Tributes flow for Castlemaine icon

By Sharon Kemp
Updated November 7 2012 - 5:39am, first published August 23 2011 - 11:16am
Vale: Felix Cappy was passionate about heritage conservation and politics.
Vale: Felix Cappy was passionate about heritage conservation and politics.

Castlemaine has lost one of its most energetic and passionate heritage conservationists and community advocates – a man who is credited with almost single-handedly saving the town’s historic market building.Felix Capicchiano, always known as Cappy, died in Castlemaine on Sunday after battling stomach cancer. He celebrated his 70th birthday in June. He is survived by his wife Jennie, five children and four grandchildren.Family, friends, business associates and political campaigners yesterday remembered Mr Cappy as a fearless campaigner to save Castlemaine’s gold-era buildings, once even facing down threats to his life by an axe-wielding owner of the town’s famous court house built in 1852.Mr Cappy’s brother Vin said Felix was active in the community up until the last months of his life. He was also still active in property development in Central Victoria.“He never stopped. I think he crammed three or four lifetimes into one,” Mr Vin Cappy said yesterday.Close friend and Castlemaine solicitor David Bailey recommended him for a Medal of the Order of Australia which he received in 2004 for services to the town.His love of Castlemaine history saw him work tirelessly for the Pioneer and Old Residents Association of Castlemaine and the Rotary Club of Castlemaine which made him a Paul Harris fellow with a sapphire star in June. Mr Cappy was also a member of the Vintage Sports Car Club, a former Mt Alexander shire councillor and worked tirelessly for the Liberal Party. He stood as a candidate in the 1999 state election in the seat of Bendigo West, losing to Bob Cameron.“He was a very energetic and capable person. He was very helpful organising people to assist with the running of an election campaign, so he was an excellent person to have around,” said Bruce Reid who was involved in Liberal Party campaigns with Mr Cappy.“He was a very good person in the community, offering his services to many groups in the Castlemaine, Eaglehawk and Bendigo areas. He was also a great advocate on behalf of small and medium-sized business. Mr Reid credits Mr Capicchiano as one of the forces behind residential development in Eaglehawk in the late 1990s that saw the borough keep up with the housing growth in Bendigo.Mr Cappy’s career in real estate included the founding of Bendigo Real Estate and Canterbury Real Estate in Eaglehawk.

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