James Andrew del Piano (1916 - 1981) was an Australian businessman and civic leader.

Early life

He was born Giacomo del Piano on 17 November 1916 in

Kalgoorlie, Western Australia Kalgoorlie is a city in the Goldfields–Esperance region of Western Australia, located east-northeast of Perth at the end of the Great Eastern Highway. It is sometimes referred to as Kalgoorlie–Boulder, as the surrounding urban area includ ...

. His parents were Giovanni and Maria (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Mazzina). After primary education in Widgiemooltha and Kalgoorlie he moved to Italy where he finished his education in

Castello dell'Acqua Castello dell'Acqua is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Sondrio in the Italian region Lombardy, located about northeast of Milan and about east of Sondrio. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 693 and an area of .All dem ...

. He worked in an office until the death of his father when he moved back to Australia with his mother in 1935. In 1935 del Piano enrolled at the

University of Western Australia The University of Western Australia (UWA) is a public research university in the Australian state of Western Australia. The university's main campus is in Perth, the state capital, with a secondary campus in Albany, Western Australia, Albany an ...

, where he studied engineering. Before he could finish his degree, he joined the

Australian Government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Like other Westminster-style systems of government, the Australian Government i ...

as an engineering draftsman.

Internment

In 1942 del Piano was interned after allegations were made that he had

fascist Fascism is a far-right, Authoritarianism, authoritarian, ultranationalism, ultra-nationalist political Political ideology, ideology and Political movement, movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and pol ...

sympathies. He spent time in

Fremantle Prison Fremantle Prison, sometimes referred to as Fremantle Gaol or Fremantle Jail, is a former Australian prison and World Heritage Site in Fremantle, Western Australia. The site includes the prison cellblocks, gatehouse, perimeter walls, cottage ...

before spending time in internment camps in country Western Australia and South Australia. He was released in early 1944.

Business

After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

finished del Piano opened his own business, specialising in immigration and shipping. In the late 1940s he diversified into real estate and by the 1960s he had become involved in the timber industry.

Public life

In 1947 he became president of the Western Australian Italian Club a role he held for eighteen years. His time in charge was notable for the significant increase in membership from 50 to over 3000. During the 1950s he served four years, over two stints, as president of the Azzuri Soccer Club. Del Piano spent ten years as a

City of Perth A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

councillor, including two years as Deputy Lord Mayor.

Honours

For his services to the Italian diaspora community in Australia he was awarded the

Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity The Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity ( it, Stella della solidarietà italiana ) was founded as a national order by the first President of the Italian Republic, Enrico De Nicola, in 1947, to recognise civilian and military expatriates or ...

in 1955 and later made an officer then commander of the

Order of Merit of the Italian Republic The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic ( it, Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana) is the senior Italian order of merit. It was established in 1951 by the second President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi. The highest-ranking ...

. In 1977 he was made an officer of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

Death

Del Piano died on 13 July 1981 of cancer. He was buried at

Karrakatta Cemetery Karrakatta Cemetery is a metropolitan cemetery in the suburb of Karrakatta in Perth, Western Australia. Karrakatta Cemetery first opened for burials in 1899, the first being that of wheelwright Robert Creighton. Managed by the Metropolitan Ce ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Del Piano, James 1916 births 1981 deaths Australian people of Italian descent Commanders of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic Australian Officers of the Order of the British Empire Perth City Councillors People from Kalgoorlie 20th-century Australian politicians Burials at Karrakatta Cemetery