Resort 2021

2021 Bendigo Group player’s photo

Frank & Ketti Pezzin

LIBERO ZUANNA Veneto Squash

The past 18 months have been very positive for Veneto Club Tennis after coming out of the lockdown periods.

After the Australian Open the summer of tennis saw an increase in membership, court hire, coaching numbers and competition teams. During the last year we have implemented an online court booking system to enable casual court hire, as well as members being able to book their courts.

Coaching numbers increased to over 300 participants per week in early January 2022 and holiday programs have become very popular at the club. The Vida coaching program is continuing to be led by Blake Poyser and he has now been joined by former Davis & Fed Cup Captain of the Philippines Karl Santamaria.

Some of our junior players achieved some fantastic results recently. Cooper Errey, age 16, played in the Australian Open juniors and achieved an ATP world senior ranking. Scarlett Dattoli, has won numerous junior events which has led to her selection in a Tennis Australia European team trip. During the five-week trip to Germany she not only gained valuable experience but had some on court success, winning an ETA Doubles title. She is currently ranked number 3 in Australia in her age group.

The Veneto Club had three teams which competed in the Tuesday night NENGT competition for the Autumn season. The Vets Section 1 team will be playing finals to conclude the season and we wish them all the best for the upcoming finals. We look forward to the Spring season approaching for 2022 with the three teams already committing to next season.

Sunday Morning Junior Competition, saw eight Veneto Club teams compete in the ERT competition. We had two teams make finals with JDC section 2 finishing runner up. We have had four teams commence in the winter season for ERT and we are looking to increase this once again, for summer season 2022/2023.

In the coming year, we look forward to increasing all the tennis playing opportunities at the club for our members and the local community.

KANE DEWHURST VIDA Tennis

Veneto Club Vets section 1 Tuesday Night Competition

Cooper Errey

Holiday Tennis Programs

Ladies Auxiliary

Yet another year has flown by and we are pleased to once again be able to attend our club and collaborate on various events now that we are in the post-pandemic world.

We are very pleased that our annual calendar of events for 2022 which start with the first event in February, then our Easter celebration, Mother's Day in May, Christmas in July, Father's Day, Carciofi lunch in October and ending with the Christmas luncheon on the first week of December – are all well attended.

We would like to thank all the sponsors that have supported these events Anne Marie from Evangeline’s Café Tunstall Square, Aumann’s Building & Garden Supplies, Frank Di Blasi, Marco Fedi and Stella from CO.AS.IT, Faye Trafficanti of Chromata Florals Florals by Faye, Michelle Wilford from The Italian Store, Liana Garcia from Mayflower Aged Care, Bruce & Joanne from Chocilo Melbourne and Pili Sanz from 5th Avenue Collection Jewellery.

We have also been busy making crostoli throughout the year with a younger group of volunteers who are all becoming the next generation of crostoli experts for the Veneto Club. It is very pleasing to see that these are one of the most popular items that are sold at the Deli.

We are also enormously delighted with our contribution made towards the Sagra di San Marco on the 25th April where again the crostoli and frittole are some of the most popular items on the day and sell out very quickly.

Another important part of our activities is the outings for our members and friends. Having cancelled a couple of outings because of Covid, we were lucky to sneak in an outing late in November 2021 by going to see the broadway sensation Moulin Rouge the Musical. We departed the Veneto Club by bus on a sunny Saturday afternoon making our way to the city to the Regent Theatre. As we made ourselves comfortable and the lights went down and the curtains up, it was pure entertainment for the duration of the show, we were captivated by the charm and beauty of this show. It was wonderful to see the happy faces upon returning back to the club who all thoroughly enjoyed the performance. How fortunate that we attended on that particular day as the show was cancelled for a few months because of Covid just a week after!

In 2022, we started a monthly Frittole class that is held on the first Monday evening of every month. This has been an overwhelming success – will all classes sold out this year. The class is hosted by Paola Girardi and supported by her assistant Sonya Velo. Attendees are welcomed with a glass of prosecco which they sip as they are shown the art of making true veneto style frittole. They enjoy eating lots of frittole on the night, and then take home a container of batter to practice what they learnt at home the next day. The feedback has been amazing – so much so that these classes will recommence in February 2023. Our frittole are certainly the very best!

