Peter Calagari retires at 79

The Director of the 3BA Christmas and Christmas in July Appeals, Peter Caligari, has stepped down from his role, effective immediately.

 

Mr Caligari, who will turn 79 in the coming weeks, said it was now necessary to give consideration to both his age and health.

Mr Caligari General Manager of the station when the appeal was launched back in 1980, said that it has grown enormously during the past 38 years and is now widely recognised as a Ballarat institution. From a modest beginning Peter has steered and grown the appeal to become extremely vital for the Ballarat community and provides huge support to Uniting Ballarat, Anglicare, the Salvation Army and St Vincent de Paul Society to assist these organizations in supporting the very large number of less fortunate families in the Ballarat area with something to look forward to and enjoy at Christmas.

“Following my retirement as Managing Director of 3BA & Power FM I met with these same organizations in 2001 to ascertain if a mid-year appeal would be beneficial, and assist them in meeting the increasing demand for assistance required during Ballarat’s cold winter months. The agencies welcomed the idea and the 3BA Christmas in July Appeal was launched a few months later. This appeal, which is now into its seventeenth year has also enjoyed outstanding success and is rapidly approaching the same level as that of the Christmas Appeal.

“However, during my 38 years involvement as Director of the appeals I have never lost sight of the fact that whilst the appeals have been incredibly successful, this has only been made possible by the wonderfully generous and caring Ballarat community who continue to recognize that we have so many families who are in desperate need of assistance. I would like to extend my most grateful appreciation for your outstanding support and generosity, in particular to my wonderful wife Ola who has given me incredible support and I step down from my role with great pride and satisfaction for what the appeals have achieved” Mr Caligari said.

Current General Manager John Fitzgibbon spoke of the legacy created by Peter Caligari, “The charities that benefit from the appeals help nearly 4,500 families at Christmas and nearly as many during the Christmas in July Appeal, without the appeals, that support disappears. It is imperative now more than ever that we continue Peter Caligari’s legacy and take the appeals forward into the future. I have met with the four charities and assured them the appeals will continue” said Mr Fitzgibbon

He also paid tribute to Mr Caligari “It’s difficult for all of us here at 3BA & Power FM, Peter & Ola are part of family and their health is our priority. We will work hard every day to honour what Peter has created and thank him for what he has given over so many years.

“Peter is irreplaceable, but we will make some adjustments to guarantee the success of the appeals into the future. We and many others would like to pay tribute to Peter & Ola at some stage, but for the moment their health is the focus and we will arrange something for them, hopefully in a few months time” said Mr Fitzgibbon