De Bellis migrated to Australia in the 1960s and dedicated his life to furthering the social and economic development of the Italian community through relevant initiatives. 

In 1970, he began working with CO.AS.IT. in Sydney, as a member of the School Subcommittee, and later on the Board of Directors.

In the mid-1980s, De Bellis was elected as treasurer; he remained in that role on a voluntary basis until 2020.

He proved himself to be exceptionally progressive in his approach to language education, social services and the preservation of Italian culture.

During his time on the School Subcommittee, he was a consistent pioneer of innovation and continually looked for ways to safeguard CO.AS.IT. from economic difficulties over 50 years.

De Bellis was a devoted husband to Giustina, father to Nicholas, Mary, Frank and Gianni, grandfather to Delia, Melinda, Stephanie, Natalie, Tiana, Alessia, Giuliana and Sofia, and colleague and friend to many others.

He was born on July 22, 1938, in the Apulian town of Acquaviva delle Fonti.

Like many Italian migrants, he survived the hardship of World War II.

These early experiences taught him to appreciate the important things in life: good food, community and family.

He had an innate connection with the land and instinctively knew how to grow vegetables, care for fruit trees, and make cheese, pasta and wine.

De Bellis went on to study at the Istituto Tecnico Commerciale “Cesare Vivante” in Bari, graduating as an accountant in 1959.

In 1961, he followed one of his brothers to Australia and began working, picking up jobs where he could.  

During his second year in Australia, De Bellis was offered a job as an accountant with Sabemo, the construction branch of Transfield.

He spent the next 34 years there and was promoted to a variety of roles, including financial accountant and head of administration.

After Transfield acquired the ICAL group in 1989, De Bellis became the group financial controller, a position he held until his retirement in 1996.

In the early 1960s, De Bellis spent his Saturday nights at the famous Trocadero or at local events in Marrickville and Petersham.

However, it was at the Italo-Australia Club on George Street that he first met the love of his life, Giustina.

The pair began a relationship in 1962 and were married the following year.

De Bellis was utterly devoted to his wife and over the course of their marriage, they attended many CO.AS.IT. events together.

Dressed elegantly, they were often the envy of everyone on the dancefloor.  

In 2001, Giustina suffered a brain aneurysm and her health began to decline.

De Bellis was her full-time carer until, after a series of falls, a decision was made to transfer her to residential care at the end of 2020.

Even though this decision was in Giustina’s best interest, De Bellis was devastated and felt guilty about being separated from his wife.

News of his own diagnosis in October 2021 came as a shock to everyone but himself; he rarely spoke of his prognosis, preferring instead to be at home, relaxing in his favourite chair or smoking on the balcony as he had always done.

While De Bellis’ first love was Giustina, his second was CO.AS.IT; his children Nick and Mary attended Italian classes in the 1970s in Rockdale.

De Bellis was approached by Giuseppe Fin and Enoe Di Stefano and was asked to join the CO.AS.IT. School Subcommittee.

In 1978, he joined the Board of Directors and he was treasurer from 1983 to 2020, simultaneously serving as the convener of the Education Subcommittee until its dissolution in 2004.

De Bellis was integral to the growth of CO.AS.IT. in Sydney, ensuring the organisation’s financial stability and future success.

For 50 years, he was involved in almost all of the organisation’s key decisions, including the negotiations for the purchase of the Casa d’Italia in Leichhardt, as well as the purchases of the property for the Italian Bilingual School (IBS) and the Italian Forum Cultural Centre.

He was a trusted financial advisor to former CO.AS.IT. presidents Fin and Migliorino, as well as a friend and advisor to the current president, Lorenzo Fazzini.

For his services to the community, De Bellis was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2012, and the title of Commander of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic in 2019.

Just a handful of days before he passed away, De Bellis had proudly accepted the CO.AS.IT. Medal at the organisation’s end-of-year function.

In recognition of his dedication to the Italian community in Australia, the medal now lies on his coffin.