As this year draws to a close, we must remember and thank all the marvellous volunteers that contribute their time and effort to the Ladies Auxiliary events and the crostoli making.

If anyone would like to join us as we support the activities of the Veneto Club or has any suggestions for improvements and new event’s we welcome you with open arms. Please contact marina@venetoclub.com.

President Ladies Auxiliary

PAOLA GIRARDI

Veneto Club Board & Liaison MARINA MANDOULIDIS

Club Support Officer

It has now been five years since the Veneto Club Choir was formed and since then we have performed at various functions such as Christmas Carols, singing at special functions at our club, at festivals, nursing homes and funerals. We have a core group of 24 singers who regularly attend rehearsals and concerts under the capable direction of our young maestro, Giuliano Di Ienno.

Giuliano’s input into the choir repertoire, our style of singing and even in the discipline of our members during rehearsals and concerts has been fabulous. Under his direction we are moving towards singing songs that appeal not only to elderly Italians but also to the young and to English speaking members of our community. Giuliano is a capable professional and endeavors to get the best out of the choir at every rehearsal. Part of our focus is to attract young members to our choir and to our club, as young members are the lifeblood of any organisation.

Last year (2021) in between lockdowns we were able to perform at several functions including The Melbourne Italian Festa in April and our own Sagra di San Marco. We have also been featured on the Rete Italia broadcast from our club by Cavaliere Tony Tardio. We sang for the residents of Newman’s Aged Care home in Templestowe and at the mass for the funeral of Rino Tessarotto, one of the Clubs best known Presidents. We finished off the year by invitation, to sing Christmas Carols at the Queen Victoria Market followed by performing on stage at the Manningham Carols by Candlelight.

This year we were again invited to sing at The Melbourne Italian Festa in Carlton on the 3rd April. There we sang with gusto to resounding applause. Our involvement in this year’s Sagra, included singing for the Alpini Anzac service in the morning, followed by the mass and then in the afternoon for the Sagra audience which was loved and enjoyed by all. We have twice been invited to sing at the Queen Victoria Night Market. Our highlight so far was singing on the 2nd of October at the Edge Auditorium at Federation Square for the Seniors Festival - an especially important event.

At the time of writing this article, we are looking forward to singing at the Rassegno Dei Cori Italiani at the Furlan Club on Sunday the 6th of November and at our Showcase Concert for 2022 on Friday the 18th of November. We will be offering a repertoire of traditional and modern songs to appeal to varied audiences.

We appreciate and value the financial and moral support we receive from the Club President Louis Crema, the Veneto Club Board and especially from committee member Fabio Sandona’. We could not exist without their support. Our choir Committee and choir members, believe that we are a valuable and integral part of the club and that we promote the culture of our club through our involvement with the Italian community and the wider Manningham and Melbourne community.

The VC Choir Committee members for 2022 are: Antonio Rossi, Paul Odorisio, Paul Michielin and Pasquale Marinelli.

Si Canta per Vivere : Si Vive per Cantare

PASQUALE MARINELLI Choir Committee

In our second year at the Veneto Club, the Association National Alpini of Victoria and Tasmania would again like to thank Louis Crema and the Crema family and the Veneto Club for providing a new home for our Alpino monument and a space for our committee to have our meetings.

Eliseo Mattiuzzo, as President of the Association, has served his first full term replacing former long-standing President, Aldo Zanatta. He is supported by a new Vice President Beniamino Zanatta and Antonio Lunardi as Secretary and Treasurer.

The Veneto Club is also the new home to the Melbourne Group of Alpini with Riccardo Meneguzzi as Cappo Gruppo and Luigi Tandeli as his Secretary.

In May of 2021 and 2022 we saw two successful trips to Mt Buller for our annual pilgrimage to the Alpini church built by members, followed by celebrations in the chalet.

Some of our other regular festivities were dampened during 2021 due to Covid restrictions in place at the time.

