The Fraternity Club Roasts 1.6 Tonnes of Chestnuts for Castagne Day

Castagne – Italian for chestnut – Day is the celebration of the start of the Italian nut season, as well as a day to pay tribute to the Italians who survived World War II, by gathering chestnuts and turning them into bread.

The strong Italian community in the Illawarra & Shoalhaven region marks the day in their calendars with The Fraternity Club hosting a vibrant festival in the carpark year-after-year – this year with 77 stalls, rides for the kids and loads of live music.

A day which Fraternity Club Operations Manager Frank Stanizzo says brings multiple generations together.

“It's a day for us to get all the families together and we're seeing different generations come through now,” Frank said.

“We're generally seeing kids with their parents who are first generation or second generation, with their grandparents coming and even on some occasions, seeing great grandparents coming as well.”

Frank, who has been at the Club for 25 Castagne Days himself, says it is important to continue these traditions to advertise the diversity of the industry and to showcase what clubs give back to their communities.  

“It's a bit of community spirit and it just shows it in a little bit of a different light for the club industry – it's not always just about the everyday sort of things in clubs, we do different things as well,” Frank said.

The carpark festival flowed on through the Club with both eateries bustling and more live music inside for members and guests – not to mention games like the spaghetti eating contest!

The stalls and chestnut roasting are run by volunteers and the Board of Directors who all get down and have a hand in roasting the phenomenal amount of chestnuts.

“It's a day where they all catch up and reminisce about old times – they’re roasting chestnuts together and talking and enjoying themselves,” Frank said.

As for Frank and his 25th Castagne Day, he is proud to see the festival grow over the years while keeping the cultural and community spirit intact.  

“It's just keeps getting bigger each year,” he said.

“We’ve had a lot of great feedback; a lot of people said it was a great day with the weather being just perfect."