Anth; the boy from Klemzig

Anthony Nicholas Mazzone was born on 23 Feb 1966 at Queen Victoria Hospital, Adelaide. He was the second Anthony to be born to Eleanora and Peter, the first and earlier Anthony Charles, having lived only six weeks. Eleanora was a new Australian, immigrating from Beltiglio, Province di Benevento. Peter, however was first generation Australian, his mother and father immigrating, also from Beltiglio, in the 1920s. Anthony, and his older sister Liz, were brought up in a bilingual household at 116 OG Road, Klemzig, with one foot firmly in Australia, and the other still planted in the mountainous and beautiful region of Southern Central Italy.

For his primary education, Anth attended Christian Brothers College, and for High School, Rostrevor College. There he participated in cadets, cricket, football, soccer and tennis. He gained sergeant status in Cadets which at Rostrevor gave Anth licence to give privates and lance corporals a hard time, with the result that their uniforms were always impeccable.

In year 12 he excelled in all subjects and topped the State in Classical Studies, a subject which he had largely self-taught himself.

His childhood at OG Road was a good one, in the heart of the Eastern Adelaide Italian community. Over the back fence were his godparents (he remained very fond of his Padina Jenny) and his aunt, Zia Pasqualina not far away at Norwood. He enjoyed get-togethers bottling tomato sauce with the large crop of tomatoes grown by his parents, and was taught to cook by his mother, whom he adored. He recalled enjoying attending Italian dances and social events at community clubs and in his late teens and twenties played bass in his band Merantz at these venues for weddings and parties.

The Mazzone family; Eleonora, Anthony, Peter and Liz

His first job was working at a fruit and veg shop at Marden, which involved early mornings collecting produce at the East End Market. This job got him through his studies in Economics and Accounting at Adelaide University, graduating in 1988. During his uni years he enjoyed many nights on the town with Manny, Paul and Tony, who were Hindley Street regulars hopping between Rio’s, Le Rox and Limbo Nightclubs.

SGIC snapped him up on graduation and he worked there initially as a graduate accountant. It was at SGIC that he met his first wife Victoria, and his wonderful friend David “My Man” Willson to whom he introduced proper Italian coffee. Anth temporarily left SGIC when he and Vicki went travelling for 12 months in the UK, Europe (Italy) and the US, with the trip being cut short when Anth was offered the plum job of Finance Manager of SGIC hospitals. Anth and Vicki married in 1992.

In 1994 he spread his corporate wings and moved to Austereo, where he rose to General Manger after managing various individual radio stations in Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney and Newcastle. While living in Newcastle, his daughter Elsa arrived in 1998.

The family then moved to Malaysia where Anth took up an executive role at All Asia Radio Technologies. He loved the ex-pat tropical lifestyle and the challenges of working in a foreign community. However, when the company insisted his role be moved to India he declined as he did not believe the move would be beneficial to his young family of two (Laura having arrived in 1999). In 2001 the family then moved back to Adelaide where Anth found work as General Manager Corporate Services at ACH group. Here he reconnected with his old school friend David “Davide” Moran.

The family bought what Anth referred to as his dream house in Kingswood and the girls started school at Mitcham Primary School. However, difficulties later arose in Anth’s personal life and he and Victoria separated and eventually divorced. Anth later remarried wife number two and spent a short time in rural Victoria and Melbourne with her. This relationship finished in 2010 and after a number of contract positions, Anth settled back in Adelaide, working at Mellor Olsson Lawyers as General Manager.

In 2012 he decided to give love a whirl again with Jill, and, in his words, third time lucky, found his soulmate. He loved time at Jill’s property – mowing, chainsawing, sitting in front of the fire on winters’ evenings, and visiting the wineries, and beauty spots of the Fleurieu.

They travelled to Bali twice, and Melbourne three times, twice with Jill’s children Sang and Jinny and once with Laura.

Their busy social life saw events most weekends and he was enjoying becoming part of the McLaren Vale community when he became ill with brain cancer in December 2016.

He and Jill married at McLaren Vale on 12 March 2017, making their 5 year partnership, and Anth’s role of stepfather to Sang and Jinny, official. Already debilitated by the illness and semi-paralysed, Anth lost his battle and said goodbye to his family and friends on 8 May 2017.