2022 saw a successful reunion for the “Reduci di Russia” held in Sala Venezia in February.

April 18th Easter Monday, the Alpini held their annual Pasquetta at the Veneto Club Baracca with plenty to eat and drink, which was enjoyed by everyone.

April 25th, the Alpini honoured fallen comrades of all nationalities and celebrated Liberation Day for Italians at the Veneto Club in front of our monument followed by the Sagra di San Marco, where the Alpini served trippa and polenta.

We would like to thank everyone for their continued support and for participating in our events during these trying times.

ELISEO MATTIUZZO President

ANTONIO LUNARDI Secretary & Treasurer

Associazione Padovani nel Mondo

Dall’ultima relazione la vita sembra quasi sia ritornata al normale. Abbiamo passato mesi di incertezza nel 2021 e non si poteva essere sicuri dei nostri apputamenti a causa del Covid-19 che era sempre costante con le ristrizioni. Tuttavia, abbiamo potuto fare il nostro AGM a Luglio.

Il Presidente Davide Gottardello si è ritirato per ragioni di famiglia e al lavoro al suo posto è stato eletto Giuseppe Trentin. Al posto di vice - presidente, è rientrato Luigi Bacchin. Tutte le altre cariche sono rimaste le stesse; Katia Bacchin segretaria, Angelo Reginato tesoriere, Maria Ferronato assistente tesoriere, Claudia e Franco Borella, Anna e Alessandro Simion, Lucia Zandegu’ e Mario Todaro consultori.

Ricordiamo con molta tristezza che il giorno 29 Settembre è deceduto inaspettatamente il nostro Presidente, Giuseppe Trentin. Bepi era uno dei primi membri del comitato da quanto lo stesso era stato fondato nel 1986. Ha ricoperto il ruolo di consigliere e vice-presidente per tanti anni e la sua mancanza ancora oggi sembra impossibile. Non solo, ci sono mancati tanti altri cari membri nel corso dell’anno che ricorderemo con molto affetto.

Per continuare, dopo quasi cinque mesi fermi, finalmente si è potuto organizzare il nostro pic-nic di Natale a novembre, gratis per tutti i membri.

Il 2022 è iniziato bene con la festa del nostro 36mo anniversario a febbraio, ma purtroppo senza musica perche’ non si poteva ballare a causa delle restrizioni, ma si poteva chiaccherare senza disturbo!

Abbiamo partecipato alla festa di San Marco il 25 Aprile con molta soddisfazione per il suo successo. Il meteo era semplicemente glorioso ed era assolutamente fantastico vedere tanta gente e in particolare giovani, famiglie e i loro figli e naturalmente i nostri vecchiotti che non mancano mai. La nostra specialità erano gli gnocchi e la lasagna di cui abbiamo servito più di trecento piatti.

Le altre occasioni nelle quali abbiamo potuto godere dell’amicizia dei nostri cari soci e simpatizzanti sono state - Festa della Mamma a maggio, la festa di S. Antonio a giugno, festa del Papà a settembre.

Quest’anno a luglio di nuovo l’AGM - Luigi Bacchin è stato eletto presidente e vicepresidente e tesoriere Angelo Reginato, le altre cariche sono state ricoperte con le medesime persone.

L’Associazione, guidata da un bravo comitato, ha sempre i soci nel cuore e fa del suo meglio per agevolare e sovvenzionare i prezzi per loro. In più non mancano anche le donazioni alle varie organizzazioni, come il RCH Good Friday Appeal e quest’anno dopo le alluvioni nel Queensland e New South Wales al Flood Appeal. Sono state fatte anche donazioni durante l’anno al St. Vincents Hospital, Austin Hospital e altre, a nome dei nostri defunti.

Il nostro prossimo appuntamento è il giorno 27 Novembre nella Baracca per il pic-nic di Natale, tutti benvenuti, prenotando con Katia 9484 4722 o Claudia 93593855.

Ringraziamo il Veneto Club che ci ospita e un caloroso e affettuoso grazie a tutti i nostri soci e simpattizanti che continuano a darci il loro supporto.

