Acknowledgements & Tributes

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – buongiorno.

Before I acknowledge the distinguished guests with us here today, please allow me to convey to you how humbled, honoured and grateful the Board of Directors of the Father Atanasio Gonelli Charitable Fund and I, as Chairman, are to see each and every one of you join us in celebrating the 26,000 days of apostolate to the Italian-Australian community of Father Atanasio Gonelli.

We have seen a short presentation and some testimonies demonstrating the love, affection and esteem in which Father Atanasio Gonelli and the Capuchin Friars hold with the community. The ethics, social values and morals that we live by in our everyday lives, are in part due to the teachings and the attention that Father Atanasio Gonelli and the Capuchin Friars have given us over the past 61 years of apostolate in our community.

Whilst we were building our families, our houses and our bank accounts, Father Atanasio and the Capuchin Friars were caring for our spiritual and Christian values. Each one of us has, in their life, an inspiring hero. This hero may be your father, your mother, your brother your sister or a friend.

The Premier of NSW, the Hon. Barry O’Farrell, in inducting Father Atanasio into the Multicultural Hall of Fame, has referred to Father Atanasio as being an inspiring hero and a great community and spiritual leader to whom everyone in NSW owes a great debt of gratitude. Your presence here today and the attendance of hundreds of people at the Memorial Mass celebrated last Sunday in commemorating Father Atanasio on the first anniversary of his death, indicates to us that the Italian-Australian community has found its inspiring hero.

If this is true, then it is incumbent upon us, the thousands and thousands of families that he touched by his simple way of say “vengo”, “I am coming”, when he was called in the middle of the night to assist with his pastoral work, individually and collectively we should ensure that Father Atanasio remains, in time immemorial, our inspiring hero and that his memory does not vanish in the darkness of the night.

Vi ringrazio per la vostra partecipazione e vi auguro una buona giornata. I wish to thank you for being here today.

Grazie.

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Mr GUY ZANGARI (Fairfield) [1.05 p.m.]: Today I acknowledge the launch of the Father Atanasio Gonelli Charitable Fund Inc. In particular, I acknowledge the board members who have taken up the stewardship of the fund, especially the President, Felice Montrone; Vice-President, Rosa Peronace; Secretary, Bruno Buttini; Treasurer, Gianni Carelli; and Foundation Patron, Giuseppe Fin. I acknowledge also the efforts of board members Peter Ciani, Filippo Navarra, Michele Salamone, Susi Schio, Armando Tornari, Nat Zanardo and John Williams. These people have undertaken to carry out the work of a man who has tirelessly committed himself to God by serving the community. An event was held on Thursday, 8 September 2011 at the Le Montage Function Centre at Leichhardt—a fitting venue considering the strong connections the Italian community of Sydney has with the inner west.

I was not the only member of Parliament present at the function. The Minister for Citizenship and Communities, the Hon. Victor Dominello; the Member for Drummoyne, Mr John Sidoti; the Member for Strathfield, Mr Charles Casuscelli; the Hon. Amanda Fazio, Member of the Legislative Council; and the Hon. Marie Ficarra, Member of the Legislative Council were lucky enough to share in the night’s celebrations. I am sure they too would share my sentiments of the night. The sheer numbers of those present did not diminish in any way the reverence and humility that was the undertone of the whole evening. The Father Atanasio Gonelli Charitable Fund Inc, as the name suggests, honours and aims to continue the work of a man who, despite his incredible and tireless contribution to the newly arrived Italian migrants of Australia for over 61 years, and the influence he has had on the lives of countless members of the Italian community, still prefers to be known as simply a humble servant of God.

Father Atanasio Gonelli was born on 11 February 1923 in the small Italian village of Catignano. In 1940 he followed a calling to God and joined the Capuchin friar religious order. On 1 March 1946, he was ordained a priest and in 1949 he volunteered to come to Australia to become the apostolate amongst the growing Italian migrant community in Sydney. Father Atanasio Gonelli lived out his Catholic vows. Instead of simply preaching the gospel, he reached out to the community and lived its message day in and day out. As a young Capuchin friar, Father Atanasio helped Italian migrants to settle in Sydney. He provided housing assistance to newly-arrived Italian migrants and helped them to find employment and he visited migrants who became sick and infirm.

