Ballina MP pays tribute to Frank Scarrabelotti
Member for Ballina Don Page today in State Parliament honoured the late Frank Scarabelotti, the Bangalow centenarian who died recently.
“I pay tribute to my friend and a friend of many people on the North Coast, Frank Scarrabelotti, who passed away last week in his sleep at the age of 109, just short of his 110th birthday,”Mr Page told Parliament.
“Bangalow has lost its favourite son and Australia has lost a real gentleman with the passing of Frank Scarrabelotti. At 109, Frank was Australia’s oldest man and one of the worlds’ oldest.
“Frank was one of nature’s gentlemen. He was highly respected and very well liked by all who knew him. It was not just that Frank lived a long life; he lived a good one, and even if he had died much earlier people would have still felt the same way about him. We were fortunate to have a man of Frank’s calibre with us for so long.”
Mr Page said Frank Scarrabelotti was born in 1897 at Bungawalbyn, near Coraki, to Italian parents who migrated to Australia in 1880. He was one of 12 children. He lived in three centuries — the nineteenth, the twentieth and the twenty-first — and saw enormous change.
He lived through both world wars, Australia’s Federation and the advent of the car and the plane; he saw man walk on the moon, and lived through historical events such as the sinking of the Titanic and the 1956 Melbourne Olympics and the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
“Frank, whom I knew for 20 years, was a fascinating person to talk to because, matching his incredible life experience, was a wonderful memory, both short and long-term. Asked by a friend recently whether Frank thought they could grow potatoes near Bangalow, Frank replied, ‘Yes, we grew them there a hundred years ago.’,” Mr Page said.
He said Frank said that with all of the economic progress the world had seen over the past century, he was not sure that there was a corresponding growth in the spiritual evolution of humanity. In an interview with a local newspaper on his 109th birthday Frank said:
“In many ways the world has become a much sadder place. I see the single biggest problem as greed, from individuals to big corporations. At times I fear we are losing sight of our basic humanity.”
Mr Page said Frank was a dairy farmer, running his dairy at Nashua before retiring at 80 and coming to Bangalow to live.
“He was very much part of the Bangalow and North Coast community, having been actively involved in many activities, including cattle breeding and judging, local shows, horse riding, rugby league, rugby union, gardening, horse racing, church, the Bangalow billycart derby and, of course, his family activities,” Mr Page said.
“Frank had a wonderful rose garden and right to the end kept a keen eye on it. Frank had never missed the Bangalow Show in 100 years. He opened the show a few years ago and I recall he did not use notes when making his speech.
“I know that whenever I spoke at the Bangalow Show and acknowledged his presence, the large crowd would break into spontaneous applause, such was his popularity among our community. He often led the street parade for the annual billycart derby, which is another huge community event at Bangalow.
“He had an incredible memory. He could tell you which horse won the Melbourne Cup in any year for the past 100 years.
“Frank was a very knowledgeable but humble man. He was an intelligent, gifted, wise and decent man. He played the violin and enjoyed music.
“When asked about the secrets of his longevity he talked about the four Fs: family, friends, faith and good food. He was quoted last year as saying, ‘I have a marvellous wife and two wonderful daughters who tend to every need I require’.
“He said he had palpitations when he first met his wife, Nell.
“Frank’s exceptional health was testimony to his belief in a healthy diet of unprocessed, fresh food that is free of artificial colours and preservatives. I understand he started each day with a bowl of porridge followed by bacon and eggs.
“He had a very sharp mind and near perfect sight. One day Frank, having reached a century, so amazed a woman driving down his street that she collided with a telegraph pole after she saw him hurdle his front fence rather than walk through the front gate.
“I recall when Frank turned 100 the then Bishop of Lismore presided over a huge mid-morning mass at Bangalow Catholic Church. A long lunch followed at which a few of us made congratulatory speeches and Frank responded. About nine o’clock that night Frank rang me at home to thank me for the nice things I said about him.
“I said, ‘Frank, you have had a big day, you should be in bed’. He laughed. Three days later a handwritten note arrived at my home in which Frank again thanked me for my kind words. That is the sort of man Frank Scarrabelotti was.”
Frank was farewelled at St Kevin’s Catholic Church in Bangalow last Friday where over 300 people attended to pay their respects. He requested that there be no eulogy.
“What he wanted was to go out with his boots on, which he did. He certainly did not want to end his days in hospital or in poor health,” Mr Page said.
“I, and many others, feel genuinely privileged to have known Frank Scarrabelotti over so many years. Our thoughts are with his wife of 54 years, Nell, his daughters, Mary and Helen, and their families.
“Frank Scarrabelotti is gone but certainly not forgotten. He will live long in our memories and our hearts as one of nature’s gentlemen and a thoroughly decent and honourable man.”
