SOCIETA` DANTE ALIGHIERI 
The Townsville Dante Alighieri Society is a vibrant, active non profit organization established with the enthusiasm and the dedication of local well-wishers. It has been operating in Townsville for over 20 years and is one of many branches located worldwide.
The Society is primarily funded through membership fees, the proceeds of language and cooking courses, and a number of other activities it organizes and plans throughout the year. The Society also receives small but regular funds from the Italian Consulate in Brisbane.
It offers a variety of social, recreational and educational activities to its members as well as a bimonthly newsletter.
The Society is run by an Executive Committee elected every year at an Annual General Meeting, held every April, where all members congregate not only to hear of the progress and the past activities of the society, but also to catch up and share some of the Italian delicacies our members learn to produce when they follow our cooking classes. The Executive is formed by a Chair, a Deputy, a Secretary and a Treasurer and a number of committee members that is not limited and changes from year to year.
It has been several years now that the Dante Alighieri Society of Townsville has run regular Italian language and cooking courses. They are well attended and well known throughout Northern Queensland. They attract an even number of Australians of both Italian and non-Italian background, showing how the sweet language of ‘sí’ and all things Italian, maintain through time the charm and charisma that had made Italian the most popular language in Europe in times gone by.
The Society is committed to maintaining these courses as the main activities of the organization. Courses for children and the support of Italian language courses in schools are also other important activities that the society carries out every year. All educational activities are looked after by a Courses Director, who is a member of the Executive and a long standing member of the society.
Social HighlightsThroughout the year the Townsville Dante Alighieri Society holds monthly educational and recreational events, which range from movie screenings of recent Italian film releases at cinemas, dinners, lectures on Italy, Italian films, music, art, social games and so on. These cultural meetings are usually announced in the Dante Newsletter.
The Townsville Dante Alighieri Society also supports and participates in local celebrations and festivals, such as the Italian Republic Day usually held at the Italo-Australian Club, the Multicultural Fest and many other artistic events that promote Italian culture and art.
