Concetta Fierravanti-Wells (NSW, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Acting Deputy President Parry, I take this opportunity to congratulate you on your appointment as Acting Deputy President. It is the first time that I have spoken while you have been in the chair.

I rise today to pay tribute to a special Australian who recently passed away, Biaggio Signorelli. Biaggio was born in 1937 in Poggioreale, a small town in Sicily, in Italy. He was the youngest of five sons of Paolo and Antonina. Biaggio was only 11 years old when his father died, but he and his four brothers, Salvatore, Pietro, Vincenzo and Giuseppe, would later honour their father’s memory by naming their first born sons after him. This is an important cultural tradition. Indeed, both my brother and I are named after our respective grandparents.

Those were tough times in Sicily. Biaggio, like many, gained his education both from school and at work. He learnt early about the work ethic and cultivated a business sense. In the mid 1950s, a young Biaggio migrated to Australia, following his brothers Vincenzo and Pietro, who had earlier moved to Australia. It was a migrant story like so many others. The promise of a better future drove Biaggio and his brothers before him to immigrate to this faraway land. It was to be the first step of a new life.

The boy from a little Sicilian town was then a young man in a foreign land. He revelled in the opportunities on offer and welcomed the challenges ahead. He embraced his new Australian culture and his new way of life. Indeed, I am told that Biaggio even became known to many as Bruce. Biaggio joined his brothers and became a green grocer in Willoughby. He later joined Ferguson’s Transformers making transformers for televisions. Within months, his natural leadership qualities saw him promoted to supervisor. His determination and fighting spirit also saw him taking up boxing and a love of big cars.

With his overwhelming drive and determination, Biaggio constantly strived for higher goals and sought fulfilment in starting his own business. He settled into Lakemba, a suburb in Sydney, naming his first business Antonella’s Fruit Market, paying homage to his beloved mother, who was still in Italy at the time. Initially leasing the property, Biaggio practised his philosophy of always owning your own property. Not long after, he bought the shop and upper residence.

With his business well established, Biaggio sought fulfilment in his personal life by courting a beautiful and intelligent young lady named Fina Navarra. Biaggio and Fina married on 4 June 1967. Their first child, Nina, was born in 1968, followed a year later by son Paul. Biaggio, with a supportive Fina at his side, was successfully balancing his business with the demands of a young family. Four years later, in 1973, he opened a function centre with his brother-in-law, which also coincided with the birth of their third child, Anna Maria.

Life continued in a familiar pattern for many years. Biaggio and Fina worked hard to raise their family and operate their businesses, instilling their values and business ethics into their three children. As a business owner, Biaggio employed many people over the years. These people were more than just team members; they were his extended family. He showed respect, love and support for all his employees and in turn earned their respect and loyalty.

Biaggio always put his family first; nothing was more important to him. When son Paul, then aged 21, nearly died in a car accident, Biaggio made sure that the medical staff did everything possible to secure Paul’s recovery and wellbeing. Biaggio did not leave his son’s side. This incredible love cultivated a bond that not only urged Paul’s recovery but created a truly remarkable and extremely strong relationship between father and son. It is the strength of this relationship that underpins the commencement and, in turn, the success of the Doltone House Group of venues as we know them today.

In 1995, only a few years after Paul’s accident, Biaggio bought Doltone House in Sylvania Waters. This was a pivotal move for the Signorelli family and one which saw all three children work alongside their father to create one of the most successful hospitality corporate entities in metropolitan Sydney. Indeed, the Signorelli family is the epitome of so many of the success stories of our migration—families whose closeness and dedication have been pivotal to their success; families who have worked hard together, supported each other and then reaped the benefits of their success for themselves and for their children. The Signorelli family is definitely one such family.

Over the time I have known them, I have seen firsthand just how close and supportive they are of each other. Indeed, my husband and I have been privileged to join the Signorelli family at New Year and many other functions and share in the warmth of their welcome. It is clear that the closeness in the Signorelli family emanates from Biaggio and Fina, a closeness which ensured the rapid growth of their business.