Concludendo, auguriamo a tutti un Felice Natale e Buon anno 2023 che sia pieno di salute e pace.

KATIA BACCHIN Segretaria

Ancora una volta la pandemia ha messo sosta alle nostre attività che erano programmate per il 2021/2022. Verso la fine del 2021 le restrizioni erano un po’ più favorevoli per ricominciare le nostre attività che a novembre ci ha permesso di proseguire con il pranzo finale e festeggiare il nostro anniversario.

Il 2022 è cominciato un po’ più favorevole con L’AGM il 20 febbraio, seguito dal Picnic famigliare domenica 27 febbraio. Con le restrizioni ancora in vigore il viaggio a Shepparton non è stato possibile. Per il 25 aprile le restrizioni sono state a nostro favore e la Sagra San Marco ha visto ritornare soci e amici al Veneto Club per una giornata carica di attività, dove la ATM si è presa l’impegno di cucinare bistecche e salsicce.

La prima domenica di maggio la ATM si è aggiunta al gruppo degli Alpini per un viaggio a Mt. Buller per celebrare l’anniversario della chiesetta Alpina costruita 29 anni fa. Il 15 maggio con un numero ridotto sempre con l’incertezza del Covid 19 si è svolta la annuale Castagnata al Freccia Azzurra Club.

Il 28 maggio un gruppo di soci e amici si sono recati a Myrtleford per il pranzo Annuale, una ricorrenza che si ripete per più di quarant’anni. Il 21 agosto finalmente dopo 3 anni la nostra tradizionale festa del Radicchio e per festeggiare il nostro Patrono Pio X con ben 250 persone che hanno partecipato. È stato davvero meraviglioso non ci aspettavamo una partecipazione simile considerate le preoccupazioni persistenti per la pandemia e l’influenza invernale; siamo rimasti sorpresi nell’ammirare la sala piena. Tutti erano contenti di rivedersi e tornane a comunicare di persona.

Il 20 novembre ci sarà il Pranzo di fine anno per celebrare il nostro anniversario dove i soci e amici potranno riflettere sul 2022 scambiandosi gli auguri per il futuro sperando che il 2023 sia ancora migliore.

Il 2023 sarà un anno pieno di attività con l’AGM e il picnic in febbraio, la consueta sagra di San Marco in aprile, la Castagnata, Trip to Mt Buller - Myrtleford weekend in maggio, Radicchio lunch in giugno e San Pio X in agosto, a ottobre 20, 21 e 22 - Tredicesimo convegno ATM Australia e cinquantesimo anniversario della ATM Melbourne dove tutte le Associazioni ATM d’Australia si raduneranno presso il Veneto Club con una rappresentazione dalla sede centrale AITM Treviso.

La ATM Melbourne cerca di tenersi attiva e riunire i suoi soci e amici in un momento ancora incerto e imparare a condividere la nostra vita con il Covid 19 e il resto del mondo.

GIORGIO PACCAGNAN Presidente

Associazione Veronesi nel Mondo

Purtroppo ancora portiamo i segni dei due anni passati con le paure di essere da essere contagiati da questo Covid19 la paura persino di visitare le nostre famiglie, abbiamo direi perso due anni della nostra esistenza, malgrado tutto siamo ancora qui in vita quando alcuni dei nostri soci ed amici hanno ancora problemi di salute ed alcuni sfortunatamente ci hanno lasciato a loro vada la nostra solidarietà con l’augurio di ricucire la ferrite.

Che questo periodo negativo abbia una fine e di ritornare alla normalità e che la nostra vita Associativa continui, ne abbiamo bisogno di ritornare sui nostri passi.

Così si riparte e con tanta voglia di spendere ore assieme come ai vecchi tempi e come il vecchio detto “dopo la pioggia prima o poi arriva il sole”.

L’anno 2022 e il resoconto dell’anno precedente, iniziato seguendo le date del nostro Calendario con la prima festa fatta nella sala di Holy Spirit a Thornbury il 30 Gennaio dove abbiamo fatto l’AGM dei Veronesi di Melbourne e rinnovo del tesseramento per l’anno.

