Christmas Picnic 2021

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.

Frittole

Demonstrated by Paola Girardi

Did you know….

Frittole have a long history and the first record of frittelle alla veneziana dates back to the 13th century. They were so common in all the Northern part of Italy that making frittole became a profession, and they even founded their own association!

Frittole are a symbol of the Carnevale in Venice and a favorite dessert all over Italy with regional changes to the names and recipes, especially in the south where they are referred to as zeppole. In Australia they have been called “those little Italian donuts” – but the basics are all the same.

Dates:

The classes will be monthly on Mondays as follows:

- 20th February 2023 - 6th March 2023 - 3rd April 2023 - 1st May 2023 - 5th June 2023

Arrive at 6:45pm for 7:00pm start

Cost is $20 for VC members, and $25 for nonmembers.

Includes demonstration, a glass of Prosecco on arrival, some freshly cooked frittole on the night as well as some dough to take home with you and try cooking yourself. You will also be provided with a recipe card for frittole.

Classes are capped – so book quickly – email reception@venetoclub.com or ring 9850-7111 to book your spot – payment will be cash on the evening.

Class will be held in the Members Bar – mezzanine level of the Veneto Club premises

JOSÉ FAGGION Ladies Auxiliary & Anziani Luncheons 2023

2ND FEBRUARY: WELCOME BACK! 13TH APRIL: EASTER LUNCH 4TH MAY: MOTHER’S DAY LUNCH 6TH JULY: CHRISTMAS IN JULY 7TH SEPTEMBER FATHER’S DAY 5TH OCTOBER: CARCIOFI LUNCH 14TH DECEMBER: CHRISTMAS LUNCH

BOOKINGS ESSENTIAL PLEASE NOTE PRICES INCLUDE A 3 COURSE LUNCH & MUSIC. PLEASE CALL 9850 7111 PAYMENT MUST BE MADE WHEN BOOKING

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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 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.