So strong was his commitment to comforting the sick that one of the stories recounted during the night came as no surprise. A number of years ago when Father Atanasio was travelling towards Canberra with the Italian Consul to attend a function they came across an accident. Instead of thinking about the function, Father Atanasio stopped to give aid and comfort to victims of a car accident outside Goulbourn and he accompanied them to Goulburn Base Hospital. It surprised no-one that the climax of the story was that Father Atanasio missed the function in Canberra. He preferred to spend his time at the Goulburn Hospital with the accident victims. As the community expanded so did the services Father Atanasio provided.

Father Atanasio helped to establish migrant welcoming and assistance centres and was instrumental in the establishment of sporting and recreational activities for immigrant children. From 1963 to 1971, Father Atanasio was also the editor in chief of La Fiamma, the Italian newspaper in Sydney. It is well documented that it was Father Atanasio’s encouragement that led to the establishment of the Committee of Assistance to Italians, more commonly known as Co.As.lt. The organisation is known for the assistance it provides to the needy and the elderly.

Today, Father Atanasio Gonelli continues the ministry given to him by the Archbishop of Sydney all those years ago as the chaplain of St Fiacre’s Church at Leichhardt. The establishment of a charitable fund under his name is fitting for a man who saw his work as nothing more than his personal calling from God. The Father Atanasio Gonelli Charitable Fund aims to embody the missionary zeal of this humble servant of God. Like Father Atanasio, it calls on its members to live the gospel message by serving Christ in the poor with love, respect, justice, hope and joy and by sharing their skills and talents with those members of the Australian community in need.

The Fund seeks to carry out this calling with respect to the dignity of those it is assisting and by sharing hope and encouraging them gradually to become independent. I thank the organisers, the board of directors of the Father Atanasio Gonelli Charitable Fund and the team that made the night a great success. I note that $153,000 was raised for the fund. On behalf of the Italian community in Sydney and our broader community, I take this opportunity to thank Father Atanasio Gonelli for the tireless service he has provided in his 61 years in Australia.

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Mr JOHN SIDOTI (Drummoyne) [4.06 p.m.]: It gives me great pleasure to speak of the official launch of the Father Atanasio Gonelli Charitable Fund, which will take place on Thursday, 8 September at the Le Montage function venue in Leichhardt. The Italian community of New South Wales has been privileged to have Father Atanasio Gonelli as their spiritual leader since his arrival in Sydney in 1949. Father Atanasio was born in 1923 in the small village of Cattognano, Italy. He entered the order of the Capuchin Friars in 1940. During World War II Father Atanasio served as a chaplain in hospitals and provided assistance to the wounded and the infirm. In 1949, he came to Australia as a volunteer and began his studies amongst the Italian migrants settling in Sydney.

As a young Capuchin friar he began by providing Italian migrants with housing assistance, helping them to find work, visiting those who were in hospital and attending to the Italian community’s spiritual needs. The work Father Atanasio Gonelli commenced in 1949 continues. The records of St Fiacre’s Church in Catherine Street, Leichhardt, where Father Atanasio has served as a chaplain for 61 years, indicate that thousands of Italian Australians have been baptised and married by Father Atanasio. By establishing the Father Atanasio Gonelli Charitable Fund, the Italian Australian community of New South Wales intends to acknowledge the caring, compassionate and spiritual leadership that Father Atanasio has provided the Italian Australian community over the past 61 years and to continue his legacy.

Father Atanasio has been a great ambassador for the Italian community across Sydney. You only have to attend any Italian-related function in New South Wales and more times than not you will find that Father Atanasio is in attendance. His work is unparalleled and his efforts tireless. I encourage the entire community at large to get behind a person that has given so much to a community and support this wonderful organisation. I congratulate in advance the Chairman of this committee, Mr Felice Montrone, who has put a lot of work and effort into this organisation. I know it is going to be a huge success. I believe a number of invitations have gone out to dignitaries, including the Premier.