Secondo incontro Domenica 20 Marzo con l tradizionale festa Veronesi degli Gnocchi che venivano serviti dal Papà de Gnocco in costume, gli stessi Gnocchi ci venivano e sponsorizzati dalla ditta PASTA FRESCA RANA assieme ad antipasti arrosti acqua minerale vini e caffè ecc.

Poi la festa Sagra di San Marco al Veneto Club che assieme alle altre Associazioni Venete noi Veronesi si partecipa con le castagne caldarroste e vin Brulle’.

L’8 Giugno sempre nella sala di Thornbury abbiamo festeggiato in ricorrenza della Festa della Repubblica Italiana con un pranzo completo con tortellini Rana e altre pietanze, castagne e vin Brulle’.

Il quarto appuntamento il 3 Luglio festa del risotto con funghi porcini e come al solito tutto incluso.

Concludo ringraziando il nostro Club Veneto ed il Presidente Louis Crema e tutto il suo comitato, i volontari e lo staff; un caro saluto a tutti nostri soci e amici che con la loro presenza ci danno l’entusiasmo di continuare andare avanti, con l’augurio di ritrovarci come sempre alle prossime feste.

RENZO ZANELLA

Presidente

Con l'allentamento delle restrizioni alla fine del 2021, i nostri festeggiamenti erano attesi con impazienza. Essendo stati nuovamente cancellati il nostro "Pranzo Annuale" e Festa della Madonna di Monte Berico nella Sala Venezia Veneto Club rispettivamente a luglio e settembre, a causa del lockdown, ora non vediamo l'ora che si tengano quest'anno nel 2022, quindi prendi nota.

Nel novembre del 2021 si è tenuta la “Festa delle Ciliege” alla Baracca che fu considerata un grande successo con di più di 200 partecipanti. Quest'anno la giornata delle Ciliege sarà ancora più bella, cibo raffinato e tante deliziose ciliegie di nuova stagione per tutti i presenti.

A dicembre 2021, il giorno di Santo Stefano abbiamo avuto la tradizionale bicchierata con tutti soci per lo scambio degli auguri.

Il nuovo anno 2022 ha portato una bella giornata di sole per la Festa delle Palme con il tradizionale piatto di Polenta e Baccalà e Coniglio. Siamo stati molto felici di vedere così tanti bambini partecipare con le loro famiglie e tutti si sono molto divertiti nel jumping castle e con la "Rottura delle Pignatte" per i loro cioccolatini. Una sorpresa anche dal "Bunny Rabbit" per i bambini che sono rimasti molto felici.

Recentemente, nell'aprile di quest’anno, l'associazione ha organizzato presso la Baracca del Veneto Club un pranzo BBQ con Castagne arrosto e Vin Brulè. Questa festa ha visto la partecipazione di molte persone e anche partecipanti di Wonthaggi. Ciò ha consentito di parlare in relazione alla “Festa Veneta della Polenta” che si è tenuta a Wonthaggi il 29 maggio 2022.

Domenica 11 settembre 2022 si sono svolte le celebrazioni solenni in onore della Madonna di Monte Berico patrona della città di Vicenza. La cerimonia è iniziata con la Santa Messa presso la Chiesa di Santa Brigida a Fitzroy North per poi proseguire al Veneto Club di Bulleen per un pranzo, accompagnato da musica, lotteria e in ultima la messa all'asta di due formaggi Asiago che sono stati assegnati ai fortunati della giornata. Le celebrazioni quest'anno si sono svolte in un clima di festa tra soci, amici e simpatizzanti.

Ringraziamo il Club Veneto per il supporto, tutto il comitato e volontari dei Vicentini per il loro duro lavoro, tutti soci e i loro amici che sostengono l'associazione, in particolare tutti coloro che possono partecipare agli eventi sociali quando possibile.

