Community & Business
16 June, 2026
Fifty years and thriving
INSPIRED by a Parramatta Italian Club in 1976, a group of – mainly Italian – Atherton locals decided a similar facility should be built on the Tablelands. Now, 50 years on, the Atherton International Club stands as a testament to what can be accomplished by committed, community-minded people. Sitting down with cadet journalist KONNOR FURBER to discuss the history and beloved memories of the club was original board member Phillip Cuda, current president Rinaldo Ciranni, and current, longstanding board member, also Phillip’s brother, Joe Cuda.
TODAY’s Atherton International Club is a thriving Far North Queensland establishment with roughly 4,500 members, and it is inviting the whole community to join in on its 50th anniversary celebrations early next month.
Although the club was officially opened on 16 December 1978, the celebrations will commemorate 50 years since the very first board meeting.
“I’d say there’s a huge amount of pleasure and pride in the club having achieved what it has over the past 50 years,” Phillip said.
According to the Cuda brothers, the idea to build the club came after their parents visited an Italian Club in Parramatta and “could not stop talking about how much they had enjoyed their visit to that club” when they got home.
The local Italian community at the time was well known for weekly card games, which were usually held in Phillip and Joe’s uncle’s backyard shed, and the idea of an official club where they could do this and much more, was very enticing.
“We’ve seen it grow from the original seed when our parents first came and said that they would like to have what they’ve seen in Sydney,” Joe said.
“They came back here and spoke to a few of us. I spoke to Sam Valastro, the barber – who was like the telegraph at the time – to tell everybody that that was the idea, and we came up with a date for our first meeting.”
That first meeting, organised by Mr Valastro, was held on Sunday 4 July 1976 at the Black Stump, or Atherton Hotel, and saw some 40-odd people attend.
“It was decided that rather than build a tin shed, which was the original proposal, we should look at building a proper clubhouse,” Phillip said.
The meeting also formed its first committee, with Sam Curcio elected president, Phillip as secretary, Tony Turchetti as treasurer, and Phillip’s cousins, Philip and Tony Cuda, elected vice presidents.
Now a vision and committee were established, the next question was “Where do we build it and how do we fund it?”
As fate would have it, the committee organised a very successful fundraising concert at Merriland Hall, featuring John Williamson himself, and acquired enough money to get the ball rolling.
“We netted $7,000 that night, which was a lot of money in those days – it actually purchased the land,” Phillip said.
The committee bought seven acres of land from Ernest Raso, where the club still sits today, and the rest was history. Some of that history, however, includes some unforgettable memories.
“For me it was the times that we used to have cabarets here, we used to have quite a few of them in a year,” Joe said.
“I could bring my kids when they were small and we’d bring out blankets and they would go to sleep on the floor, if not, they’d be playing with their puzzles or toys.”
Phillip remembered the biggest weekend the club ever saw was in the 90s when it hosted a monster truck show, as well as helicopter rides.
“That weekend we sold out of everything,” he said. “All the wines, beers, soft drinks, we had to keep running to the hotel to buy more, the kitchen couldn’t keep up.
“We had helicopter rides going too, it was just a fantastic weekend. We’re going back probably 20-30 years ago now, but that was the biggest weekend we ever had – there were people everywhere.”
He also recalled on the biggest wedding held at the club, which catered for a whopping 600 people.
But with the club now ready to celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2026, Phillip and Joe said they were both enormously proud of the establishment that stood before them today.
“It’s become the best venue on the Tablelands, and the biggest air-conditioned venue on the Tablelands. We’re definitely proud of this place, from its humble beginnings to today,” Joe said.
Phillip added: “It’s far exceeded the expectations of the original crew that got involved in doing this, I think that’s because most of the people that got on the committee were fairly progressive and they didn’t want to build something that was never going to achieve something.”
Phillip, Joe and Rinaldo all agreed the club was sitting in a very nice position as a respected establishment, but they had grander visions yet.
“Our dream is to see this place be the best place in north Queensland to take your family,” Phillip said on everyone’s behalf.
“Because the whole purpose of building the club in the first place was to make it somewhere for your family to go to.
“The idea was to bypass the hotel situation, if you like, and have our own club where we could come. In the early days, everybody brought their kids along – it was family-orientated and that was its purpose.”
The club will holding social celebrations on Saturday 4 July and is inviting the whole community to come along and join in.
“We’ll have food, light nibbles, entertainment, prizes, representatives of our affiliates as well, and hopefully our original volunteer ladies that used to work in the kitchen – the ‘Original Nonnas’ we’re calling them,” venue manager Jayde Sealey said.
“It’s also going to be showcasing our new caterers in the restaurant. So it’s going to be a really fun social day, and there’s going to be a kid’s disco to start everything off.
“We would love to extend an invitation to the broader community to come and celebrate with us, and we’re also very excited to be giving away a 50cc Vespa scooter.”
ORDER OF EVENTS
2pm: Boccee come and try
4-6pm: Kid’s Disco
6pm: Original Nonna’s biscuit serving
6pm: Live music by Infinity Duo
5:30-7:30: Roaming Canapes
All night: Community displays and historical memorabilia
Throughout the night: Special speeches from founding members and club representatives
8pm: Major Vespa draw
Hit FM will be providing coverage from 4pm, with community information stalls from 5pm and plenty of giveaways throughout the evening.
