Audrey Capuano taken at Estelle Studio St Leonards 1945 Reproduced courtesy Audrey Capuano
Audrey Wesley was born in Strathalbyn, South Australia. She was 18 when she met Private First Class Angelo “Bob” Capuano at one of the weekly dances held in her home town. It was 1942 and he had just arrived in South Australia after his convoy bound for New Guinea had been diverted by the battle in the Coral Sea.
Married in August 1944, Audrey had to wait until April 1946 for passage to the USA on the SS MONTEREY. During the long wait Audrey knitted a jumper featuring a stars and stripes pattern. She wore it on arrival in San Francisco and was treated with a hero’s welcome.
Audrey settled in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where she retained strong links with other Australian War Brides, setting up the “Australian Wives’ Club” there. She was married 29 years before Bob passed away in 1988. They had four children together and Audrey still lives in Pittsburgh. She was interviewed in 1994 on her eleventh trip back to Australia.