SERGIO POVOLO Presidente

Castagne arrostite, Festa delle Castagne 2022

Alla Santa Messa di Santa Brigida, Fitzroy North, in onore della Madonna di monte Berico

Da giugno 2021 eravamo ansiosi per organizzare purtroppo non è stato possibile, cosi siamo

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con il picnic annuale alla “baracca del Veneto Club, era una bella giornata per stare assieme gustare i piatti tradizionali che usualmente si prepara per questa occasione in buona compagnia e apprezzare che finalmente siamo riusciti incominciare l’anno in libertà.

Il 18 aprile è arrivata anche Pasquetta che usualmente si festeggia con una bicchierata di pomeriggio al Veneto Club e sfogarsi delle preoccupazioni per il covid che ancora sta in mezzo a tutti noi.

Certamente eravamo presenti il 25 aprile per San Marco al Veneto Club, era una bellissima giornata la messa il coro e tutte le associazioni presenti con i piatti tradizionali della regione, si sentiva proprio in buona armonia e tutti si sono divertiti.

Domenica 22 maggio Assemblea Generale, della nostra Associazione, al Veneto Club per le elezioni del nuovo comitato direttivo, presenti circa 70 soci, Joe Bortoli si è ritirato dal comitato ed è rimasto come volontario, “bravo Joe” noi tutti abbiamo sempre apprezzato l’aiuto per preparare ogni anno per il picnic con la porchetta e anche per altre occasioni, il comitato ora rimane con una unità in meno.

Domenica 7 agosto, dopo 2 anni, abbiamo festeggiato nostro tradizionale “Vin Brulè” nella sala parrocchiale di S. Brigida dove i soci e amici hanno trascorso un pomeriggio in un’atmosfera di armonia gustando cibi della nostra tradizioni: un’ottima soppressa, un bicchiere di vin brulè con dei crostoli croccanti, per concludere cercando la fortuna con la lotteria.

La data da ricordare è Domenica 23 ottobre occasione del Pranzo Annuale per festeggiare il nostro 31esimo anniversario, che si doveva fare l’anno scorso!!!

Grazie infinite ai membri del Comitato per l’eccellente lavoro che svolgono, ai volontari sempre pronti, ai soci che partecipano alle feste, per il loro supporto e amicizia.

Ringraziamenti al Veneto Club e al personale per la loro ospitalità e assistenza.

GIORGIA RIZZATO

Presidente e Segretaria

Federazione delle Associazioni Venete del Victoria e Regione Veneto

Comunità veneta locale e Federazione delle Associazioni Venete nel Victoria: un binomio che da decine di anni ci caratterizza e che ci fa essere apprezzati in ogni angolo del mondo. Rimangono le nostre otto Associazioni a trazione provinciale, ma non solo, i pilastri portanti sui quali il nostro essere veneti all’estero si fonda e tramite i quali la nostra storia si è scritta e tutt’oggi si continua incessantemente a compiere. È grazie all’impegno continuo dei volontari della Comunità Montana dei Sette Comuni (con al timone la Presidente Giorgia Rizzato), dei Padovani di Melbourne (guidati dal Vicepresidente Luigi Bacchin), dei Veronesi di Melbourne (diretti dall’instancabile Presidente Renzo Zanella – tra l’altro anche Vicepresidente della FAV Victoria), dei Vicentini di Melbourne (con il Presidente Sergio Povolo) e di Myrtleford (con il Presidente Sebastiano Revrenna), dei Trevisani di Melbourne (guidati dal Presidente Giorgio Paccagnan – quest’ultimo tra l’altro pure Vicepresidente della FAV Victoria) e di Myrtleford (gestiti dal Presidente Armando Pasquali) e del Veneto Club Melbourne (con il Presidente Louis Crema in cabina di regia) che la nostra Collettività regionale del Victoria ancor oggi persiste nella propria rilevanza con le sue attività socio-culturali-sportive, tenendo sempre bene a mente l’importanza dell’inclusività delle nuove generazioni.

