Carmela Paratore

Thank God for our health, family and what God has given us, and for my children’s success.

Cono Galipo arrived in Fremantle in 1949 and worked in the market gardens of Spearwood. His wife Serena, a talented seamstress, remained in Sicily with their young daughter Carmela. In 1954, Cono returned to bring them to Australia together, and the family arrived in Fremantle aboard Neptunia on 23 August 1955. They lived with Serena’s siblings in South Fremantle, and Carmela celebrated her eighth birthday just days after their arrival.

Portrait of Carmela as a child in Italy.
Credit: Carmela and Santo Paratore

Carmela spoke no English at first and found it hard to make friends. She attended Christ the King Primary School and slowly settled in, playing hopscotch and skipping with neighbourhood girls on old fishing rope on Jenkin Street. Weekends were spent riding the bus with her parents to visit relatives across Perth, attending mass at Christ the King Church in Beaconsfield, and helping her mother with sewing.

In February 1959, Serena and Cono welcomed their second child, Serafino, who was born six weeks premature at Woodside Hospital in East Fremantle. Carmela often visited her tiny brother  in the humidicrib, anxious for his wellbeing.

Two years later, Carmela made her Confirmation at Christ the King and proudly walked in the Blessing of the Fleet procession, wearing a white dress sewn by her mother.

Carmela attended Parry Street High School for two years. During that time, the family bought their own home in Nelson Street, Fremantle. She remembers weekends at the Market Street cinema, watching Elvis films with friends from the neighbourhood. 

At 16, she left school to study shorthand and typing at business college on High Street. Her first job was as a receptionist at J. & W. Bateman Limited, where worked from 1963 to 1967, earning 4 pounds 8 shillings a week.

Carmela during her teenage years.
Credit: Carmela and Santo Paratore

Carmela met her future husband Santo Paratore at 19 when he came with his cousin to collect a dress her mother had sewn. Shy and busy at the sink, she still noticed how handsome and well-dressed he was. Santo worked as a deckhand on the boat Guiliano I, fishing for rock lobster off Fremantle. He owned a blue 1964 EH Holden and had his clothes made by Gino Saccone, who later opened Gino’s cafe in Fremantle.

A few months later, Santo returned, asking her father’s permission to take her out. Their courtship included dinners at the Capri and Roma restaurants, Mass on Sundays and family outings to the Royal Show – her favourite date.

The couple married on 27 May 1967 at Christ the King Church, with the reception at the Fremantle Town Hall. Serena made Carmela’s wedding dress and all the bridesmaids’ gowns. For their honeymoon, they drove to Albany, beginning married life together on Arundel Street in Fremantle.

Engagement  day – Carmelo and Santo cut the cake.  
Credit: Carmela and Santo Paratore

Carmela and Santo married on 27 May 1967 at Christ the King Church, followed by a celebration at the Fremantle Town Hall.
Credit: Carmela and Santo Paratore

Credit: Carmela and Santo Paratore

Carmela gave birth to her first son Antonino in 1968 and two years later she and Santo welcomed their second son Tindaro. During these years, she developed a love of cooking – her signature dish was spaghetti with meatballs – and enjoyed her growing record collection, from Elvis and the Beatles to Italian artists such as Mina, Gianni Morandi and Little Tony.

In 1972, the family travelled to Sicily, where Carmela reconnected with her homeland. Visiting in August, she remembered asking ‘What is Ferragosto?’ – Italy’s great summer holiday – and especially recalled visiting the Madonna di Tindari and the Madonna di Capo d’Orlando, feeling something special in both churches.

After returning, Carmela worked in a variety of receptionist and cashier roles, including at Charlie Carter’s store in South Fremantle. She enjoyed lunches at Miss Maud, dances at the Italian Club and La Tenda and continued to attend mass regularly.

Carmela and Santo at one of many lively gatherings at the Italian Club Fremantle.
Credit: Carmela and Santo Paratore

By 1978, Carmela was ready for a new challenge. She joined the newly opened Tony Sadler store in Wembley, amazed by its size and the bustle of more than 10 staff on the floor. She enjoyed meeting colleagues and customers from many different backgrounds and became known for her quick mental calculations of fabric requirements – a skill later admired by her daughter-in-law Maria when she also helped in the shop.

When a new Tony Sadler branch opened on North Lake Road in Myaree, Carmela transferred to be closer to home. Tony Sadler later decided to franchise out this store and after much persuasion by Santo and Carmela’s sister-in-law Angelina, Carmela purchased the franchise in 1985. That same year, she and Santo built a home at 27 Jean Street, Hamilton Hill. Carmela considers owning the business one of her proudest achievements.

Carmela’s Tony Sadler store, Myaree, 1985 – one of her proudest achievements. 
Credit: Carmela and Santo Paratore

In the 1980s, both sons entered the rock lobster industry, giving the Blessing of the Fleet deeper meaning. Carmela prayed for their protection each season and was proud to see them carry the Madonna dei Martiri twice and the Madonna di Capo d’Orlando on their fishing vessel Larissa C (C for Carmela). She also loved the Blessing of the Fleet balls that opened each season.

Carmela and Santo aboard the lead vessel with the Madonna dei Martiri, honouring faith, family and Fremantle’s Blessing of the Fleet.
Credit: Carmela and Santo Paratore

Carmela sold her store in 1994 to spend more time with family. The arrival of her granddaughters Larissa, Shanae and Taleah filled her with joy. She nicknamed her granddaughters Goia, Doll and Bella and shared with them her love of traditional Sicilian cooking – rabbit, goat, cauliflower patties and zucchini flowers – and the sewing skills she had learnt from her mother.

In later life, Carmela enjoyed travelling and welcomed two more grandchildren, Joshua and James. Reflecting on her life, she said: ‘I have never wished for anything to be better in my life. I am blessed, fortunate and grateful.’

In the family home, Carmela with beloved granddaughters.
Credit: Carmela and Santo Paratore

The Italian Club Fremantle has long been tied to the Blessing of the Fleet. Each year, fishers and their families gathered at the club for a concert on the day of the procession. For many postwar migrants from Sicily – from the coastal towns of Molfetta and Capo d’Orlando and beyond – the club became a ‘home within a home’, where lifelong friendships were formed.

For Carmela, it was also a place to connect with other women who, like her, had left parents and family in Italy. Together they shared joys and challenges, keeping alive the traditions of their towns and creating a sense of comfort, belonging and cultural continuity in their new home.

Carmela and Santo at a gathering in the Italian Club Fremantle.
Credit: Carmela and Santo Paratore

Carmela’s love of cooking and sharing abundant meals is legendary. Festive occasions were her cue to cook up a storm, with tables groaning under the weight of family favourites. Her repertoire ranged from braised rabbit, roasted goat and lobster meatballs to battered zucchini flowers, braciola, stuffed sardines and arancini. She made fresh pasta of every kind, ravioli filled with meat or ricotta and spinach, and lemon granita to finish. One of the most anticipated treats came once a year – dough stuffed with mushrooms, silverbeet, ham, cheese, dried sausage and anchovies, then shallow-friend to perfection. The family waited all year for this dish.

Carmela and Santo sharing a pasta-making moment. 
Credit: Carmela and Santo Paratore

Credit: Carmela and Santo Paratore