“I was eight years old, and I came out here and I saw all these opportunities, and I worked hard and achieved results I never dreamed about, and now I want to help my community.”
The philanthropist swept the floor on Australia Day, not only taking out the Citizen of the Year title for Shepparton, but also for the wider Greater Shepparton area, as well as being awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia.
“I'm really very, very humbled to be recognised in this way,” the 86-year-old said.
“I established a foundation back in 1999 and since then, I've been donating to the community.
“I established a board of my family with the extended family, so this can continue for generations to come.”
Mr Copulos continued to address members of the crowd awaiting their new citizenship, saying he achieved things he never dreamed possible with a recipe that included opportunity, hard work and a bit of luck on its list of ingredients.
“All these newcomers, all I ask is for you to work hard,” he said.
MC Matt Dowling said Mr Copulos’ contribution to Shepparton and the Goulburn Valley must surely rate among the most significant in the post-World War II era.
“It started with his work on the family orchard as a youth, newly migrated to Australia, then moving into property development, fast food and hospitality, where he grew very substantial businesses from scratch as founder of the Copulos Group,” Mr Dowling said.
“This was all achieved with minimal formal education.
“During the 1970s to the 2000s, Peter's family company developed dozens of properties in Shepparton and other cities and towns in Australia.”
In Shepparton, that included Centrefair Plaza (now Harris Scarfe), Coles and Kmart, and Riverside Plaza.
“Peter started and successfully operated the Ollie’s family restaurants chain, competing directly against industry giant KFC,” Mr Dowling said.
His family went on to operate more than 50 KFC outlets in NSW, and another branch of the family has a similar sized operation in Victoria, all stemming from the Ollie’s origins.
Mr Copulos redeveloped the Park Lake Motor Inn in the early 1960s and invested in and grew the Sundowner Motor Inn chain across eastern Australia.
He has been heavily involved in community projects, such as the Peter Copulos Cancer Centre, The Biggest Blokes Lunch, the Shepparton Art Museum and the Goulburn Valley Grammar School, while supporting many other local organisations, programs and charities with generous donations.
“Peter's support for community organisations through the donations from his family foundation has made a significant mark within the community and beyond,” Mr Dowling said.
