Partners for 65 years
People
Sixty-five years to the day after they said ‘I do’, Marcello and Dolores Martini are planning to return to St Patrick’s Church, Grote Street, for a special Mass to commemorate their anniversary.
Marcello, 95 and Dolores, 92, of Cowandilla, said their faith had always been central to their life so it seemed like the perfect way to celebrate the significant milestone.
Dolores recalled how their nuptials on June 12 1958 followed a lengthy engagement. The couple, from the Friuli region in Italy, were engaged prior to Marcello emigrating to Australia in 1955 to work in the mines at Iron Knob. Dolores followed in June 1958 and a week after her arrival they were married in St Patrick’s.
“It was a really big rain that day and there were only five of us there,” she recalled.
The first 11 years of their marriage were spent in Iron Knob, where Dolores said they were made to feel “very welcome” by the local community. Moving to Adelaide in 1969 they joined the Lockleys parish and were regular Mass goers at Christ the King Church.
Asked about the secret to a long and happy marriage, Dolores said while there were “ups and downs”, they had always been “loyal” to each other.
“We always did things together, even sometimes when it was hard…sticking together, for better and worse, in sickness and in health.”
Marcello added that having a “good, positive outlook on life” also helped.
The couple will be joined at the special Mass by their family, which includes three children, five grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
Jump to next article
