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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2021-05-26 Daily Xml
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Milisits, Mr Vilmos

Adjourned debate on motion of Hon. F. Pangallo:

That this house—

1. Acknowledges the passing of Vilmos Milisits OAM;

2. Acknowledges his outstanding contribution to South Australia and Australian businesses;

3. Acknowledges the international success of his bakery business, Vili's;

4. Recognises his generosity and support for many individuals, charities, clubs and businesses; and

5. Conveys its sincerest condolences to his wife, Rosemary, their children and their extended families.

(Continued from 5 May 2021.)

The Hon. J.S. LEE (16:56): I rise today to wholeheartedly support the motion moved by the Hon. Frank Pangallo to acknowledge the sad passing of a remarkable South Australian, Vilmos Milisits OAM. I join the mover, the Premier in the other place, the Hon. Stephen Wade and other honourable members to pay tribute and respect to Vili and to convey my heartfelt condolences to his beloved wife, Rosemary; their children, Alison and Simon; their grandchildren, Luke and Josh; Helen Rice; and the extended family during this sad time.

It was a great honour to join His Excellency the Governor, Premier Marshall, many dignitaries, family members, business members and community leaders at a moving state memorial service to honour the legacy of Vili Milisits on Friday 30 April 2021 at the Adelaide Festival Theatre, a venue which he would have approved of.

I did a quick Google search on the name Vili Milisits OAM and some 53,000 results came up on the screen. It goes to show that Vili was well known and much respected, and not only because he was a successful business leader. He was much more than that. Vili was well loved because of who he was and what he stood for. Vili's belief that success comes from hard work, commitment and care has been quoted many times. He represented all the above and lived his life to the fullest. His legacy will continue to inspire us forever.

He was a proud Australian and a role model for many refugee and migrant communities. He called himself Hungarian by birth but Australian by choice. I am sure we all agree with Graham Cornes, who was MC at Vili's memorial service at the Adelaide Festival Centre, when he said, 'Vili had a special touch of magic and he was a man with boundless generosity.'

I have had the pleasure of knowing Vili and Rosemary for a long time. I remember meeting him at a business seminar organised by the former Department of Industry and Trade when Vili was a keynote speaker, sharing his success story with the business community about his bakery business and his export strategies promoting South Australian products to the world. Vili's products can be found in many different stores throughout Australia, from the local deli to the major supermarkets, and Vili is not just a household name in Australia because Vili's bakery has expanded beyond Australia and has been supplying quality bakery products worldwide to 24 countries in Asia, Europe and the Pacific.

Vili's story of success, from humble beginnings to an iconic South Australian business, is one that moves many hearts. With hard work, commitment and passion, Vili and Rosemary, life and business partners, established a business that was to eventually become one of south Australia's greatest success stories. Deeply grateful for the opportunities given to them in Australia and aware of their community needs, Vili and Rosemary recognised the importance of giving back to the community that supported them on their journey. They have actively contributed to the development of their industry and to the prosperity of the working community.

Until the time when he became seriously ill, Vili was working five to seven days a week alongside his staff, showing the same passion and care for his products that he did almost 50 years ago when he first began. He was passionate about his business and, more importantly, he was passionate about people. He worked in the bakery and served food at the cafe during lunch and enjoyed chatting with his customers.

I want to provide a time line about Vili for the public record. In 1948, Vilmos Milisits was born in Hungary. In 1956, the Milisits family moved to Australia as refugees, escaping political unrest in Hungary. Vili left school at the age of 14 to work at a cake shop in Burnside, before starting his own venture on Manchester Street in Mile End, where the original Cafe de Vili's now is. In 1967, Rosemary and Vili Milisits were engaged. They met whilst Rosemary was working as a nurse. Rosemary joined Vili soon after at their first continental cake shop in Adelaide. In 1978, Vili's continental bakery was established.

In 1995, former Premier of South Australia the Hon. Dean Brown and Wolf Blass launched halal products for export. The building itself was reopened by former Premier the Hon. Dean Brown. During the time of the Grand Prix that same year, Vili was working alongside the government in conjunction with the Australia Malaysia Business Council, which promoted a trade delegation to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I remember that time very well because I also worked at the Grand Prix that weekend. It was evidence that Vili was a strong marketer. He recognised there was a potential market overseas and he seized every opportunity to promote South Australian products.

In 1997, Norwood won the SANFL premiership. From his early days, Vili was a great supporter of the Norwood Football Club. As a young 12 year old, he became a Norwood supporter. He picked up cans and bottles at the oval for pocket money. Later on, he became a major sponsor. The SANFL premiership for Norwood was something that he recorded as one of the highlights of his life. In 1998, Vili was involved in the Variety Bash. He supplied the biggest cake to the variety club in celebration of the 20th anniversary.

Vili cited 2000 as a very memorable time in his life because he met Muhammad Ali. During the Sydney 2000 Olympics, Vili met Muhammad Ali during an Adelaide visit. Rosemary and Vili said they were gifted a boxing glove from Ali's match in Manila. That was something they treasured. Vili's cafe in Mile End displays many memorabilia items collected over the business's lifetime, and one of those is that famous boxing glove.

