A Barilaro Affair: how the Barilaros ended up with the Clubhouse when the Club went under

It had been the heart of the Italian community since 1975. Marches started and finished there. Political meetings, community gatherings, sporting contests and local fairs were held at Queanbeyan’s Marco Polo Social Club. So there was heartbreak all around in the Italian community when the club closed in the early 2000s, reportedly due to “an unforgiving fiscal market“.

But what led to the club’s downfall appeared to be some financial skulduggery by Nationals MP John Barilaro and his father Domenico, which appeared to net their company $700,000.

The club had hit a difficult financial period, but by 1990 it was back on track thanks to club members banding together to raise roughly $80,000.

Dom and John Barilaro joined the club in…