IN PICTURES: Albany Italian Club honours 60 years of cultural preservation and community with dinner

The Albany Italian Club observed a milestone birthday on October 18 with a celebratory dinner, honouring six decades of preserving Italian culture and serving as a community hub.

Dozens of club members, including past presidents, enjoyed a feast of Italian delicacies and each other’s company at its Albany Highway clubrooms, 60 years after its club’s inauguration.

They were joined by Consolato d’Italia representative Emilio Sessa who travelled from Perth for the occasion and Albany MLA Scott Leary.

The evening also marked the official opening of the club’s newly completed mural and revamped toilet block.

Painted by Mt Barker artist Sobrane Simcock, the mural depicts the arrival of Italian immigrants to the Albany community via ship as well as traditional symbols of Mediterranean life, including potted olive and lemon trees and fruiting grapevine.

The club was established in 1965, as a support system for the many Italians who immigrated to Australia seeking a new life with better opportunities.

It has grown since then into a community hub that helps preserve Italian culture through communal traditions such as pasta, sauce and sausage making days, as well as family dinners and dances, welcoming members of all cultures.