The Consulate of Italy in Perth celebrated the 78th Italian National Day on June 6th in the Ballroom of Government House.
The presence of over 400 guests, including numerous institutional representatives (among them Mrs. Darrilyn Dawson, the Premier of Western Australia, Roger Cook, the Deputy Premier, Rita Saffioti, the Minister of Education, Tony Buti, the Minister of Defence, Paul Papalia, the President of the Legislative Council, Alanna Clohesy, the Leader of the WA Liberal Party, Libby Mettam, the Commander of the 13th Brigade, Amanda Williamson, the Commander of the Western Command of the Federal Police, Graeme Marshall) and the warmth with which the guests – including Senator Francesco Giacobbe and the Defence Attaché at the Embassy of Italy in Canberra, Col. Marco Bertoli – accompanied the various moments of the Festa della Repubblica made the event an authentic celebration of the deep and friendly relations between Italy and Western Australia: a State where do reside over 23,000 Italians and more than 100,000 Italian descendants, who have decisively contributed to its development.
In his speech, Consul Nicolaci, emphasizing the immense historical and cultural heritage that Italy represents, noted how the Italian community has been instrumental in building “bridges of understanding, friendship, and cooperation between our two countries”, highlighting how there are vast opportunities to “strengthen economic, cultural, and commercial bilateral relations to the benefit of both” by leveraging the complementary strengths of Western Australia and Italy.
Finally, recalling the key objectives of the Italian G7 Presidency, the Consul noted how Italy aspires “by constitution” to promote dialogue and regional stability in various strategic theaters, from Europe to the Middle East to the Indo-Pacific, to find lasting solutions to ongoing conflicts.
During the evening, the Consul – accompanied by Deputy Premier Saffioti, Education Minister Buti, and Qantas Regional Manager Nick Vanderwoude – awarded the diplomas of the newly established “Consulate of Italy-Qantas Award for Excellence in Italian Language and Culture” to the two most deserving students of the University of Western Australia (the only university where Italian is currently taught and where the MAECI lecturer operates), who received a voucher valid for flying to Italy on the Qantas direct flight Perth-Rome.
The Consulate of Italy is grateful to the numerous sponsors (including Saipem, Matec Pacific, Bendigo Bank North Perth, Qantas, West Australian Opera, and Mimaro Group) who, along with the technical sponsors, made the event at Government House a successful opportunity to promote a sophisticated, modern, and winning image of Italy.
