Spanish Civil War Tour Endorsements

"I am Dr. V. George Venturini of 20 Patons Road, Hazelwood North 3840, Australia.  I was an avvocato at the Court of Appeal in Bologna, Italy and an assistant professor at the University of Ferrara, Italy until 1958. On that year I was accepted for graduated studies at Northwestern University in Chicago (1958-1962). Susequently I taught at the Osgoode Hall Law School of York University, Toronto. I then moved to the universities of Singapore, Queensland, Valparaiso, Chicago and returned to Australia in 1975 to serve the Whitlam Government as Trade Practices Commissioner.

I have taught, administered, and advised on, law in four continents, ‘retiring’ in 1993 from Monash University, Melbourne.

My latest book is titled The Last Great Cause - Volunteers from Australia and Emilia-Romagna in defence of the Spanish Republic, 1936-1939 (Sydney 2010).  It took me several years to complete the work.

Such work would not have been possible without the extraordinarily courteous and always profitable assistance of Dr. Almudena Cros, on whose behalf this statement is released. Almudena comes across as a warm, committed, highly intelligent and scholarly patient assistant - what with references, research and translations. Her command of the English language is as good as her command of  Italian, which was the language of my formal education.  

I have been acquainted with Dr. Cros for at least ten years. I am familiar with her dedication to her studies in Spain, Italy and England. I believe that she is a first class art historian as well as political historian. I am also aware of the precious work by Dr. Cros as an informed, lively, passionate educator of people who take an interest in her work as study tour leader.  I have received reports that she dispenses her knowledge to participants with great sagacity and with the passion of the true teacher.

In 2012, at the time of the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Guadalajara, I was to have attended the ceremony. I was prevented by a temporary illness and Dr. Cros was good enough to read on my behalf a message of solidarity with people attending that occasion. It was multilingual affair. Dr. Cros read in perfect Italian a message I had sent and which was directed to many persons who had travelled from Italy. 

I will respond to any request on Dr. Cros' competence and professionalism that she brings to any activity in which she engages."

Dr. George Venturini, veteran of World War II AntiNazi Resistance in Italy, Law Professor, Adjunct Professor at the Institute for Social Research at Swinburne University, Melbourne and author of The Last Great Cause.