Aussie couple recreates fairy tale wedding in Penang

Paul Palisi (in black coat) with his daughter Sarah and her newly wedded husband Richard Correia. With them are guests at the wedding. — Picture by Asman Ibrahim

GEORGE TOWN: Nothing -- not even the fear of a potential risk of nuclear radiation in Asia following the recent Fukushima nuclear plant explosion -- was going to stop an Australian couple from recreating what is described as a "fairy tale" wedding that took place 56 years ago in the then Malaya. "We have heard so much about my grandparents' romantic, happy lives, and we want to marry by recreating that aspect of 'fairy tale'," the bride, Sarah Jane Palisi, told Streets. "And we hope that our wedding would always keep alive the spirit and the true meaning of love and happiness as set by my grandparents' fine example." "Yes," agreed her husband Richard Correia, an auto electrician. "It's idyllic."

Sarah Jane and Richard were married by Pastor Saras Dany of the City Harvest Church in the garden of Parkroyal at Batu Ferringhi on Monday. About 50 people, some from Australia and Britain, attended the wedding. It would have been easier for the wedding to take place in Sydney where the couple and most of their families and friends live. But to recreate the fairy tale spirit of their grandparents' wedding, it must begin in Penang. So, like Tom and Gail Lambert, who always consider Malaysia their second home, Sarah and Richard chose the "Pearl of the Orient" as the venue of their own marriage. 

The Lamberts are well known in Penang despite Tom's transfer by Caltex Oil to Sydney in 1962. However, so deep are their hearts and souls in Malaysia that they have visited Penang 23 times since they left the country. "We have many happy memories of our lives in Malaysia, particularly in Penang," explained Tom, now 78. "The people are so friendly and wonderful, the food is excellent, and the country as a whole is so colourful. We are always comfortable coming here. "That is why we came back every two years since my transfer to Sydney. Malaysia is, indeed, our second home." The Malaysian connection is also due to the fact that Gary, their eldest son, and their only daughter Tammy (mother of Sarah Jane) were born in Penang. Tom and Gail Lambert have four sons, one daughter, 14 grandchildren and two great grandchildren. 

The story of their fairy tale love began in 1955 when Tom, a handsome young man, spotted a shy girl, who was born in Penang, at a mass in the Assumption Church. He could not take his eyes off Gail and asked his friends to introduce him to her. Gail, on the other hand, was also interested in him -- a man who really inspired her. It was love at first sight, as Tom recalled. Somehow, the romance did not bloom quickly because Tom went away with his brother on a long tour of Europe. Gail was broken-hearted. But, on his return to Penang, Tom wasted no time in sweeping Gail off her feet and they tied the knot in what they described as a "fairy tale" wedding in 1957 in the same church where they first met. Now Sarah and Richard have added a new chapter to the Lambert family tradition of enduring love, loyalty and compassion.
-NST Online.