Love of the dance leads to romance
JANE Dunphy's parents did not think their daughter would ever marry. Marty McComiski's parents also thought their son would never wed.
Jane has an acquired disability. Marty has a mild intellectual disability.
Love and marriage were among the things their parents feared they would miss out on in life. But all that changed when Jane decided to organise a disco for people with disabilities who might not feel comfortable in mainstream clubs.
She and Marty had known each other for eight years but that night on May 16, 2008, changed everything. "They just danced with each other all night," Jane's mother, Cassandra, said.
Romance blossomed and in January 2009, Marty asked Jane's father, Jeffrey, for his daughter's hand in marriage.
Marty and Jane married last October 31 in front of family and friends at Birahl Park, Yaroomba.
They brought guests to tears when they took the floor with a dance they had learned especially for the reception.
Marty, 35, and Jane, 31, live in a flat behind Jane's parents' house at Bli Bli.
Throughout their courtship, Jane, with the help of her family and friends has continued to organise her discos.
On Saturday night, they will host their first "discobility" as a married couple, at the Nambour Baptist Church Hall from 6-9pm.
The twice-yearly discos, which draw 70-100 people, are very much driven by the Dunphy family - Jeffrey does the cooking, and Jane's brother, Harley, is MC, while another Cameron, handles the music.
"People with disabilities don't always feel comfortable in the mainstream. This is an opportunity for those that don't always feel that they belong to feel comfortable, to let their hair down," said Mrs Dunphy. And maybe find true love.
