Giuseppe and Tina Cavuoto
Diana Glenn, Professor Emerita at Flinders University, reflects on the longevity and endurance of her Italian parents’ vows of love despite the pressures of COVID-19
Back in the late 1940s, two young people passionately in love began exchanging secret love letters hidden in the trunk of a tree. After their first outing to the cinema to see Romeo and Giulietta, Giuseppe and Tina hoped that their love would endure. On 30 April 2020 in Adelaide, where they have lived since migrating to South Australia in 1954, the loving couple celebrated their (platinum) 70th wedding anniversary. However, due to the COVID-19 restrictions, they were unable to be together and renewed their marriage vows facing one another on opposite sides of a large pane of glass at the nursing home where Tina now resides. Prior to the restrictions, Giuseppe (aged 90) was a daily visitor, steadfast by his darling Tina (aged 95) for whom he still pens love poems and tributes as he has done since their first meeting in Benevento which he describes as a case of love at first sight. Recently, with restrictions being eased, they have been reunited once more.
Before the lockdown, Giuseppe was carrying out a range of voluntary activities with the residents at the home, such as leading regular singing sessions in which the participants performed songs by heart ranging from pre-war and wartime melodies to love ballads and popular songs from the 40s and 50s. Giuseppe is no stranger to public performance, having been a keen participant in community events for many years and having just celebrated 45 years as a voluntary broadcaster on Radio Italiana, Adelaide. Giuseppe proudly states that Tina is his guiding light and the love of his life. Their shared family values have been passed onto their 5 children and their families, comprising 10 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
Diana Glenn, 25 August 2020
Giuseppe and Tina Cavuoto renew their marriage vows