The following businesses were Platinum recipients of the 2011 Lord Mayor's Commendations.
Dr Kenneth Stewart Brearley
Business name: Dr Kenneth Stewart Brearley
Business address: 15 Collins Street, Melbourne 3000
Telephone: 03 9654 5188
Business email:
k.brearley@usa.net
Year became proprietor: 1960
Dr Kenneth Brearley graduated from the University of Melbourne in 1952. After residency at the Royal Melbourne Hospital he spent some years in the UK, specialising in abdominal surgery. On his return to Australia, Kenneth had hospital appointments to the Royal Melbourne, Prince Henry's and the Royal Children's before starting in private surgical practice at 100 Collins Street in 1960. He later moved to 110 Collins Street and finally to 15 Collins Street, believing that a prestigious address and easy access by public transport were important considerations for specialists practising in the city. More than fifty years after starting his practice, he still loves coming to the city each day.
Ottorino Pace
Business name: Casa del Gelato
Business address: 163 Lygon Street, Carlton 3053
Telephone: 03 9347 7500
Business email:
casadelgelato@gelato.com.au
Business website:
www.casadelgelato.com.au
Year became proprietor: 1961
Ottorino Pace began his career at the age of 15 as an apprentice pastry cook, first in Palermo, then in Rome. He moved to Melbourne as an assisted migrant in 1960 and started his own cake shop, Pasticceria Pace, in North Melbourne in 1961. In 1973 he relocated to Carlton, opening Carlton Continental Cakeshop, where his seasonal offering of gelato was in huge demand. Ottorino opened Casa del Gelato, Australia's first specialty gelato/ice-cream shop in 1980. Ottorino has been recognised as Melbourne's finest gelato maker with many industry awards. In 2009, Ottorino was the first ice-cream maker from Australia to be invited to participate in the International Artisan Ice Cream Competition in Longarone, Italy; he was awarded the top prize, the title of Maestri Gelatieri (master ice-cream maker). Casa del Gelato remains a distinct destination point and a queue of devoted customers snakes along Lygon Street most summer nights.
Darrell Simpson
Business name: W.B. Simpson & Son
Business address: 30 Errol Street, North Melbourne 3051
Telephone: 03 9328 1213
Business email:
djs@wbsimpson.com.au
Business website: wbsimpson.com.au
Year became proprietor: 1966
Darrell Simpson joined the family firm, W. B. Simpson & Son, in 1960 and became a partner in 1966. Established in 1872 by William Simpson, the firm has grown to be the pre-eminent real estate company in North and West Melbourne. A member of the Lions Club, fourth generation real-estate agent Darrell has also been actively involved in many community and local projects, and has a long involvement with the REIV, being President in 1978-79. Darrell's son, Richard, has recently joined the firm as a fifth generation partner. Darrell was a Gold recipient in the 2007 Lord Mayor's Commendations program and in 2008, W. B. Simpson & Son was recognised by the Lord Mayor as a generational family business.
(All photographs courtesy of van der Toorren Photography, Block Arcade Studios)