It’s an honor to be asked to speak tonight. In fact it’s an honor to be here, without this wedding I was looking down the barrel of spending New Year’s Eve watching Andrew G commentating fireworks with bottle of cheap champagne and a packet of Tim Tams.
There is a book Rosie once bought called, “Why first borns want to rule the world and last borns want to change it”. I found it ironic that Rosie would be drawn to such a book- when as a second born- the title clearly had no mention of her.
It got me wondering if first borns and youngests can be so easily pigeonholed – what do the experts forecast for second borns.
It turns out Rosie is the poster girl for middle children. It is said that, “Second borns are the ‘people’ people, the compromisers, the flexible operators, people who always wear really great shoes”. So Check Check Check Check
The experts go on to say “They may need other people to motivate them (probably only to do their tax and stuff) but SECONDS keep the peace, are the glue that holds groups together. And, above all else put their loved ones first.
Rosie shows her love for her family and friends daily, in the things she does. Whether it be a cheeky joke that makes Caroline and Richard wipe their eyes at the kitchen table, an impersonation or story retelling for Sophie and Ben’s entertainment or a perfectly scripted poem she will write for one of her friends.
Rosie always represents, is an enthusiast a wonder and a gift. If we could describe people by comparing them to a day of the week Rosie would be New Year’s Eve. Exciting and colourful, a ray of limitless possibilities and really really hot!
Paul would be Grand Final Day. Because he creates and exciting buzz and serves delicious cold beer.
The love Rosie and Paul have for each other is palpable. It is as bright and optimistic as the dawn of a summer day, so tangible that we can all take a piece home with us tonight as the bonbonaire.
However most remarkable thing I have witnessed about Rosie and Paul’s love is that it is as dedicated and blinding among a messy flat or peak hour traffic as it is today among the pomp and ceremony of their wedding day.
I am in awe that no matter what time of the day it is, whether it be during try on session at the Chapel Street Bizarre or midway through a joke Rosie will always receive a phone call from Paul, heralding him with AMORE. Her excitement to hear his voice wields the same weight should he be calling from a stinky payphone in Europe or out the front of the Canteen where he is double parked waiting to pick her up.
That she beams with the pride usually reserved for tales of Kitty and Isabel’s cuteness, when she recounts Paul’s achievements, whether she’s talking about the invention, his heeling hands at Beauie a delicious new amendment to his recipe of Paul’s Spicy Beef and Nuts.
I love that Paul cannot tear his eyes away from his girl and when he does it is only to review the latest most amazing photo he has taken of her, and upload it to Facebook post haste.
And that Paul so effortlessly got that Bromby Street is not just bricks and mortar but the heart of the Travers family, a hub of laughter and community for so many of us over the years. I love that it was no coincidence that he asked Richard for his blessing to marry Rosie, in the library.
Theirs is not the love of mere mortals.
Cupids from all corners of the world reserved arrows for Rosie and Paul to ensure their paths would cross.
We should thank the Cupids wearing the strips of the Socceroos. Specifically Aloisi for his goal against Uruguay 2005 which paved the way for Harry Kewell to equalize in Stuttgart on 22 June last year. I imagine these little cupids as you said the I do’s in the church– Aloisi shirt over the head doing the aeroplane and Kewell on his knees punching the air.
We should thank the Cupid’s who are Back in Black, for providing the anthem of You Shook Me All Night Long- which is not a typical love song, but one which provided the opportunity for you to meet across a crowded tabletop.
We must thank the ANZACS for eating bully beef and fighting for our flag, so that you could share the most romantic kiss in history under a canopy of the southern cross.
And we should thank the Cupid of bureaucracy who didn’t renew Paul’s Italian residency visa.
The road to find each other was like a delicate puzzle that fortuitously came together but the life you have created together is the result of your dedication and passion for each other. Since meeting Paul, Rosie walks taller- she now tips 5 ft.
I have noticed that when Rosie is by Paul’s side his smile is wide and beaming and there is an audible “ting” off his front teeth.
Together you look like you have found the meaning of life. It is privilege for us to bask in the glow that together you emit. I wish you a lifetime of love and happiness.