Couple recall golden years
TABLELANDS couple Bernie and Betty Rocca first met as members of a bridal party ... now they are celebrating 50 years of wedded bliss.
PARTNERED in the bridal party at a family wedding, Bernie and Betty Rocca would three years later be celebrating their own nuptials.
Today, the Tablelands couple celebrate 50 years of marriage, but it was the matchmaking nous of a cousin who can be credited for initiating their romance more than five decades ago.
Bernie (Bernard) was born in the southern Italian town of Sambiase on January 23, 1944, the third son of Antonio and Filomena Rocca.
Aged 11, he immigrated to Australia, travelling by boat with his mother and brothers to be reunited with his father, who had already made the journey.
Elizabeth (Betty) was born in Atherton on January 30, 1949, the first daughter of Dominic and Angela Trimarchi.
Bernie and Betty first met in 1965; Bernie’s brother Vince was marrying Maria, who hap- pened to be Betty’s cousin. Maria played matchmaker and partnered Bernie and Betty in the bridal party in the hope it might spark a romance between them. It worked. The couple fondly recalls that during their “courting days” they were always accompanied by Betty’s younger sister, Janet.
So that Janet wouldn’t run home and provide too much information on their dates, the couple would bribe her with Twisties and sweets.
The couple were engaged on June 10, 1967, and were married on February 3, 1968, at St Joseph’s Catholic Church at Atherton, followed by the reception at Merrilands Hall.
They initially lived at a rural property at Bones Knob, just outside Atherton, before purchasing their farm at Brown Rd in July 1970, which would become their family home for the next 40 years.
They farmed peanuts, corn, grass and, in later years, sugar cane.
Betty loved the expansive land, which fuelled her love of gardening, a passion that has seen her win many Tablelands awards over the years.
After 12 years of marriage, the couple were blessed with the birth of their only child, Mannuela.
Although they do not have grandchildren, they say they have “grand doggie” Lola and a “grand kitty” Roxy.
In 2010, the couple retired and sold their farm.
However, Bernie still has something of the farming bug and loves his fruit and vegetable garden, as well as annual fishing trips with “the boys”, while Betty remains an avid gardener.
She also fills her days with scrap booking and sewing.
Over the years, and to this day, the couple has always loved going for a drive for a Sunday outing, often making a trip to their beach unit at Palm Cove.
Travel has always been one of their loves and they have embarked on many treks, whether it be camping, road trips or overseas adventures with family and friends.