Giuseppe Rosario Ielasi
1927 - 2013
He was the Italian migrant who tailored Don Dunstan's famous safari
suits, a Hindley St institution for almost 60 years and insisted on wearing a
tie to his dying days. Giuseppe
"Joe" Ielasi arrived in Adelaide in November, 1950, and began work
the next day at his cousin Joe Mittiga's West End loft.
He worked there
for the next 58 years, making suits for the likes of Dunstan, Labor heavyweight
Clyde Cameron and numerous lord mayors, before illness caused by a brain tumour
forced his retirement at 80 in 2008.
Making Dunstan's
safari suits led to a lasting friendship.
Mr Ielasi, of
Torrensville, died on Tuesday, May 28, aged 85.
Charlie Ielasi
said his father had considered 80 "too young to stop work".
"Dad loved
his work and the opportunity of meeting new people every day," Charlie
said.
"(He) never
complained about the pain he was enduring in the last few years.
"He always
stood tall and made sure he was groomed to perfection.
"Even in
his last days he would make sure he dressed himself and without question wear
his tie."
Mr Ielasi liked
to reminisce about his prominent clients and the heyday of Hindley St 50 years
ago when there were as many as 15 tailors, his son told the City Messenger.
"He had a
lot of country clients that would order three or four suits at a time.
"He was sad
to see the way Hindley St ended up, when it had been a thriving business
district."
Charlie, 52,
said his dad was a great storyteller.
"He liked
to tell everyone of growing up in Italy (which was) where he learnt to be a
tailor. He used to hold masterclasses there where he would teach young children
how to sew."
More than 500
people attended Mr Ielasi's funeral last week at the Queen of Angels Church in
Thebarton.
He is survived
by his wife Ada, children Rina, Charlie and Pino, seven grandchildren and three
great-grandchildren.
Giuseppe Rosario Ielasi era nato a Platì il 20 settembre
1927 e lì imparò l'arte della sartoria. In un primo momento il padre non lo riconobbe per cui nei registri
battesimali venne registrato l’otto ottobre 1927 con il solo cognome della
madre Calabria Caterina. Il riconoscimento avvenne quando i genitori si
potettero sposare. Il padre Carlo, nato a Platì il 25 maggio 1882 venne a mancare in Adelaide il 29 ottobre 1972, mentre Caterina,
nata a Platì l’8 febbraio del 1900 venne a mancare, sempre in Adelaide, il 24 luglio 1994. Giuseppe Rosario in Australia sposò, e amò per tutta la vita, Ada
Maria Perri, figlia di Peppantoni e Rosina Miceli, per procura il 6 giugno 1956, da loro nacquero Caterina, Carlo e Pino, tuttora viventi in Australia.
Nella foto Don Dunstan, varie volte Premier Australiano dal 1967 al 1979. vestito da Giuseppe Rosario Ielasi.
Nota. Quanto leggete, e leggerete, è una proposta di Rosalba Perri.
Il mio elegante zio Peppino. A volte lo raggiungevo nella sua sartoria ad Hindley St e ci facevamo lunghe chiacchierate fino alla chiusura. Persino il gesto del cucire era elegante in lui.
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