WA wine veteran a rare vintage
Kent Acott The West Australian – Wed, 12 November 2014 8:08AM
WA wine industry veteran Joe Zekulich. Credit: The West Australian
WA has lost one of its oldest citizens with the death this week of Swan Valley vigneron Joe Zekulich, aged 107.
Mr Zekulich arrived in Fremantle in 1924 as a 16-year-old Croatian migrant who spoke no English, had no money but was the financial lifeline to his destitute family back home.
He spent years on the Goldfields before returning to Perth and making a name for himself in the State’s fledgling viticulture industry.
To honour his contribution, Mr Zekulich was inducted into the Royal Agricultural Society’s Hall of Fame in 2005 – the first viticulturist to be awarded the honour – and received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the WA Citizen of the Year awards.
Link – https://thewest.com.au/news/wa/wa-wine-veteran-a-rare-vintage-ng-ya-380674