La Federazione ha nella sua essenza il compito principale di ricoprire il ruolo di strumento di raccordo ufficiale con la Regione del Veneto e nello specifico di farsi promotrice ed esecutrice di quelle progettualità dettate dalle linee di intervento, con supporto Istituzionale, a favore delle nostre realtà venete nel mondo. Ritengo importante quindi, pur conscio che la tematica possa risultare ostica ma altresì convinto che solo pessimisti non fanno fortuna, farvi partecipi dei principi cardine alla base delle politiche regionali del settore così come delle possibilità principali in essere e per le quali il Direttivo della Federazione stessa, composto oltre che dai Rappresentanti sopra indicati anche da Ketti Pezzin (Segretaria) e Luciano Benetti (Tesoriere) rimane a disposizione:

Secondo la L. R. 9 gennaio 2003, n. 2 nuove norme a favore dei veneti nel mondo e agevolazioni per il loro rientro, e s.m.i, col programma annuale degli interventi a favore dei veneti nel mondo anno 2022 “Occorre rafforzare i legami tra il Veneto e le proprie Collettività all’estero. Ciò in attuazione della ratio in virtù della quale il legislatore regionale ha previsto una specifica normativa volta, attraverso gli strumenti e le iniziative ivi previsti, a riconoscere il sacrificio e la pervicacia dei nostri corregionali emigrati che, con le loro rimesse, hanno contribuito a far uscire la nostra regione da quello stato di povertà che l’ha caratterizzata in special modo nel periodo del dopoguerra. È necessario mantenere vivo il legame con gli emigrati veneti, far sentire loro la vicinanza della Regione, e valorizzare le nostre tradizioni culturali, anche fra le giovani generazioni. Nel contempo, attraverso il rafforzamento di tale legame, si possono porre le basi per la stabilizzazione di una rete di rapporti volti alla creazione, nei prossimi anni, di proficue relazioni economiche tra il Veneto e i Paesi di maggiore emigrazione. Lo stesso Statuto regionale, all’art. 1, comma 5, riconosce il valore del legame con i nostri corregionali all’estero e, per ciò stesso, afferma la necessità di investire in tali legami intensificando altresì gli scambi, culturali e commerciali, con i Paesi che li ospitano. Le istanze che provengono dal mondo dell’emigrazione e il cambiamento che ha coinvolto i flussi migratori, portano a considerare, ai fini del perseguimento dell’obiettivo generale delineato, l’opportunità di sostenere le proprie Comunità attive all’estero e il mondo associativo di emigrazione presente in Veneto, supportandone le spese di funzionamento e contribuendo a finanziare le loro iniziative a favore dei veneti nel mondo. Ciò attraverso la realizzazione di progetti culturali, percorsi formativi e professionali rivolti ai giovani oriundi, favorendo occasioni di incontro e scambio culturale imprenditoriale, promuovendo quello che possiamo definire il “sistema veneto”.

Le linee strategiche di intervento regionale, rivolte a noi veneti nel mondo e coperte sostanzialmente da un plafond di spesa similare alla passata annualità, per il 2022 sono: organizzazione degli eventi istituzionali/celebrazione della giornata dei veneti nel mondo/sostegno all’associazionismo di settore/sostegno a iniziative volte a conservare e valorizzare la cultura veneta all’estero/realizzazione nuovo portale dedicato ai veneti nel mondo/sostegno al rientro.

In tema, rispetto a quanto sopra, di forte impatto locale è stato il progetto denominato “Un Calcio al Virus (Veneto Style)” che la nostra Federazione è riuscita a sviluppare a fine 2021 grazie appunto al supporto economico regionale: una proposta ambiziosa di valorizzazione dell’identità veneta presso la nostra realtà regionale del Victoria, specificatamente rivolta alle nuove generazioni di discendenti locali, che ha creato di fatto un filo conduttore sportivoculturale-sociale tramite lo strumento aggregatore del calcio, grazie all’instaurazione di un’affiliazione tra le società del Football Club Bulleen Lions (FCBL) sita a Melbourne (Australia) con la Scuola Calcio Bottagisio (settore giovanile –international) sita nella città di Verona (Veneto – Italia).

Dal punto di vista operativo è rimasta costante poi, anche per il 2021, la necessità di mantenere i contatti tramite gli strumenti di supporto e comunicazione virtuali utili e necessari all’efficienza e alla conduzione gestionale: sia in loco che a livello Consulta dei Veneti nel Mondo si è reso indispensabile implementare incontri programmatici di sistema da remoto.

