Maria Giordano (De Paolo) married Domenico Giordano by proxy in January 1959. This means she married in Italy with a "stand in", as Domenico was already in Australia. This was common then as unmarried women rarely travelled alone.

Domenico was a widower with a young daughter and son. His wife died in 1955 - he migrated to Australia for a better life, leaving the children with his parents in his village outside Benevento. Word spread in those days and eventually the marriage was "arranged". Maria Giordano with her stepdaughter, Marietta Giordano and stepson Tommaso Giordano immediately sailed for Melbourne on the Neptune. Domenico met the family in Melbourne and took them home to Adelaide. This was the first time Domenico and Maria actually met! They had a loving marriage, and had 4 daughters of their own, living in Albert Park all their married life.

Maria & Domenico Giordano