Tributes from all quarters of the Kyabram, and Campaspe, community were a testament to the amount of lives — and organisations — he impacted as a businessman and individual. He died at the age of 75 on Monday, June 20.
Ezio was born in Chieti, Abruzzo, in Italy and immigrated to Australia with his family at the age of five.
He grew up in, and around, Coburg and in his youth loved cycling — as well as cars, in particular Holden cars.
He graduated from Fawkner Tech and gained an apprenticeship at TAA where he earned his qualification as an aircraft electrician.
He married Michele in 1974, and had daughters Narelle and Clare in 1977 and 1979 respectively.
He and his brothers started a panel beating business and service station in Kilsyth.
Then, in 1983, they purchased the Jackson Priest Holden dealership and his family moved to Kyabram.
He was heavily involved in the community, joining Rotary early on and serving for more than 20 years on the Warramunda board.
Ezio formally retired at the end of 2017 after building and running an award-winning motor group, stabling four brands across Kyabram, Echuca, Cohuna, and Deniliquin.
The D’Alberto family purchased the Deniliquin dealership in 2013 from Burchfield Brothers, who had represented General Motors since 1926 and had started on the same location as a coach builder in 1858 and this was the final D’Alberto-Holden family business to close, in December 2017.
The name continues to be well known, aside from long-lasting stickers on vehicles sold from the various locations, through to Ezio’s nephew, race car driver Tony D’Alberto.
He was quoted as saying, on recognising the three decades in business for the D’Alberto Motor Group with Ezio at the steering wheel: “I’m really proud of my father and his brothers, Ezio, Frank and Fernando for what they have achieved over the past 30 years — these milestone moments don’t come around too often.”
In 2018, an auction of more than 2000 lots from the D’Alberto Brothers Private Collection made worldwide headlines, with several classic and modern Holdens drawing huge sums of cash.
At the top of the results listing was Ezio’s pride and joy, a 1988 VL Commodore Walkinshaw Group A SS, bearing the build number #333, which has been owned by the D’Alberto family since it was new (66 bids ending at $340,000).
Mike Sweeny was a long-time family friend who among the few to see Ezio outside of his business attire, with his involvement in cycling.
“He was very supportive of the cycling communities of Echuca, Kyabram and Mooroopna,” Mr Sweeny said.
“We did plenty of social bike rides with him and was always a great sponsor.
“He was always keeping an eye out for the under dog and provided plenty of encouragement.
“He was the sort of person who ensured everyone was having a good time.
“In Kyabram you couldn’t help but bump into him.
“It’s a very small community and he was a very large figure in the town.”
Rohan Garth, Kyabram businessman who operates his business from the former site of DAlberto Holden, purchased the property three years ago.
“I didn’t realise it, but I had probably known and had business dealings — through cars — for 30 years,” Mr Garth said.
“For some time I built ute trays for him. He appreciated people who called it like it was.”
He said the astute businessman had “fingers in many pies’’ and sometimes he had questioned Ezio as to whether he was in the car business or the real estate business.
“He was probably one of the few people that I could say whatever I liked to, as long it was my real opinion,’’ he said.
Neville Miles, former District Governor of Rotary and Kyabram Rotary Club member, said he first met Ezio after arriving in the district as a dairy farmer, from Gippsland, 33 years ago.
“I joined Kyabram Rotary Club, but it was in 1998-99 — when I was in the role of district governor — that I really saw Ezio’s best work,” Mr Miles said.
“The Kyabram Club ran the conference and Ezio put the whole thing together. It was one of the best conferences the district ever had.
“He was one of those professional people who was easy to work with and, through his contacts, he knew how to get things done.
“We held the conference in a marquee on the river banks at Echuca. We had about 1000 people in the marquee, because there was no venue big enough.
“There hasn’t been one that big since.”
After his retirement Ezio was unable to sit still and leave the business world behind.
In the intervening years, until now, he has built a new premium storage unit business in Moama with a vision to cater to the big toys he loved — cars, boats and leisure vehicles.
Most of all, Ezio enjoyed spending his time with family and friends, wetting a line whenever the opportunity presented, exploring his gourmet passion through good food and wine, and in general celebrating life.
