8 September 2023
Dear fellow citizens of South Australia,
dear friends of Italy,
I conclude my mission in Adelaide today, at the end of almost four years posting.
It has been a wonderful experience, challenging and full of satisfaction. Four years in which I faced, under the guidance of our Embassy in Canberra, difficult problems linked to the COVID emergency and the management of consular services in an emergency context.
I continued the excellent work started by my predecessors in terms of streamlining, greater efficiency and digitalization of the services offered to the Italian community, encouraging the use of online platforms and electronic payment systems. The credit for these results goes, first and foremost, to the employees of the Consulate, whom I thank for their competence and the high spirit of service demonstrated for the benefit of the Italian community in South Australia.
We have achieved important successes in enhancing the teaching of the Italian language, which is still studied in Adelaide every year by around 30,000 people. The recent arrival of the new Italian lecturer at the universities is further testimony to the particular attention that Italy pays to the preservation of our language in the world.
Thanks to the continuous support and collaboration of Com.It.Es., radio stations, Italian clubs and associations in South Australia and despite the restrictions dictated by the pandemic, we have organized a large number of artistic, cultural and promotion events of our scientific and economic system. The collective fruit of these efforts has been made possible thanks to the participation and commitment of many people, to whom I extend my heartfelt gratitude.
Dear fellow citizens, since our first arrival, you have welcomed me and Clizia like family and we leave Australia with sincere feelings of friendship and affection for our community. I am sure that the colleague who will replace me will continue the work started with renewed impetus and enthusiasm.
Finally, I am grateful to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for the trust placed in me, and I leave my post in Adelaide with the feeling of having fulfilled my duty in the service of Italy.
Adriano Stendardo
Consul of Italy in South Australia
