Bev McARTHUR (Western Victoria) (09:53): It was an emotional day but a great honour to attend last week the funeral of Franco Vaccari at Yarima in Cressy, the extraordinary and historic home that Franco and Rosalie built together, and such a fitting place to farewell a man whose life was defined by what he created. Franco Vaccari was a visionary builder and a shrewd businessman, but above all else he was one of the kindest, most generous, most interesting men you could ever hope to meet, honest and capable to a tee, yet no-one would ever have known how generous he was, how successful he was or how deeply he cared, because he never sought the credit. He gave enormous time and energy to the Vaccari family foundation; the aged care facility at South Morang, the first of its kind in Australia; the restoration of a derelict substation in North Fitzroy, now Ronald McDonald House, serving the Royal Children’s Hospital; and as the inaugural chair of Italian at La Trobe University. And then there was Yarima, where he planted 120,000 eucalypts, built bridges, crushed rock and transformed 4000 acres into something magnificent. He leaves behind his courageous wife Rosalie, and their beloved children Luisa, Angela, Mick and Sofia. I hope Franco will forgive my pronunciation: riposi in pace.