52 Years of Service Above Self. Don Mazzucchelli, PHF.
I first met Don Mazzucchelli at a lunch meeting. It was to be my induction into the Rotary Club of Perth. Don got me up in front of over 100 members in attendance and proceeded to recite the Induction Charge staring me straight in the eye. I did say recite, not read. In his almost 2 minutes of unbroken stare straight into my eyes while reciting the Induction Charge, Don made me realise how serious he was in the words he rendered. Because of that conviction, I still live by that promise I made all those years ago for Service Above Self to my community.
Mazzucchelli is a famous family name in the Western Australian community, but I would like you to now recognise one of the sons behind that name.
Donald John Mazzucchelli was born in 1939. The family resided in Nedlands and he attended school at both Dalkeith and Claremont Primary and then Scotch College. He started working life for a Chartered Accountant in 1956 before joining the family business 2 years later as an office boy at Central Arcade on Hay St, Perth. He remained in the business of Mazzucchelli's Jewellers until 1996.
Don served as the 56th President of our Club in 1981/82. In 1987, he served as chair for Operation Livewire, a program that encourages entrepreneurship amongst young people aged between 18 and 25 with the aid of mentors from Rotary’s network. I believe this has been one of our most successful projects that has led the program to be adopted by the Shell Company, renaming it to Shell Livewire and replicated across all states in Australia.
Together with his wife Maxine, the Mazzucchellis probably hold the world record for number of Rotary Youth Exchange Students hosted. If you ever get to see their holiday snapshots, you’d think that they have family all around the world. Having known them all these years, I know that is true because of the way they welcome young people from around the world into their home.
Don & Maxine, you have been a positive influence to countless young people who are now leaders of industry and communities around the world and carry with them fond memories of their time in Australia.
Don was inducted into the Rotary Club of Perth on Feb 29th 1969. At our Club’s 75th Anniversary, Don said, “When I first joined Rotary, I felt a bit like a fish out of water as I was considerably younger than most other Rotarians.”
Well Don, you don’t have to feel that way anymore. Over the past 20 years, you have been a great inspiration to me and for over 50 years now, to many others in Rotary, the Perth community and countless past Exchange Students from around the world. You have demonstrated to us Service above Self.
It is my privilege to thank you for 50 years of service to Rotary and to our community.
“At Mazzucchelli's, we know that a diamond is never just a diamond; it's a celebration, a moment, a memory to be treasured for years to come.”
Rotary, as a charitable organisation, cannot give you a diamond, but I hope this will be a treasured memory of your time in the Perth Rotary Club.
Wesley Sim
Past-President 2018/2019