Recently I had the pleasure of interviewing a couple celebrating their 65th wedding anniversary. So forget Hollywood for a moment and enjoy a real-life love story...
While Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman starred in one of
the greatest romances of the silver screen in Casablanca, another love story
was blossoming between Cliff & Jean Collins. It was 1942 and only 15 at the time, Cliff spotted
Jean while working as a postal messenger.
He came close to falling off his delivery bike when he spotted her
sitting inside her Fathers Model-A Ford truck parked across the road from him. On their first meeting he held her hand and
he hasn’t let go since.
This week Cliff & Jean celebrated 65 years of marriage,
a union which produced six children, 15 grandchildren and in the coming weeks
will welcome great grandchildren numbers 13 and 14. Family members are travelling from across
Australia to be with the couple at their home on the Sunshine Coast to
celebrate this special occasion.
Family is clearly important to Cliff and Jean and they
credit this as being one of the foundations of their marriage. “We’ve always done everything together and as
the kids grew up our lives revolved around them and their activities,” said
Cliff.
Family also brought Cliff and Jean the biggest challenge of
their partnership when their eldest son tragically died after an accident
playing AFL at age 17. Cliff remembers,
“It was a really tough time, but where many couples would have fallen apart,
his death actually brought us closer together.”
Despite the odd challenge, life as a young couple was simple
and revolved around the cornerstones of family and hard work. Farmers of wheat and sheep, Cliff and Jean
retired from the farm in Victoria at 60 to move to Queensland to be closer to
their children.
“People today undervalue the importance of the connection
between husband and wife,” says Cliff.
“The love in a home starts with the parents and is reflected onto the
children of the family, who then pass this onto their own children. It’s the most important legacy we can leave.”
They are now aged 85 and 86 respectively and have been
fortunate to always had good health. He
doesn’t take it for granted though, Cliff begins each day by kissing his wife
and telling her he loves her. Their “love
affair”, as he describes it, has only grown stronger over the years.
Over the past week, messages of best wishes have arrived
from The Queen, The Prime Minister, QLD Premier, Governor General and local
politicians. This touching tradition
reminds us just how momentous this occasion is.
65 years. With modern couples
marrying later in life, marriages of this length will soon be a thing of a
past.
How did Cliff and Jean celebrate the day? They enjoyed pumpkin scones for morning tea
with their daughter and were treated to a roast lunch with friends. Forget the traditional gift for a 65th
anniversary of blue sapphires. After
seven decades together, this couple understand that the most important things
can’t be bought.
Relationships today are unnecessarily complicated. We spend more time with our virtual friends
than real ones and entire romances are conducted (and ended) via email, text
and Skype. Cliff’s answer to the secret
of a long and happy marriage is frustratingly simple. “A good marriage is like a bank account,” he
shares. “Put a little bit into it every
day and the richer you will become.”
This may be the reason that throughout 65 years together, they have
never had a fight.
After the commotion of their anniversary celebrations
settle, Cliff and Jean look forward to what is for them a perfect night in: sitting
in their matching recliners watching Dads Army DVD’s, and still after 65 years,
holding hands.
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