Last year, Esther Collings, 102 and her husband, Ronald, 103, were named Australia’s oldest couple by The Australian Book Of Records.
Now they have reached another milestone, celebrating 80 years since they married in Adelaide in 1938 after meeting as teenagers.
The couple, who had three children and now have six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, later moved to Melbourne and Sydney, and then back to Adelaide.
Today, they live in separate rooms at an aged care facility in Goolwa on the Fleurieu Peninsula, but still spend time together every day.
So, what’s the secret to their long marriage? Mr Collings says it’s supporting each another and having space to pursue your own interests (he’s an Aussie rules and cricket fan so we get that) and Mrs Collings agreed, saying marriage was “about compromise”.
“These days people are too quick to throw in the towel … like most people we’ve had our ups and downs.”
Excellent advice.
