By ALESHA CAPONE
EMMANUELA and Joseph Busuttil are a shining example of love which has lasted across the decades.
On 3 May, the Tullamarine husband and wife will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary – their diamond year.
The couple married in 1953 at St Domenic’s Church in Malta, aged 20 and 21, before immigrating to Australia a few years later.
They have three children – Joey, Emily and Michael – who have gone on to provide them with nine grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
When Mr and Mrs Busuttil first arrived in Australia, they lived in Footscray and Abbotsford, before settling in Tullamarine – where they have resided for 43 years.
Their romance first started in Malta, when Mr Busuttil was serving in the army.
In a charming tale, the young man spotted his future wife working in a retail outlet, but could not summon the courage to strike up a conversation.
“I worked as a salesgirl in a shop and he was with a friend. He was too shy to talk to me, so he got his friend to talk to me,” Mrs Busuttil said.
“I thought his friend was interested in me at first.”
Mrs Busuttil said her husband’s many good qualities included his patience and his skills as a handy man.
Meanwhile, Mr Busuttil is a big fan of his wife’s culinary talents.
“He doesn’t like to cook. He likes it when it’s ready,” Mrs Busuttil said.
“But he never complains. Whatever I give him, he eats.”
She said Mr Busuttil enjoyed exercising, computers and “tinkering in his shed” – despite her requests for him to stop buying items which fill the shed.
“I do the housework, he does something else,” she said.
For their 60th anniversary celebration, the couple’s family will have lunch together.
“He has bought me a diamond ring and I have bought him a watch,” Mrs Buttusil said.
She said the secret to a successful marriage was reconciling quickly after a quarrel.
“If you have an argument, try to make it up, that’s all,” she said.
