The Veneto Club – 50 years

In the photo above, volunteers are shown working on the construction site of the Veneto Club at Beverley c 1972.  L-R: Bepi Oberti, Silvano Girardi, Gino Torresan, Arturo Pagliaro, Aldo Snidero, Ferruccio Brazzaolotto, giovanni Bille,
Luigi Soldan, Romano Dametto.
Photo, courtesy Veneto Club.

Social life before the Veneto Club
After years of informal gatherings, plans were made to establish a Club so that members of the Veneto community in Adelaide could maintain customs, language, identity and relationships. From the early days of Veneto migration to Adelaide, Veneto men and women had socialised through attending weddings and other social events and gathering in each other’s homes. In the case of the Veneto market gardeners, they often gathered in packing sheds.

These occasions provided the Veneto migrants with opportunities to speak Veneto language and develop strong relationships that in many cases, replaced the extended family events they had left behind in Italy.

After the Second World War, the Australian Government migration policy increased the intake of southern European migrants.  Large numbers of veneti arrived in South Australia, many of whom were single men.

Young men worked hard to make a living and settle in Adelaide. At first, social life was limited because the men often worked six or seven days a week and there were not many opportunities for large groups to gather for social events. As time went on and families were growing up, social activities broadened and included women and children but were limited to a few public venues in Adelaide.

The vision of a Club for the Veneto community
Over the years, groups of Veneto men had met at the Fogolar Furlan Club at Felixstowe which had been established in 1958. Others met at the Shandon hotel on Tapleys Hill Road. In June 1971, a group of Veneto men expressed the strong desire to build a meeting place that could be a venue to host social occasions for Veneto people in Adelaide. The group developed a strategy to gather support for building a venue that would bring the Veneto community together in its own facilities that could incorporate social, cultural, sporting and educational activities.

Membership and acquiring land
The community demonstrated its support for forming a Club and building a venue and 178 men became foundation members paying $100 each. In June 1972 when the average male weekly income was $90.00, the membership fee was a significant contribution for working families.[1]

A site for the Veneto Club was finally found at Beverley after extensive searching. It was a five-acre piece of land which had been a clay pit for a local brickworks and had also become a dump. Within a year, guarantors, Franco Battistello, Leo Conci, Arturo Pagliaro and Gino Torresan, organised a bank loan – and the Veneto Club of South Australia became a landowner!

The first formal general meeting of members took place in October 1972 at the Oberdan Hall, Findon. Of a total membership of 300 at that time, 298 members attended and elected the first managing committee. Arturo Pagliaro was elected the President with two Vice Presidents, Franco Battistello and Gino Torresan and other officer holders were Franco Farina as Secretary and Rinaldo Stecca as Treasurer. Committee members were Ampelio Bendo, Carlo Boin, Mario Borghetto, Giorgo Busato, Leo Conci and Gino Innocente.

The hard work begins
Once the land was purchased, large numbers of volunteers levelled the land, set out footings and built a two-metre high brick fence before the foundations were laid. Volunteers  contributed their labour and equipment: operators of heavy earthmoving and compacting machinery, graders and tip trucks.

Laying of the Foundation stone
In July 1973 the foundation stone was laid by Premier Don Dunstan and it was a memorable occasion and the community could see the progress that had been made with the building.

The Club is built by volunteers
During a period of 84 Sundays, hundreds of volunteers gave their labour  – they included steel fabricators, bricklayers, plumbers, electricians, painters, concreters and other tradesmen. The Veneto Club published a book that described the wonderful achievement of the community in building the Club in 84 Sundays –  In 84 Domeniche Nasce il Veneto Club.

With the assistance of the many volunteers, the physical structures grew at Beverley. To support the men who were working hard on their trades, a group worked on organising meals: a butcher supplied free meat for barbeques, groups of women provided food and created a family atmosphere on weekends when so much labour was undertaken. Some social events were also planned in this period and a makeshift kitchen made it possible to cater for volunteers.  The community continued to support the initiative to build the Veneto Club by attending family fundraising events.

When Sandra Semola nee Zampin was interviewed for the Veneto market gardeners’ project in 2017, she remembered that her husband, Arturo, was involved preparing the land for the building and her father enjoyed watching the progress also:

Well, when they bought the land, it was a pug-hole. And you know, they needed someone there, say to “Give me the shovel.” And Dad used to give the shovel. Or, “Can you do this? And that’s what he used to do. Well, he did other things but he enjoyed going over there with the men and doing things. My husband was there – he used to dig swimming pools and the dirt used to go to the dump so instead of putting the dirt in the dump, he used to take it to the Veneto Club to fill in the pug-hole. We used to have tractors and trucks there. And Dad used to go over there and supervise. [laughter]

(Sandra Semola nee Zampin OH 872/44, 27 April 2017, p 27)

The official opening
On 26 May 1974, the community participated in the official opening of the Veneto Club at a ball held in the Club with over 500 guests who celebrated and expressed pride in the achievement.

The celebrations honoured the vision of the men who had gathered over time to plan and develop the steps towards the establishment of a community space where veneti and others were welcome. The Veneto Club housed a building of 3,500 square metres which consisted of an office, a large function hall, a bar and kitchen facilities. (Many women volunteered their time to work in the kitchen for several years.) There was parking for 350 cars, soccer grounds, netball and basketball courts, a bocce court with eight lanes and two lanes for borella games. The venue made it possible for the Club to host social, cultural and sporting activities which brought the community together and provided enjoyment for hundreds of Veneto Australians and their children. At last, there was a venue that the Veneto community could call their own!

Anniversary Dinner
The Veneto Club will celebrate its 50^th anniversary at a grand event in Adelaide on 25^th May 2024. 600 guests will enjoy the opportunity to socialise and remember the establishment of the Club and the vision, hard work and achievement of the first members.

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Madeleine Regan
5 May 2024

[1] Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics, Canberra, Australia, Average Weekly Earnings, June Quarter, 172. https://www.ausstats.abs.gov.au/ausstats/free.nsf/0/1DED1C423EF40AD9CA25751600102E95/$File/63020_JUN1972.pdf