Centenarians share their secret to 80 years of marriage

Bolton Clarke Baycrest centenarians Alan and Joan are celebrating 80 years since their wedding and say their lasting love all boils down to one thing.

“Our relationship was built on honesty,” says Alan.

The 101 year old and his wife Joan, who will turn 100 on 29^th March, says the pair have always worked well together.

“I think you have to be compatible and flexible,” Alan said.

“If either one of us wanted to do something, then we just discussed it.

“We’ve been very lucky, we have been able to travel and do all those things and here we are 80 years later!”

Alan and Joan first crossed paths in 1944 when they were both in the Army and stationed at Midland Junction Workshop, Western Australia during World War II.

“We saw a lot of each other over the next 12 months and right before I was about to be moved out to New Guinea, I asked Joan if she would like to get married,” Alan said.

“I thought if we didn’t, we probably would never see each other again. She said yes, so we got married on 20^th January 1945.

“Joan was then discharged from the Army and moved from Perth to stay with my family in Grafton until I got back in 1946.”

The pair would eventually move to Ballina in the 1950s and became an integral part of the local community, opening The Ballina Players theatre group which is now one of Australia’s oldest amateur theatre companies.

“We did four major plays each year and eventually raised enough money to build a brand new, brick theatre which is still going today,” Alan said.

“We were even declared Citizens of the Year in Ballina in 1985 and Joan was awarded OAM at Australia Day in 2000.

“We had a lot of social and business success in Ballina and we still consider it our home.”

Now living together at Bolton Clarke Baycrest residential care home at Hervey Bay, the pair can still be found sitting together, chatting and holding hands, proving true love never fades, even after 80 years!