Carmine (Charlie) Tarquinio started Eureka Pizza with a friend in 1971, introducing pizza, pasta and other Italian food to Ballarat.

It would see the emergence of other pizza and pasta restaurants around the city in years to come, changing the city's conservative food palates.

It would also spark an Italian movement in Ballarat, from grocers to doctors and teachers.

Charlie was born on September 13, 1940 and arrived in Australia in 1956 from the tiny village of Castiglione a Casauria in the Abruzzo province of Pescara, Italy.

An Italian neighbour decided that Charlie was a more user-friendly Australian name.

Charlie and his family settled in Melbourne and as a qualified hairdresser, he started working as a barber.

Two years later he bought a barber shop in Lygon Street, Carlton contrary to his father advice that he was too young to run a business.

Within 12 months Charlie paid off his debt and remained in the business for nine years.

His passion for hairdressing waned and he soon moved into hospitality, training as a barman and working in hotels.

At weekends he worked at Pizza Napoli, a Russell Street icon, where he mastered pizza making, although he had received a firm grounding in the art of pizza making from his mother.

He soon discovered the restaurant business was more alluring and allowed him to develop his talents for preparing and presenting down-to-earth Italian style food.

After dabbling in pizza establishments in Melbourne, Charlie and a friend decided to establish their own business in Ballarat.

Charlie was not convinced that Ballarat was the place because "Ballarat was not Melbourne and too cold for his blood".

A local real estate agent convinced them they should have a go and early in 1971 Charlie and his friend established Eureka Pizza and Bistro.

From a humble beginning, it has become an iconic Ballarat eating institution.

Charlie's cheery and welcoming smile combined with his unassuming and humble approach to food soon became the hallmark of his character and his friendliness.

His mantra was "keep it simple, authentic and fresh".

As a result of the success of Eureka Pizza many of his compatriots, who worked with Charlie, ventured out and established their own pizza and pasta restaurants.

By 1979 Eureka Pizza and Bistro had become the "go to place" for eating authentic Italian cuisine.

The business expanded to the point that new partners bought in and Charlie sold his share and "retired" aged 40.

But not for long.

After marrying his wife Margaret, they established a muesli distribution business across Victoria.

As Charlie established himself in the Ballarat community, he became involved in the Ballarat Italian Association where he served as treasurer for 15 years until his retirement in August 2007.

Charlie, with Giancarlo Faustini as president, became treasurer at a time when the association was experiencing serious financial problems and divisions within the membership.

In his unassuming and humble manner Charlie started the course to financial recovery by rebuilding trust and respect among the membership.

In his 15 years as treasurer, he was instrumental in broadening the membership of the association through regular functions that welcomed all sections of the Ballarat community.

Fundraising for disaster relief in various parts of the world, including his beloved Italy, was key to his concern for people and community.

The annual mid-winter Italian ball was an innovation that Charlie and Margaret cherished and built on as it enabled them to successfully raise funds for the Ballarat Italian Association.

Charlie and Margaret established a leadership role within the broader Italian community as they assisted many Italians in the Ballarat area, from personal to community matters and from business to government bureaucracy.

Their wise council was sought by many.

They also found time to regularly gather with friends, plays cards and celebrate everything Italian.

In recent years Charlie became a carer for Margaret, who suffered a stroke.

His ability to assume the role of carer was an inspiration to many of his aging Italian compatriots.

Simultaneously Charlie found time to make fresh pasta which he supplied to Eureka Pizza and other food establishments.

His fruit and vegetable garden, which he tended until his final days, was legendary.

In 2007 Charlie Tarquinio received state government's Lifetime Achiever - Meritorious Service Award for his services to the community.

Charlie, who is survived by his three siblings, Lucio, Maria and Rita, will be remembered as a gentle man with an unassuming manner and clear vision of who he was.

Family, friends and community service was at the core of his humanity.

He died on December 29, 2023.

- Obituary supplied by Ballarat Italian Association past president Chez Dichiera. Read more about Ballarat's Italian heritage in the association's book.