Mrs Joan Pellegrino OAM

Abbotsbury resident and long-time community advocate and volunteer Mrs Joan Pellegrino has been recognised for her work in the 2025 Governor General’s Australia Day Australian Honours List. Joan has been awarded the ‘Order of Australia’ Medal. 

The announcement of Joan’s award is in recognition of her dedication to the communities in which she has lived, worked and volunteered in since the 1970s.

Spanning 50 years of dedicated community service Joan has been a NSW Justice of the Peace, President of the Wentworthville Chamber of Commerce, Committee Member of the Aeolian Association, Vice President of the Federation of Sicilians in Australia and the President of the Ladies Auxiliary and President of the Italian Seniors of Club Marconi, Bossley Park.

Joan’s talents rest in her ability to unite people, break community isolation, promote and maintain Italian traditions to be passed on to the next generation of Italian Australian children. Overall, she is a community harmoniser like no other. 

Over the decades Joan was instrumental in the organisation of the Wentworthville Chamber of Commerce Christmas Parades which encouraged the involvement businesses, schools, sports clubs and charities. In her role as the Chair of the Chamber of Commerce she always listened to the concerns of shopkeepers and saw it her responsibility to seek solutions to issues. 

Joan’s true passion has been her involvement at Club Marconi since 1995 as a member of the Ladies Auxiliary. In 2011 she assumed the role as President of the Ladies Auxiliary until today. 

Joan is a naturally gifted organiser of events. During her tenure as the President of the Club Marconi Ladies Auxiliary she has hosted memorable events such as the Debutantes Ball, member’s social outings and bus trips to Canberra, Hunter Valley, Forster, Gold Coast, and Port Macquarie.

Her love of travel has also seen the coordination of the Senior’s Group on aeroplane trips to Cairns, Perth, and Adelaide. The travel has also seen Joan coordinate a pilgrimage to Rome and the sacred sites of Italy. The seniors members have also been fortunate to have had the opportunity to cruise to Cairns and the Pacific Islands.

Many other notable events have been: “Love Me Tender” Dinner Dance for St Valentine’s Day; Mother’s Day and Father’s Day dinners acknowledging the Club Marconi Father and Mother of the Year; New Year’s Eve Gala Dinner Dance and Carols Under the Stars.

Every year Joan and the Ladies Auxiliary volunteers and their respective partners contribute towards the cutting of 1.4 tonnes of chestnuts for the Chestnut and Wine Festival. A successful event which seeks to maintain the Italian Chestnut and Wine tradition.

Since 2014 to present Joan has been President of the Circolo Anziani (Marconi Seniors) hosting weekly Bingo and luncheons for seniors to assist the breaking of social isolation and the maintenance of mental health. On many occasions Joan goes to great personal expense to purchase raffle prizes for the weekly Tuesday Bingo. 

Another highlight for the seniors is the annual pilgrimage to North Sydney on the Feast Day of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop.

Joan possesses a strong sense of social justice; this can be seen in her support of the annual Club Marconi ‘Biggest Morning Tea’ for the NSW Cancer Council and the collection of yearly funds which are donated to Fairfield and Braeside Hospitals.

In her own words, “I enjoy being a part of these activities to bring people together. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from, I always encourage people to get together and have fun”.

Congratulations Joan Pellegrino OAM the community which you serve is very proud of proud of you.

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