“A lot of love and give and take” is how David and Sonnyia Maddick account for their 60 years of marriage.
The pair met in 1961 at a house party. A year later, wedding bells chimed.
From an era that pre-dates Tinder and internet dating, the Maddicks are still surprised by how they met, with Mr Maddick, 81, arriving at the party with another girl.
“I’d been to a dance that week before and met a girl and ... asked her if she wanted to go to this party. And I took her to the party and then met Sonnyia,” he said.
Mr Maddick then dropped home his original date before returning to the party to talk with his future wife.
“She wasn’t hard to look at, friendly,” Mr Maddick said.
“I don’t know whether she just listened to me or I listened to her. I guess after I walked her home, I said ‘can we meet again?’ and we did.”
As for Mrs Maddick, 80, she thought her suitor was “better than a couple of the other blokes”.
“I had three other friends that lived around the area and they were all nice, we used to go to the pictures together. But I thought he was all right, he knows what he is doing,” she said.
The early days of courtship were characterised by joyful trips in Mr Maddick’s new Volkswagen along with his fellow Army apprentices.
“There was a group of four, five, six of us. We still go everywhere in our cars,” Mr Maddick said.
“Through our workshop social group, we used to have car rallies and rides, and ... probably ride 50 miles ... and then spread out, have a barbecue lunch and a few drinks.”
It was fitting, then, that a car played a part in Mr Maddick’s proposal.
“We were at the drive-in at Northcote and he turned around and said ‘what do you reckon we get married?’” Mrs Maddick recounted.
“And I said, ‘yeah, righto’.”
The wedding was attended by more than 120 people in Northcote.
Their first child, Bruce, was born in 1963 and Paul followed in 1967.
Mr Maddick attributes the additional attention that Bruce required as part of the relationship’s glue.
“I might tend to think that one of the things that kept us together was our firstborn ...(who) was born with a physical handicap that was very rare in the world,” he said.
In recent times, it has been touch and go as to whether the Maddicks would be able to enjoy their 60th wedding anniversary. In November last year, Mrs Maddick suffered a stroke, which has had a significant impact on her health and mobility.
Not wanting to see the occasion missed, the Maddicks’ son Paul and daughter-in law Jodee, who now live in Queensland, organised a surprise party for the pair.
It is an anniversary that has allowed the two to reflect on the fun times the RSL members shared at Army mess halls and Mrs Maddick’s sensational run on the Australian tenpin bowling circuit, where she was crowned national champion.
The Maddicks have called the Seymour district home for 45 years and were thrilled to share their anniversary with family and friends
Mr and Mrs Maddick were also delighted to receive congratulatory letters from the premier, governor, former prime minister, governor-general and the Queen.
For younger generations looking to follow in the Maddicks’ footsteps, Mrs Maddick drew attention to the challenges that coincided with an enduring partnership.
“I think young people today don't know what it's all about. They think they can get married, everything will be good, but you've got to work at it,” she said.