This important anniversary was not forgotten by their children – Mark, with his wife Rose, Robert with his wife Frances, and Elisa with her husband Anthony – nor by their eight grandchildren.

The whole family congratulated them on this significant achievement, thanking them for all their support and wishing them many more years together in good health.

Domenico and Giuseppina were married on July 16, 1961, at the Holy Spirit Catholic Church in North Ryde.

Both originating from San Giovanni di Gerace, in the Italian region of Calabria, they arrived in Australia in the early 1950s, and have lived in Ryde ever since. 

In 1952, 14-year-old Domenico, one of Giuseppe and Caterina Olivieri’s seven children, arrived in Australia with his brother Salvatore, his sister Peppina and her daughter Vincenzina.

They joined his father Giuseppe, who had been in Sydney since 1949, with his other children, Rosa and Vincenzo.

Giuseppe had bought a piece of land in Ryde for the cultivation of fruit and vegetables, but the increasing population combined with the great demand for development in the area saw it divided, and sold into lots.

In 1977, the City Council of Ryde officially recognised the Olivieri family business as local growers and traders by granting them a namesake – ‘Olivieri Place’ – off Lavarack Street.

In 1953, Domenico’s mother Catherine and his two other sisters arrived in Australia, thus reuniting the Olivieri family, who now live on Waterloo Road in North Ryde.

With St Anthony’s close by in Marsfield, the whole family often walked to church.

Domenico attended North Ryde Public School, and subsequently Crow’s Nest High School, which he left after eight months, in order to provide financial assistance to his family.

Domenico’s working life began at Woolworths.

In 1960, he bought a milk bar in North Ryde, which he sold after five years to work with his brother Sam in the North Ryde Tailor Shop, which is now known as Top Ryde Tailoring.

At the age of 80, Domenico still works there part time.

Domenico also boasts an impressive range of volunteer community work, in both the religious and social fields.

Together with his wife Giuseppina, he formed the Rosary Group in 1985, which he directed for 35 years.

The group, which met every Monday evening for the recitation of the Holy Rosary, also carried out social activities such as bus trips and celebrations of the main festivals each year.

The efforts of the group are profound; it raised $180,000 in its 35 years for charity.

But the feather in Domenico’s cap is his engagement with the Madonna delle Grazie community, which he and his wife Giuseppina have been involved with for over 60 years.

Initially a part of the Madonna delle Grazie Choir, directed by Sabina Marin, Domenico became treasurer of the Lady of Grace Fraternity in 1969, which owns and operates the Lady of Grace Nursing Home in Dural.

The aged care home, which was purchased as the Castle Hill Nursing Home in 1995, has been renovated over the years and now houses 44 residents.

The home boasts a beautiful main building, surrounded by gardens, with spacious parking and disabled access.

The Lady of Grace Fraternity has raised more than $300,000 over the years, the majority of which has been donated to the Lady of Grace Nursing Home in Dural.

Domenico Olivieri is a justice of the peace, a position that has allowed him to help many compatriots, especially those on an Italian pension.

He was also named “ambassador” of the Father Atanasio Gonnelli Foundation, and the 2020 Ryde Citizen of the Year.