Living Gems Caboolture Riverfront couple, John and Mary Skene, celebrate their 55th wedding anniversary this year. The long-time lovebirds take us on a trip down memory lane.
“How long have you been married?”
“53 years,” Mary responds.
“It’s 54, love, not 53,” John laughs.
“Good heavens you’re right John.”
It began in the summer of 1967. A group of young women venture to Cairns and secure midwifery positions in the local hospital after graduating nursing from Prince Henry Hospital, Sydney.
They start their new jobs, counting down to their RDOs. One of Mary’s friends has family living close by, so they take a roadtrip.
“We had days off and Jan and I bought a little Volkswagen and our friend Marilyn wanted to visit her family in Gordonvale, a small sugar town, so we drove her up,” Mary said.
Mary tells us that Marilyn’s mother invited them to stay for dinner, and that is when the magic happened.
“We were at the dinner table that evening, and I couldn’t stop looking at Marilyn’s handsome brother John, who gave me butterflies,” she said.
“One thing led to another, and we fell in love. He proposed and we were engaged for about 12 months before going to Sydney to get married in Matraville on 8 June 1968.”
Life wasn’t easy for them. As a city slicker, Mary found it hard to adapt to the harsh country, but John was country folk, so knew exactly how to take care of her.
“I was such a city girl when I first arrived, and suddenly I came into this big house with no flyscreens and was covered head to toe in mosquito bites. I learnt quickly to add netting over our bed. Oh, the memories,” Mary laughs.
“When we had our first son Rohan, a bat flew into the house and I was in the cupboard with the baby hiding, while John ran around with a tennis racket chasing the bat.
“For a Gordonvale girl, that was just another normal day on the farm, but for me, that was such a romantic thing my husband did.”
When we ask John what the most romantic thing his wife ever did, he gives us an interesting response.
“We made three sons together, what’s more romantic than that?”
“Summers were always hot, and I’d come in at lunchtime all hot and bothered, and instead of making me a normal salad, Mary would make little faces from vegetables to make me smile,” he adds.
“Two slices of tomato for eyes and she’d have a face on the plate with a bit of carrot sticking up for the nose. I found that romantic and always remember those days.”
Mary shares another, romantic, recollection.
“On one of my birthdays, I made a joke asking John if he would buy me a diamond. When he returned, I said where’s my diamond darling?” laughed Mary.
“He said he didn’t get a diamond but handed me two round the world trip tickets instead and I thought wow, that’s a thousand times better than a diamond, he’s a keeper.”
With so many beautiful memories spanning over 55 years, we ask John and Mary to share their secret to a long-lasting marriage.
“Always remain tolerant of each other through the tough times, and enjoy the good times,” John shares.
“You need to have similar interests, get along and just be together. You get used to each other, so find happiness by doing what you want, while sharing the interests you have in common,” Mary adds.
