Veteran councillor Gaetano Greco has been remembered as a tireless community advocate who changed Melbourne’s north for the better after he died aged 65, two years after being diagnosed with skin cancer.
Greco, who had been serving his 17th year on Darebin council, died at the Olivia Newton John Centre in Heidelberg on Saturday morning. His wife, Susana, was by his side.
Long-time Darebin councillor Gaetano Greco has died at the age of 65.Credit: Chris Hopkins
Greco, who was known for his signature black beret, lived in Northcote most of his life and was proud of his family’s Sicilian heritage.
Often described as a socialist, Greco was a Labor member until leaving the party to take a shot at state politics as an independent in 2014. He contested the seat of Preston later that year, missing out on the job but winning 11.3 per cent of the vote. He also contested the state elections in 2018 and 2022.
In his most recent tilt at state politics, he ran specifically on the issue of preserving the Preston Market from development and garnered 13.7 per cent of the primary vote.
Greco served as Darebin mayor between 2013 and 2014 and was easily re-elected to council at the October local government elections with a primary vote of 57.84 per cent.
Darebin Residents Group administrator Tim Holdsworth said Greco had a remarkable ability to connect with people from different walks of life.
“It didn’t matter whether you were a street sweeper or whether you were a really affluent person,” he said.
Holdsworth said Greco was also “incredibly mentally tough”, and a problem solver on divisive local issues such as a fight over access to the Northcote Golf Course which pitted golfers against locals who wanted the course to become parkland.
He also acted as a mentor, guiding locals through the often-labyrinthine processes of resolving local issues through council, Holdsworth said.
“When he was working through problems with people, one of his greatest compliments was his catchphrase: ‘Sensational!’”
Gaetano Greco in 2006.Credit: John Donegan
Sue Bolton, a Merri-bek councillor and Wills candidate in the federal election, paid tribute to Greco for his pro-Palestine activism on the council.
“Less well known is Gaetano’s role in stopping the Darebin council from outsourcing its aged care in the home service,” she said.
“Gaetano also tried every avenue to see if Darebin council could stop the Mantra Hotel in Preston from being used as a detention centre for refugees. Gaetano frequently attended the protests outside the Mantra Hotel, calling for the release of the refugees.
“Gaetano had integrity and was always someone who stood in solidarity with workers, communities and stood for international solidarity. I am proud to call Gaetano a comrade.”
Long-time friend Stephen Jolly, mayor of Yarra City, said Greco’s model of local politics should be studied by others.
“He was a socialist but an unusual one. He had the ability to bring the masses with him and could organise real, successful campaigns like the [Save the] Preston Market [campaign],” said Jolly.
In a statement, Darebin council thanked Greco for making the area a better place.
“He was a driving force in active engagement and dialogue between cultures and fought for equity of community outcomes between the north and south of Darebin,” it said.
The Victorian Electoral Commission confirmed a by-election would take place in Greco’s North-West Ward, which covers the western flank of Reservoir, in the next 100 days.
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