Vili judged many food and fibre awards. He also appeared in Who magazine for an article the 'Upper Crust'. His contribution to SA business development and the food industry is a formidable force that we will and should always recognise. He has been flying the flag for South Australian products, and the famous 'Couldn't you go a Vili's' posters were a fantastic marketing slogan. He won many Premier's food awards, and he and Rosemary have been recognised as proud Australians, and were both awarded in 2005 an OAM for their contribution to business development and the community.

He loved being a talking head, so he appeared on radio supporting community radio station Radio Adelaide, promoting the English language as well as other languages, with 'Australia Here We Come!, which was a special radio program promoting refugees and migrants as part of Refugee Week. In 2006 he appeared in SA Life magazine, which was a very proud moment where he featured. In 2008 he was the winner of the inaugural Governor's Multicultural Awards for the private category.

Vili never forgot the second chance he was offered in Australia as a Hungarian refugee, and he paid it forward throughout his life. Vili and Rosemary employed 360 staff with HR policies that support youth and mature age employment. Disadvantaged people made up 10 per cent of their workforce. They have employed people from multicultural and disadvantaged backgrounds, new arrivals to this country, young offenders and Indigenous people, which they were most proud of.

Some of you may know that in 2010 local artist Dale Chen painted an Archibald Prize painting, and Vili was part of the Archibald Prize and was very proud of that moment. There are significant time lines that I mentioned today that were captured at the state memorial service to remember a giant, a legend with a big heart. One of the songs that was played in the afternoon memorial service was I am Australian. I recall one of Vili's best mates Michael Pratt (Pratty) sitting in the row just behind me, and he said, 'Jing, can you please make sure you sing the song because Vili will be singing with you.'

Vili and Rosemary have sponsored many of my multicultural events, where we invited hundreds of people to enjoy Vili's pies and pasties, while sharing the Australian culture with migrants, and we would always sing the song I am Australian. I know that is true because Vili and Rosemary have generously supported the community, which has acknowledged his great work and will remember him. I still remember that Vili was always laughing and singing:

We are one, but we are many

And from all the lands on earth we come

We'll share a dream and sing with one voice

I am, you are, we are Australian.

Vale, Vili, you were one of a kind. We will miss you dearly. Your loving memories and legacies will live in our hearts and minds forever. Thank you, the Hon. Frank Pangallo, for moving this motion so that we all have the opportunity to pay tribute to Vili for his enormous contribution to the community, to South Australia, and to the business sector. I wholeheartedly commend the motion.

The Hon. T.T. NGO (17:09): I rise to support this motion recognising Mr Vilmos Militsis AO. First, I acknowledge Vili's family and send my sympathies on their loss of a much-loved husband, father and grandfather. Members and others have spoken of the passing of an icon, a great South Australian businessman, an entrepreneur and creator of a local and global company operating in over 20 countries. Vili contributed much to our state's business sector and productivity. For these things he will be celebrated and missed.

Like Vili, I came from a warring homeland: for him, Hungary in 1956; for me, Vietnam in the eighties. Like me, I expect this taught Vili how fleeting life is, driving a desire to grasp opportunities and waste no time. As I was once also a new migrant to Australia, I know that coming to this country can be very, very tough. It would have been especially harsh in the fifties with rampant racism and high unemployment. Social security was limited and, if you did qualify for benefits, there was a long wait of up to a year.

Migrants might have worked two or even three low-paying, hard, physical jobs, maybe labouring on worksites, in factories or on farms. They worked to survive and provide for their family here and to send money back home. I expect that in the Australia of the fifties they were also shunned by locals for taking their jobs, as were later migrants from Asia, like me.

Days were tough and lonely at times, but migrants did not pack their bags and go home. They made their own path and many, like Vili, seized their chances. I think the local migrant culture and daily challenges likely encouraged Vili in his actions to leave school early and start his apprenticeship. Vili then took that opportunity and, through his hard labour, created an empire. He worked tirelessly for hours to make the most of his chances and build something for his family and its next generations. This is a story common to many first-generation pioneers in Australia's migrant communities.

Also common within our different migrant communities is a strong desire to contribute to Australian society. We work to give back to our new home, compelled to repay the faith shown in us by our new community. Through their business, Vili and his wife, life and business partner, Rosemary, had capacity to give to the community and they did, generously. Their philanthropy has been well canvassed by other members. It included giving to charities, sponsoring sporting clubs and mentoring students. Pioneers like Vili work hard to create something in their new home. In building something for themselves and their family, they add another layer to our dynamic, intercultural community. They work hard for themselves and, through their hard work, create opportunities for others.

The Hon. Frank Pangallo MLC told the chamber about how Vili and Rosemary helped people from many cultures to find work as they struggled to find their feet in South Australia. They provided jobs and support for political refugees, including Vietnamese boat people when they first arrived in Australia in the late seventies. If it were not for that compassion and help in the early days, the Vietnamese community may not have had the foundation to grow and thrive in South Australia.

