A telegram delivered to Orlando Mallozzi while he was on a ship from Italy to Australia 63 years ago all but sealed his fate and his future with the love of his life.
Mr Mallozzi was on board the same ship as his future wife Maria in 1955 when he received a telegram from his brother telling him he should settle in Perth instead of Melbourne.
Several months later while working on the train lines in Gosnells Mr Mallozzi met Maria’s mother and the rest as they say is history.
“Orlando came to our house with his older brother and asked my dad if he could take me out as he had seen me a couple of times,” she said.
“Dad told him I was too young to go out as I was only 14 and suggested he come back in a couple years’ time.”
It was just six months later when he saw Maria waiting for a train and he asked again if she had any intention towards him.
“He came up to me and said ‘good morning signorina, I would like to give you a gift’,” she said.
“He said if I accepted his gift it would show him I had intention towards him and he would be happy to wait 10 years if he had to to marry me.”
Mr and Mrs Mallozzi got engaged on her mother’s birthday in January the following year and wedded on August 23, 1958 when Maria was just 16 years old.
“We were married at the Gosnells Catholic Church which used to be where the Agonis Centre is today,” she said.
“All our friends in Gosnells came to see the ceremony and then we had our photos in Kings Park followed by a dinner with our immediate family.”
The celebrations went on into the night at a reception with 400 people held at a hall where the Cannington Greyhounds racetrack is today.
Mr and Mrs Mallozzi celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary last week surrounded by family and friends.
A lunch with the immediate family and a surprise outing to the Swan Valley organised by the couple’s three daughters Anastasia, Angela and Lia was the perfect way to celebrate the occasion.