La collaborazione che continua fra l’Academia de la Bona Creansa - https://www.academiabonacreansa.eu/ e la nostra Federazione Veneta locale ci ha permesso ancora una volta di proporre alla nostra realtà “el Lunaro Veneto 2022” che con i suoi contenuti nella nostra “łéngua veneta” rimane una fonte importante per la nostra cultura e la nostra specificità.

Nel mese di febbraio 2022 abbiamo avuto il piacere e l’onore di ospitare la nuova Console generale del Victoria e Tasmania Dott.ssa Hanna Pappalardo: con la Federazione la Console ha recepito i successi, i trascorsi, le istanze e le criticità che il mondo associazionistico veneto le ha esposto con genuino interesse, sottolineando il suo desiderio di voler entrare in contatto quanto più possibile con la realtà italiana locale per cercare anche, laddove e per quanto possibile, di sostenerla ed aiutarla nei suoi intenti e nei suoi propositi; assieme al Direttivo del Veneto Club la Console ha invece ragionato sulla possibilità di lavorare insieme, sotto gli auspici del Consolato Generale e in sinergia con le altre numerose rappresentative della Collettività italiana a Melbourne, al fine di rafforzare la presenza italiana nello Stato del Victoria.

Aprile infine è il mese della Sagra di San Marco e piace sottolineare come la Comunità veneta di Melbourne, per il tramite del Veneto Club, riesca a dare il meglio di se stessa unendo le forze per un’attività che non smette di stupire vista la sua crescente popolarità: questa manifestazione rimane un ottimo volano di promozione associativa che amplifica l’importanza dell’impegno collettivo di tutte le Associazioni storiche che, in armonia con il Veneto Club, rendono questa festa, anno dopo anno, sempre più significativa.

Tra i mesi di luglio, agosto, settembre e ottobre la Federazione ha sviluppato e proposto, in autonomia, lo splendido progetto di valorizzazione linguistica denominato “Na Storia, Na lengua: el Veneto”; l’iniziativa ha trovato anche il supporto e il sostegno di Enti comunitari e Istituzioni locali importanti: è stato grazie all’opera cinematografica “Brava Zente, Storie della Terra Veneta” del regista vicentino Giancarlo Cappellaro (con promo dell’associazione Veneti nel Mondo APS) e grazie alla mostra “Storia della Lingua dei Veneti” ideata da Infomedia Veneto (con promo dell’Academia de la Bona Creansa) che la Comunità veneta (ma non solo) si è potuta immergere a pieno nella nostra parlata.

Le proiezioni del film in lingua veneta e la mostra abbinata hanno permesso agli emigrati veneti in Australia di andar ancor più fieri del proprio essere, facendo oltrepassare i confini regionali alla nostra identità; ricordiamo la grande poeta Alda Merini che scrisse “i veneti hanno la fortuna di avere una lingua che è poesia in sé, una musica perfetta”. Andiamone orgogliosi!

Alla data di stesura di questo testo, infine, ho il piacere di informarvi che vi sono in calendario sia la Consulta dei Veneti nel Mondo che il Meeting dei Giovani 2022 che si svolgeranno a Treviso negli ultimi giorni di settembre e primi di ottobre, eventi ai quali seguirà la Giornata dei Veneti nel Mondo che si terrà in quel di Verona.

Vi saluto con l’auspicio di poter continuare ad impegnarci assieme per mantenere e tramandare le nostre peculiarità venete, in particolar modo alle nuove generazioni, ringraziando nuovamente tutti coloro che quotidianamente si spendono per la causa e soprattutto il Cda ed il Management del Veneto Club Melbourne che, pur tra le mille difficoltà incontrate in questi ultimi due anni e più, così difficoltosi, rinnovano questo importante spazio comunicativo annuale di prim’ordine.

FABIO SANDONÀ

Presidente - Consultore

Federazione delle Associazioni Venete del Victoria favvictoria@gmail.com

Guglielmo (Bill) Visentin