Tile time: Kyabram’s Domenic Cerrone was a well known tiler for six decades, spending time on many roofs in the town. Inset, Domenic as many people will remember him.
Among his many legacies much loved and respected Kyabramite Domenica (Dom) Cerrone left — arguably the most significant was his work ethic.
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A career in the tiling and building industry which lasted over 60 years was initiated by his next door Allan St neighbour, Harry Castles, who ran a tile making business in his backyard in the early 1960s.
Sixty two years after Dom started work with Harry when he was 14 years old, he was still working part-time at the time of his unexpected death on August 1 at the age of 75,
In those early days in the early ’60s working with Harry, Dom had the responsibility of organising and supervising gangs of tilers even though he was too young to get his driver’s licence.
Mr Fixit: Dom Cerrone was renowned for his tile handling skills.
And with his endless work ethic as a career tiler, innovator and general Mr Fixit, Dom could well hold an Australian, or possibly, a ‘world first’.
Workmate, business colleague and owner of Echuca based business Buildpro Trevor Castles (son of Harry Castles) explained in his tribute, Dom could pick up four roofing tiles in one swipe and hold them by their edges horizontally.
Trevor said most tilers could lift one maybe two tiles in this manner, but never any more.
‘‘He had extraordinary big hands and his upper body strength was just remarkable,’’ Trevor said.
Trevor also said Dom had a lot more to his kit of work tricks than just being a tiler.
‘‘He could turn his hand to anything, and if it was something new he wanted to make, he could take one look at it and build a replica.’’
A son of Italian immigrants and born in Italy, Dom was more than a workaholic, who would work five days with Harry and then spend weekends working with close friend John D’Angelo at J N Engineering.
He did mellow a bit in later life — taking Thursdays off to play golf.
Valley View Golf and Bowls Club will be eternally grateful for the work he did willingly and diligently off the fairways than the feats he performed on them.
A bachelor, he idolised family, cherished friendships and was always willing to display more than his abundant sporting skills at clubs or organisations he became associated with during his life.
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