Page 265 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 10 February 2010

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One of those who deserve to be better known by Canberrans for his creation of an astonishing array of local architectural landmarks is Dr Enrico Taglietti. Dr Taglietti’s first major project was the acclaimed Townhouse Motel and Noah’s Restaurant in Civic, since demolished. Some of the many fine buildings in Canberra designed by Dr Taglietti include Dickson library, the embassy of Italy chancellery, the Italo-Australia Club, the Australian War Memorial Annex, Dickson health centre, Woden youth centre, the Apostolic Nunciature, the Latham, Flynn, Giralang and Gowrie primary schools, and a number of innovative homes, including the Dingle house in Hughes, the Paterson house in Aranda and the Killen house of Mount Majura.

Dr Taglietti was born in Milan, Italy, and first visited Australia in 1955. He and his wife, Francesca, were so impressed with Canberra that they decided to settle here the following year. In 2007 he was awarded Australia’s most coveted architecture prize, the Royal Australian Institute of Architects gold medal for architecture. Enrico Taglietti is another outstanding success in Australia’s multicultural community. In its citation for the gold medal, the jury noted that Dr Taglietti’s work demonstrates the architectural story of an immigrant seeing a new country with a clear vision, and he continues an important tradition of successful immigrant architects including Harry Seidler, Frederick Romberg and, more recently, Romaldo Giurgola.

It is a feather in Canberra’s cap that, although Dr Taglietti’s practice is based in Milan and he continues to receive commissions from around the world, he has chosen to remain here in Canberra. I would like to bring to members’ attention the fact that Dr Taglietti will be delivering a lecture about his work in Canberra at the National Library of Australia at 12.30 pm on Wednesday, 17 February. This is the first in the 2010 Canberra series lectures presented by the friends of the National Library. I commend this talk to all of us here in the Assembly as an opportunity to learn at first hand of the contribution of a remarkable Australian to the architectural development of our community.

Mr George Smith

MR SESELJA (Molonglo—Leader of the Opposition) (9:27): I would just like briefly to take the opportunity to pay tribute to George Smith, who has in the last few days announced his retirement from the Wallabies and that this will be his last season here with the Brumbies. George Smith has been one of our greatest ever rugby players, certainly one of the best players to pull on a Wallaby jersey and easily one of the best players to pull on a Brumbies jersey. He played 110 tests for the Wallabies and he got four consecutive Australian super 14 player of the year awards and two John Eales medals.

George Smith, of course, is one of the Brumbies who was not a local junior but whom we pinched from New South Wales. It is obviously a tribute to the foresight of the Brumbies as an organisation in spotting the talent that obviously the New South Wales Waratahs were not smart enough to identify. George Smith has served both the Brumbies and the Wallabies; he has been one of the most consistent players in Australian rugby during the last decade or so. He is one of the few Wallabies to have played over 100 tests, and to do that in the forwards, I think, makes that even more impressive.


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