MAESTRO JOSEPH D'ONOFRIO O.A.M.

Former club master

Joseph D'Onofrio was born on the 1st of October 1935 in Telese, Italy. He received his Maestro D'Armi from the Italian Fencing Federation as a young man before immigrating to Australia in 1952. In 2008 he celebrated 60 years of fencing with the club that he founded in 1982 - Fioretto Fencing club, and in 2014 he was awarded the Order of Australia Medal for his long running community work (including fencing).

Few people can impart in others a passion for the sport of fencing like Maestro Joseph did. While for the last 12 months of his life Maestro was unable to be actively involved in physical training, his dedication to furthering Fioretto's objectives and guiding the club with his wisdom and vision will be felt for decades to come.