E[ fiBA. PGO:
FOR MEDIA SUNDAY, 6 DECEMBER 1981
OPENING OF THE CAMPANIA CLUB
I am delighted to be at the Campania Club for this official
opening because these new headquarters are a significant
expression of multicultural Australia, and a tribute to
the efforts and vision of the club and its members.
I will say something in a a moment about the achievement
which these new headquarters represent, but beforeI come to
that, let me just say that the activities of-this club, and
others like it, enrich the life of the nation as a whole
and contribute to a better and more diverse Australia.
Multiculturalism has taken decisive strides ahead in the last
few years, c6pecially since the Government's total acceptance
of the Galbaily'Report three years ago, and as I said in the
inaugural4address on multiculturalism less than a week ago,
the Government stands fully committed to the continued
advancement of multiculturalism in Australia. There is
obviously a great deal still to be done,' and the Government
is very well aware of this. But it is a great achievement
of this enttire nation that, at a time when many other countries
are still trying to size up the challenge of cultural diversity,
Australia has broken through. And we are all increasingly
aware that the prospects which lie ahead as a result of that
breakthr ugh are exciting as well as challenging, and I
have no doubt that we will move ahead much more strongly as
a nation because of it.
There is something else that I would like to say because at
this moment, while we are celebrating this wonderful new club,
with all the benefits and facilities it provides, our minds
cannot help turning to the appalling earthquake last year in
Southern Italy. That tragedy is something which nobody here
will ever forget, for it was a disaster of massive proportions,
and it affected a considerable number of people here in a
very direct way indeed, in many cases through the death or
injury of friends or family.
I would like again to express the sympathy which we all feel
for those who suffered loss. But while none of us will forget
the tragedy, neither will we forget the magnificent response / 2
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throughout Australia to the appeal which was immediately
launched. All Australians responded to that appeal, not just
-Austra~ liansof Italian origin, and not just the Government,
because the tragedy affected us all, as members of one nation.
As everybody knows, $ 4.4 million was raised in the appeal,
$ 600,000 of it in South Australia, and it is extremely pleasing
that this money is already being put to practical use and
translated into valuable, concrete projects in Italy.
It is particularly memorable that a kindergarten and an
elderly people's home are in fact due to be opened tomorrow
in the township of Campagna, and the conjunction between that
event and the event we are celebrating here today will no
doubt remain in many of our minds as a symbolic landmark in
Australian-Italian relationships.
Funds from the eathquake appeal have also been allocated for an
elderly people's home in Baronissi, and for a day hospital
in CavaDei Tirreni. Beyond that, four further projects in
four other towns are being considered, and the National Committee
for the Southern Italian Earthquake Appeal will in fact meet
tomorrow right here at the Campania Club to decide on further
allocations of appeal funds.
This club obviously played an active role in the appeal. It is
not surprising that your President, Mr John Di Fede, is a
distinguishea member of that Committee, and I understand he
will be reporting at tomorrow's meeting on progress in terms
of reconstruction in Southern Italy. , That report will be a
matter of g1reat interest, and if the progress in terms of
reconstruction there comes anywhere near the progress in termns
of construction here as represented by these new premises,
then the report will be an impressive one indeed.
I understand that the Camnpania Club was established in 1975,
and these headquarters represent a remarkable achievement
on the part of the Club and its members. Nobody knows better
than you that buildings such as these do not come into existenc; e
by chance5 or simply through spending money. They have come into
existence-because a group of men and women had a vision of
something worth doing, and because this vision was backed by
the will and dedication to make it a reality.
The members of this club willingly joined together. I understand
that many of them put their own efforts directly into the building
work, and without this contribution, the facilities now enjoyed
here by club members and their families would surely never have
been possible. This Club is a fine example of a theme which
runs through Australian history, the theme of people rising
to meet a challenge, and enhancing the life of the whole
community through their achievement. I have no doubt that this
Club, in these premises, will make that kind of contribution. / 3
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It is not surprising in Australia in the 1980s that membership
of this Club is by no means confined to Australians of Italian
Sorigi~ 7--alth6ugh obviously the great majority of club members
do share that particular bond. But in any case the benefits
that will be gained from these new facilities will extend beyond
the enjoyment of members, for through clubs such as this,
Australians can reach out to other parts of the world, we
can reach back to our origins and maintain our cultural
inheritance, and we can reach forward to the future, to project
the way of life we seek for our children. That is a goal
which we-all share, and a commitment we must pursue
unswervingly. I congratulate the Club for what it has achieved, and for what
it will continue to do for the life of Australia. And while
it is not quite time yet for me to perform the opening
ceremony, I am looking forward very much to declaring these
new headquarters open in a few minutes.