The historic building of the Furlan Club in Thornbury, located on Matisi Street, is protected - for now - after having been temporarily added to Victoria’s Heritage Register.
This came following a public meeting held on Monday, May 26 at Preston City Hall, where the proposal received approval.
The executive committee of the historic club had launched a petition on Change.org called Protect Furlan Club: A living legacy of Italian-Australian History to prevent the building from being demolished.
The initiative also received support from Kat Theophanous, the Labor MP for Northcote, who appeared in a social media video alongside Trish Corelli, president of the Furlan Club.
“Darebin City Council has voted YES to a temporary heritage overlay for the beloved Furlan Italian Club,” Theophanous wrote on her official social media page.
“It’s not the end of the battle – there’s still work to do to preserve the club and get people dancing inside again.
“But it’s a big milestone that gives the club some breathing room.”
Former Darebin councillor Lina Messina, who also spoke at the public meeting, expressed her great enthusiasm at the outcome, but stressed the urgency of recognising and protecting “our cultural heritage, not just in Darebin but across all of Victoria”.
“It’s time to go beyond mere symbolic recognition,” she said, “We must ensure there are clear and consistent policies, backed by dedicated resources, to preserve the diverse cultural fabric that defines our communities.
“We shouldn’t be randomly deciding which stories deserve to be preserved.”
Meanwhile, the Furlan Club of Thornbury looks to the future with renewed hope and the conviction that “the Italo-Australian and Friulian spirit lives on”.
