Celebrating 100 Years of Tommy Tomasi: The Man Who Helped Shape Thredbo

Some people leave their mark on a place. Others become part of its foundation.

As Tommy Tomasi celebrates his 100th birthday, we celebrate not just a remarkable milestone, but an extraordinary life of resilience, adventure and unwavering passion for the mountains. Tommy’s story is deeply woven into the fabric of Thredbo, and after a century of incredible experiences, he remains one of the resort’s most cherished legends.

A Childhood in the Italian Alps

Born in 1926, Tommy grew up in the mountains of Northern Italy, where he discovered skiing at just four years old. The alpine lifestyle shapes his love of the outdoors from an early age, but his youth would soon be interrupted by one of history’s darkest chapters.

In 1943, with World War II reaching his hometown, 17-year-old Tommy was faced with an impossible decision: join the forces of Hitler and Mussolini or fight alongside the Italian partisans. His father made the choice clear, handing him a rifle and pointing him towards the mountains.

Courage Through War

While fighting with the resistance, Tommy took part in operations to disrupt German forces, including blowing up a bridge to stop a military convoy. Shortly afterwards, he secretly returned home to see his family, where he was recognised by a local fascist and arrested by the Gestapo. Tommy was deported to Germany and imprisoned in a concentration camp.

After enduring nine months of starvation, forced labour and unimaginable hardship, he escaped during the chaos of an American artillery attack. Hiding beneath fallen branches in a nearby forest with three fellow prisoners, they waited until American soldiers discovered them.

Weighing just 32 kilograms, Tommy was nursed back to health in a nearby village. Grateful for the Americans who had saved his life, he became an interpreter and helped Allied forces identify former Gestapo members.

While fighting with the resistance, Tommy took part in operations to disrupt German forces, including blowing up a bridge to stop a military convoy. Shortly afterwards, he secretly returned home to see his family, where he was recognised by a local fascist and arrested by the Gestapo.

Tommy was deported to Germany and imprisoned in a concentration camp.

After enduring nine months of starvation, forced labour and unimaginable hardship, he escaped during the chaos of an American artillery attack. Hiding beneath fallen branches in a nearby forest with three fellow prisoners, they waited until American soldiers discovered them.

Weighing just 32 kilograms, Tommy was nursed back to health in a nearby village. Grateful for the Americans who had saved his life, he became an interpreter and helped Allied forces identify former Gestapo members.

A New Beginning In Australia

When the war ended, Tommy returned to Italy, but opportunities were limited. Having fought with the partisans made finding work difficult, and he made the life-changing decision to leave his family and start over.

Thanks to his work with the American forces, Tommy secured a visa to Australia and boarded a ship bound for Fremantle.

He found work in the mines near Kalgoorlie, where the skills he’d learned handling explosives during the war proved unexpectedly useful.

Then one afternoon, while walking through Perth, everything changed.

A photograph of the Chalet at Charlotte Pass caught his eye.

“I didn’t even know Australia had snow.”

Inspired by that single image, Tommy bought a car and drove across the country to the Snowy Mountains.

Finding Home in the Snowies

After arriving in Cooma, Tommy joined the Snowy Hydro Scheme, operating bulldozers before successfully applying for a ski instructor position at Charlotte Pass in 1953.

It was there he met his future wife, Joyce, and formed a lifelong friendship with Tony Sponar, one of the founders of Thredbo.

Although Tommy returned to Snowy Hydro for the following decade, he and Tony regularly explored the Main Range together on skis.

During one of those tours, standing above what is now Eagle’s Nest, Tony shared his dream of creating a ski resort in the valley below.

Tommy had just one request.

“If you build it, I’d like to start the ski patrol.”

Building Thredbo

Construction of Thredbo began in 1956, and Tommy fulfilled that promise.

He established what would become one of Australia’s most respected ski patrols, helping shape the culture, professionalism and safety standards that continue to define Thredbo today.

Over the decades, Tommy became far more than the resort’s first Patrol Director. He became a mentor, storyteller, friend and inspiration to generations of staff and guests.

His contribution helped build not only a ski patrol, but a mountain community.

Happy 100th Birthday, Tommy

One hundred years is an incredible milestone.

From the mountains of Northern Italy to helping build one of Australia’s most iconic ski resorts, Tommy Tomasi’s journey is one of courage, perseverance and passion.

His legacy lives on in every patroller, every turn on the mountain and every person who calls Thredbo home.

From everyone at Thredbo, thank you, Tommy.

Happy 100th Birthday.

Here’s to a century of stories – and to the remarkable legacy you’ve created for generations to come.