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Legislative Council - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2016-03-09 Daily Xml
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Carnevale Italian Festival

The Hon. J.S. LEE (16:37): I move:

That this council—

1. Congratulates the Carnevale Italian festival for celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2016;

2. Acknowledges the significant work and commitment of the Carnevale Italian Festival Committee and volunteers, past and present, for continuously showcasing the vibrant and energetic Italian culture through the festival; and

3. Acknowledges the importance of their establishment and the work it has done over the last 40 years in the promotion and preservation of Italian heritage and, in doing so, enriching the multicultural landscape of South Australia.

Today I am honoured to convey my heartfelt congratulations to the Italian festival, Carnevale, on celebrating its 40th anniversary. Many people believe that life starts at 40, so I say that a happy 40th is probably a good time to have lots of fun with the Italian community. The Carnevale Italian festival is a truly unique event, bringing together the very best of everything that is Italian. There is no other event in Australia that has enjoyed such a sustained success over the past 40 years.

Steven Marshall, the state Liberal leader, in his congratulatory remarks at the Carnevale said that the Carnevale has come to life in one of Adelaide's largest venues, the Adelaide Showgrounds, and this is a credit to the army of dedicated volunteers and organisers who keep making this event bigger and better. What I love most about Carnevale is the atmosphere. It is just like being in Little Italy. People from all walks of life attend this festival to learn about the Italian culture and enjoy everything it has to offer.

The 40th anniversary of Carnevale is a groundbreaking event and an important step and template in recognising our state and its cultural diversity. Italians have played a great part in the development of South Australia from the time of the arrival of its first Italian migrant, Antonio Gianni in 1839. The manager of the Carnevale, Eugene Ragghianti, actually mentioned that our forebears would be surprised at how Australia, originally an Anglo-Saxon Celtic society, has embraced the Italian way of life, from pasta to opera, from cannelloni to cappuccino, and from fashion to Ferrari. These elements of our Italian heritage are now very much part of the mosaic of our lives here today and we are so much richer for it.

I would also like to mention the Co-ordinating Italian Committee Inc. and pay it tribute in terms of its remarkable achievements. With all the work they have done they have been remarkable in terms of organising such a fantastic and iconic festival for South Australia. I think this year, in particular, they have actually attracted more than 25,000 people over the weekend. The food is economical and traditional; from tripe to quail, a dreamy seafood risotto or arancini balls or spicy sausages, Carnevale has served up sumptuous Italian delights from across many regions for decades in Adelaide.

I would like to pay tribute to some regional Italian clubs as well: the Arena Community Club, Bene Aged Care, the Calabria Sports and Social Club, the Campania Sports and Social Club, La Cucina Veneziana, the Lions Club of Adelaide Italian, the Rotary Club of Campbelltown, and the Society of Saint Hilarion. These clubs contributed to providing all the food and exciting menus for Carnevale.

A number of VIP guests attended the celebration, including His Excellency the Governor of South Australia, the Hon. Hieu van Le, and Mrs Lan Le, the new Consul of Italy in South Australia Ms Roberta Ronzitti, and His Excellency the Ambassador of Italy, Pier Francesco Zazo. We also had the Hon. Marco Fedi, a member of the Italian parliament, joining us this year. There was the Premier of course, and we had representation from the Liberal Party. I believe the Hon. John Gazzola may have been there; I may have spotted him from afar.

The Liberal Party was well represented. The Leader of the Opposition, Steven Marshall, gave a fantastic speech. He spoke Italian and, funnily enough, he was the only one who did; the Italian consul did not actually speak Italian, but Steven Marshall did at the opening ceremony, which was pretty fantastic. Other members of parliament from my side who joined us were the member for Morialta John Gardner; the member for Unley, David Pisoni; the member for Adelaide. Rachel Sanderson; the member for Hartley, Vincent Tarzia; and the federal member for Sturt, the Hon. Christopher Pyne. I believe David Colovic, the federal candidate for the seat of Adelaide, was also there. As I mentioned before, the Premier also attended, along with minister Zoe Bettison and other parliamentary colleagues.

Carnevale is not just about the food or the various different activities. One of the very special programs it promotes I would like to mention is the involvement of many different schools. School participation in Carnevale is a very significant and much loved part of the festival's activities.

Some of the schools that participated included All Saints Catholic Primary School, Charles Campbell College, Dante Alighieri Society, East Torrens Primary School, Mary MacKillop College, Mount Carmel College, Norwood Primary School, Rosary Parish School, Rostrevor College, School of Languages, Star of the Sea Primary School, St David's Parish School, St Joseph's Payneham Parish School, St Joseph's Renmark Parish School, St Mary's College, St Michael's College, St Monica's Parish School, St Therese's Parish School and Tenison Woods Catholic School, Mount Gambier. We can see that it is not just about the city metropolitan schools but includes all the other regional schools as well that promote the Italian culture and language being recognised. They need to be congratulated.

I take this opportunity to thank also the founders, past and present presidents and committee members, together with their families, for providing the vision, sense of pride and resources to serve the South Australian community for over 40 years. In particular, I highlight the following leaders within the Carnevale and the Italian committee: Mr Angelo-Raffaele Fantasia, President of the Coordinating Italian Committee; Vini Ciccarello, the Carnevale chair; and, Eugene Ragghianti, Carnevale and Special Events Manager. I congratulate them for their tireless efforts to ensure that everything runs smoothly.

I acknowledge all the armies of volunteers, all the clubs and everyone who put in so much effort. I thank also all the sponsors, San Remo pasta being one of the major sponsors. At this point I also want to congratulate the Campania Club on being able to achieve their target of raising $100,000 towards the Benevento Flood Relief fundraiser. They were able to achieve that $100,000 target through community support, which is marvellous.

I congratulate the Carnevale Italian festival, celebrating its 40th anniversary, and acknowledge all the significant work and commitment of the Italian festival committee and volunteers, and recognise the Italian community playing a significant role in making an economic, social and cultural contribution to South Australia. With those few words, I commend the motion to the chamber.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. J.M. Gazzola.

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