Silvano Bruzzese with his daughter Lucy Hall outside the Commercial Hotel in Benalla, which he ran with his wife, Giocondo, for 35 years.
May 21, 1938 - September 30, 2025
Having recently celebrated over 50 years of calling Benalla home, Silvano Bruzzese born May 21, 1938, passed away peacefully on September 30, 2025.
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His final night was in the comfort and care of the Benalla Health Palliative Care Team and surrounded by family and loved ones.
He was a pillar of our local community and the heart of the family. From his cheeky smile and contagious laugh to his innate kindness, he will not be forgotten.
Silvano has woven his life story into the history of Benalla with the success of operating the Commercial Hotel for 35 years with his wife, Gioconda, and help of their three daughters, Lucy, Anna and Patrizia.
As your local publican, he not only served crisp cold beers, but he cared beyond his due diligence for those that found themselves sitting at his bar. With many stories shared, the common theme was this man’s kindness.
Without judgment, he would drive anyone home who had too much fun, and knew his regulars by name, often calling to check in on them if they missed their routine visit.
A caring man that, even in his first hello, made you feel like you had known him your whole life.
From throwing in free chips for the kids to gifting a fellow man a suit, Silvano’s life was not made of a few grand gestures but thousands of quiet moments of kindness towards others.
Silvano found solace and freedom in riding his bike. When he first moved to Australia in 1952, he could not speak English and no longer found joy in his favourite game of soccer, as he couldn’t communicate with the other boys.
Vale Silvano Bruzzese.
One day, he decided to ride a bike and never stopped. It was originally a way to escape the hardship of being in a foreign country and soon became an insatiable joy and lifelong passion, leading him to find like-minded friends and a new community.
He rode with The Benalla Cycling Club and Thursday Night Riders to name a couple, and said, “I wasn’t a champion, but I was always competitive. In my 10 years of racing, I finished up in the first 15 of 150 riders.”
He shared countless stories about his riding days and the friends he made along the way.
Between competitions, they were riding and training together, giving him a place to belong, and he said, “That’s why I love the bike, without the bike I was nothing.”
A man that rose from nothing to becoming everything to those around him.
Silvo’s competitive nature was prominent his whole life, from bikes to playing cards and taking part in the local pool comp.
Also, he was a keen punter, loved the horses, and for a time was on the Benalla Racing Club committee.
He never shied away from a challenge and rolled with the punches of life.
He was loved by all those that were lucky enough to know him, and stood up for what he believed in.
He took pride in calling Benalla his home and would often share how lucky he was to live there.
Thank you to friends and family in his final weeks for the love and support, it was the greatest honour to see how many lives this man had impacted.
Thank you to the team of nurses that helped care for Silvano on his final night at Benalla Palliative Care unit, and a huge thank you to Dr Xavier O’Kane from Coster St Practice for your friendship and care for our Nonno.
The funeral took place on Friday, October 10 at NJ Todd Funeral Home’s Feehan Chapel.
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