It is indisputable that Vili was a successful businessperson, but for me what stands out most strongly from his legacy is how he welcomed and supported people different from him but who faced the same challenges he once did. It is his contribution to building the inclusiveness and interculturalism of our state that I most admire and celebrate. Moreover, through Vili and his wife, Rosemary, supporting people from other cultures and giving them opportunities to establish themselves in South Australia they have helped build migrant communities and added to the dynamic multicultural state we enjoy. For this, Vili, thank you. Vale, Vili Milisits OA.

The Hon. F. PANGALLO (17:15): I think I could go a Vili's right now actually. I would like to thank the members who made heartfelt contributions recognising the enormous contributions Vili Milisits made to South Australia: the Hon. Stephen Wade, the Hon. Jing Lee and of course the Hon. Tung Ngo. I would like to acknowledge members of the Milisits family and friends who are watching us on the live stream: wife, Rosemary; son, Simon; daughter, Alison; and also Pauline Clune, Vili's carer. I am sure they have greatly appreciated these words today. He was a state treasure and I am sure his memory and his outstanding achievements will be long lived.

I spoke about the unfortunate setbacks and delays that Vili received for his life-saving lung transplant surgery because of flawed medical reports about Vili's mental state and his intellectual capacity and what Vili and his own family perceive to be age discrimination in our health system. My speech attracted much attention and there is something that I found very informative and valuable that I would like to share with the chamber today. There is one particular email that I would like to acknowledge that has now raised an issue very pertinent to Vili's case that has been overlooked by our health system and that I intend to raise with the AMA and other medical bodies as a matter of urgency.

Based on her elderly mother's shocking experience with SACAT, Ms Evie Arharidis revealed the inherent problems existing with neuropsychology capacity testing. She points out that these tests, like those Vili undertook, are more directed at educated people from Anglo-Saxon backgrounds and have been developed within the matrix of the Western English-speaking world, rather than those from ethnic cultures with limited education, as many of the postwar migrants from Europe were or those from Asia and Africa. There are no tests specific to them.

Vili was a migrant, of course, with little or no English or proper education by the time he landed here as a child and when he left school aged 14. Ms Arharidis wrote:

It seems the ethnics, in our case European Australians, are getting the raw end of the deal and there is a lack of services that assist people of non-English speaking backgrounds in such convoluted complex matters when it comes to SACAT and the capacity tests that they are forced to undergo are set up and designed for educated Anglo-Saxons before the system will fail them. This puts them at risk of losing their voice and their assets to the government. In Mr Milisits' case, it denied him the chance of having surgery much sooner, which sadly cost him his life it seems.

There is credible scientific basis to what Ms Arharidis is saying. She informed me of the important and world groundbreaking work Melbourne University Alzheimer researcher and neuropsychologist, Dr Mathew Staios, is doing in Victoria and the United States. Dr Staios has found that the tests now being used are inappropriate tools to gauge cognitive impairment in elderly individuals from ethnic backgrounds with low English skills and minimal or no education. More importantly, they are three times more likely to result in misdiagnosis.

Dr Staios is now developing a whole series of tests based on assessments he sourced from Greece, using Greek migrants living in Melbourne, which has more than 250,000 people of Hellenic origin. His research and subsequent results will hopefully lead to a total revision of these cognitive tests and make them a lot fairer for those from different cultural backgrounds. Let's not forget that agencies like the Public Trustee and the Guardianship Board rely on these assessments in determining the legal and mental capacity of individuals.

I will restate that had Vili been given a transplant by the Alfred or another hospital nine months or so earlier when he had been considered an excellent candidate for transplantation, he might still be with us today. In his preposterous diagnosis of Vili, Adelaide neuropsychologist Dr Andrew Rothwell surmised that Vili had an IQ of 84 and was six times more likely to have dementia. His report was later discredited by two other neuropsychologists, which, sadly, came too late.

This is also no reflection on St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney, which came into the picture very late in Vili's desperate battle with deteriorating lung conditions. They were exceptional in their care. South Australia's Agent General in the UK, Bill Muirhead, sent me an email, which I shall read part of:

Thank you for shining a bright light on this incomprehensible and sad episode. I'm sure it exacerbated Vili's already serious medical condition during his remaining months.

You have done a great service in telling this shocking story. Vili would be happy that you have hopefully helped stop something similar happening to others.

What is disappointing is that this experience highlights inadequate resourcing in South Australia's health system when it comes to major transplant surgery. Unlike Perth, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, Adelaide does not have the capacity or the facility at any of our hospitals, including the Women's and Children's Hospital, to carry out heart or lung transplants. Instead, South Australian patients must be placed on waiting lists compiled by interstate providers. Why can we not have a specialised major transplant unit like St Vincent's or Alfred or the Mater right here in Adelaide? I think we know the answer—probably, it is cost.

At a time when it looks like the government may soon need to allocate resources into voluntary assisted dying, I sincerely hope that one of these days our health minister takes the courageous and groundbreaking step to spend money and show more support for initiatives that will also save and prolong lives, like making defibrillators and CCTV in aged-care facilities mandatory in South Australia. With that, I commend the motion to the chamber and again I thank all the members for their wonderful contributions.

Motion carried.

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