By 2005, and only 10 years after the establishment of the first Doltone House, the family had spread its involvement and reputation in the functions industry to additional Doltone venues at Pyrmont and Sans Souci. Today, the Doltone House group is well recognised and very well respected. I understand that more waterfront venues will be added to their venue portfolio within the next three to five years. They will continue to be run by Baggio’s three children, underpinned by the same philosophy of hard work and excellence instilled into them by their father.

On a personal level, Biaggio will always be remembered for his genuine ability to respect and care for his fellow man. He showed no partiality, respecting everyone as an individual and respecting their beliefs and traditions. He was a man who quietly commanded respect. To those who knew him, he was a true gentleman who possessed a dry wit and a keen sense of humour. As a successful businessman and well-respected member of the community, Biaggio retained his humility and dignity at all times. He measured his wealth through his family. They were for him his greatest accomplishment.

Biaggio was never prouder than when surrounded by his wife, Fina, three children and their spouses, Nina and Vince, Paul and Carmela, and Anna and Steven, and seven grandchildren, Joe-Alexander, Giulia, Philippa, Biaggio, Genevieve, Santina and Ignatius. He was a committed Catholic. He proudly witnessed all his children’s weddings and the christenings of his seven grandchildren. Indeed, in recent years the Doltone Group has seen the fruits of the success of Biaggio and his family through a series of awards including: Winner of the 2007 Meetings and Events Industry Awards, Winner of the 2007 City of Sydney Business Awards for Business of the Year and for Best Entertainment Venue, Winner of the 2007 Deloittes NSW Family Business Growth Awards, and Winner of the 2007 Italian Chamber of Commerce Awards of Excellence.

Ever grateful for his hard work and always conscious of the sacrifices Biaggio endured as a new Australian, his children carry forth the business ethics and family values instilled in them as they continue to grow Doltone House and pay homage to their father. Biaggio was generous and hospitable and well known in his local community. The headline in the St George and Sutherland Shire Leader article, 11 June 2008, referred to Biaggio as ‘Generous owner of castle’. The article reported that Biaggio had attracted media attention when he bought a Blakehurst ‘castle’ for son Paul and a home for daughters Nina and Anna in 2006.

Biaggio’s generosity went far beyond his family. It was extended to his sponsorship of community events at Doltone venues and especially those for the Australian-Italian community which I have frequently attended over the years. These included Italian National Day celebrations and many other prominent and important gatherings in the Australian-Italian community.

Biaggio faced many challenges in his life and always found a way to succeed. It is ironic that the only challenge he was unable to overcome would ultimately take his life. In September 2007 he was diagnosed with mesothelioma, or asbestos cancer. This is a rare disease which so graphically came to our attention in 1990 when then NSW Governor, Sir David Martin, died so quickly with the deadly cancer. He was only 57. Most recently we have seen the many tragic stories which have unfolded in the James Hardie inquiry. Unfortunately, by the time sufferers are diagnosed, any chance of cure or treatment is low and they face a life expectancy of a few months.

True to his character, Biaggio remained strong and positive to the end, always believing this was just another hurdle that he would overcome. Unfortunately this was not to be and on 30 May 2008, with his son Paul by his side, Biaggio lost his courageous battle. He was 71 years old. In his last days Biaggio whispered a message to his children. ‘They couldn’t help me but maybe you can do something to help save others.’ This was his final request. The family requested that instead of flowers, donations be made to the Sydney Cancer Centre Foundation. This is only the beginning of the family’s determination to fulfil Biaggio’s dying wish, with the establishment of the Biaggio Signorelli Foundation devoted to early detection, treatment and ultimately finding a cure for mesothelioma.

Biaggio’s final farewell at St Mary’s Cathedral was a reflection of the respect he was held in during his life. Over 3,000 people attended with many others spilling over into the cathedral forecourt. This was not surprising given his generous nature throughout his life. Biaggio had given so much of himself to so many different people—and so many people from many different walks of life came to bid him farewell. I know I speak for many in the community, and most especially in the Australian-Italian community, when I say that we have lost a truly good man.

To his wife, Fina, daughter Nina and her husband Vince, son Paul and his wife Carmela, and daughter Anna and her husband Steven, who are in the gallery today, and to the rest of your family, I pay tribute to the support that you gave to Biaggio to help him achieve what he did. Biaggio Signorelli will be remembered with respect and honour. As his surname reflects: ‘signore’, a true gentleman.