One day Maria applied for a new passport and found their marriage certificate was never lodged with Births, Deaths and Marriages.

You'd think it's a mistake that's easily fixed.

"That's what we thought - 'too simple' - but there was nothing simple about this," Harry said.

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It took half a dozen affidavits from witnesses, dozens of visits and phone calls to bureaucrats, help from Legal Aid and a visit to the family court to sort out the mess.

"We did go to a solicitor, and the solicitor said 'I've never dealt with anything like this before and it could cost you $300 or $400 a day, and I don't know long it's going to take - it could take years," Maria said.

It did - three years almost to the day. And now they are officially Mr and Mrs Gruber.

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