I was devastated when I learnt that our beloved Senior Instructor Mario Cianci passed away on the morning of Wednesday the 4th of January. He had been involved with the College from its beginnings, for almost 30 years. Mario and Tony Donnoli started the Beverly Hills Tai Chi Centre from scratch and quickly developed it into a progressive, dynamic centre with a loyal group of assistant instructors and students. Over the years, they expanded their activities to run many successful centres in the Eastern suburbs of Melbourne, covering both morning and evening sessions.
In 2013, Mario lost his close friend and Tai Chi partner, Tony Donnoli, who passed away. Several of us were concerned that Mario might not be able to carry on without Tony and I was in the fortunate position to offer assistance to Mario in running the Beverly Hills and Doncaster Centres, plus the Box Hill Shopping Centre sessions. This was a great privilege for me and it really accelerated my training. It also allowed me to enjoy many coffees with my friend Mario after our Tai Chi class.
Mario was a very active member of the College’s Senior Instructor team. He attended most of the Park Lessons at both Malvern and Fairfield Parks, and generously supplied tea and cakes for everyone to share.
I will always remember him as a warm, friendly and humorous man who exuded friendliness along with confidence in his ability.
He will be sadly missed.
Bruce Ellis, Instructor
Doncaster Morning Centre
Senior Master Chin Min wrote a warm and touching tribute to Mario upon his retirement from teaching Tai Chi, which you can read on our website along with Mario’s inspiring response:
Updated: 5 February 2023
