By Amanda Murthy
Determined to gain greater opportunities in the land down under, Italian-born Raffaele Tedesco packed up his suitcase at the tender age of 16, embarking on a solo move to Perth.
With hard work, big dreams and a zest for life, Raffaele recalled his first week adjusting to life in a new country, with no family or community support.
“I didn’t speak or understand a word of English when I arrived in Perth, and remember getting to work right away, landing my first job in a factory just two days after my move,” Raffaele explained.
“Eventually, I went into the plastering, then tiling business, which I remained in until my retirement.”
By the age of 24, Raffaele was a proud owner of a home; he had gained a close-knit community of peers, and was happy with his career progress.
“I was 29 years old and remember feeling like a part of me was incomplete, as I had always longed to start a family of my own,” Raffaele recalled.
“One of my closest friends who worked in the same building as Antonietta, kept telling me about this nice, beautiful girl who he thought would be a good match for me.
“My friend told me she clocked out at 5pm every day, so I took the opportunity to show up at her workplace at 5pm sharp the very next day and introduced myself, and kept coming back – the rest is history,” he exclaimed.
The couple bonded almost instantly. Antionetta, 20 at the time, recounting their first and subsequent dates: Sunday Mass and lunch with her family, with occasional walks from work to the train station.
“Although he’s always been a man with few words, my husband was extremely charismatic and we could have genuine conversations, he always went out of his way to bond with my community, and he managed to put a smile on my face whenever we met – my family (mum, dad and sister) loved him too,” Antionetta stated.
“We were quite straight-forward at the time and knew exactly what our goals were.
“From early on, discussing things such as the importance of marriage, our Italian culture, kids, faith, family and it wasn’t long before, we got married at Christ the King Church in Beaconsfield on Valentine’s Day of 1970,” she added.
“It was a simple traditional wedding, no bells and whistles, but it was one of the best early memories we shared together,” both agreed.
The Tedescos went on to having three children – Joseph, Maria Ellena and Anna Tedesco – who they said were the “best gifts from God”.
“We made many sacrifices, as most couples do for their kids, but our ultimate goal was to find the joy in our marriage and family life, which we have,” Antionetta said.
“Raf and I were just so grateful for the opportunities we were able to get, and we were so happy to be able to give our kids these, and more opportunities.
“We knew what we had to do, and we knew we had to work as a team,” she added.
When asked about their fondest memory as a couple, the duo harmoniously shifted the attention to their 1982 trip to Italy, Switzerland and Germany. A trip which enabled them to reconnect with family, visit Lourdes and even witness a glimpse of former Pope, Saint John Paul II arriving at St Peter’s Square in a helicopter, only to walk right past them.
“Family and faith were always extremely important to us, so at the first chance we got, we took the whole family to show them where we came from and to introduce them to our family there. That was a great reunion for us and one of the most amazing experiences we will never forget,” Raffaele recounted.
Fifty years on, the Beaconsfield parishioners collectively concur that it is through their faith, family and community that have kept their love going strong.
Raffaele said that in his spare time, he would be seen outside in the garage, indulging in his craze for cars, or around the house, looking to see what he can fix or upgrade.
Antionetta loves to cook for the family, and never fails to cook up a feast during birthday, Christmas and other festive occasions.
“The best part of our marriage for me is seeing our family grow and flourish – taking care of my kids, and now my grandkids, seeing them succeed and doing all of this with the love of my life,” Raffaele said.
“Yes, same here. We may not be the most romantic couple, but we find the importance in our faith and family life – we are so blessed to have so much and we do not take those things for granted,” Antionetta concluded.