Rod and Shirley MacDonald nee Turner are celebrating their 49th wedding anniversary. Looking back, they share their memories and conclusions about what makes a marriage work.
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“Rod, along with two mates, arrived at my 17th birthday party. They didn’t stay long but I felt an instant attraction,” admits Shirley. “I told my mother at the time he was the only one for me. Six months later, we met at the YMCA dance when Rod plucked up the courage to ask me for the last dance.”
“Though it was cold, there was a beautiful blue sky the day we married at St Paul’s,” Shirley remembers. “Our reception was at the City Family Hotel. Canon Anthony suggested to guests we were honeymooning in Bagshot, but we drove a little further than that to the Gold Coast, getting caught in flood waters near Murwillumbah.
“We were rescued in 3 feet of water by a couple who became lifelong friends. I remember screaming in fright as the water rose in the car, and Rod saying ‘we will laugh about this one day’ (which we do).
“We were blessed with three children, Brett, Ashley and Caitlin. Proudly, we also now have seven grandchildren.
“We moved from Bendigo in the first six months of our marriage. So we didn’t have family support around us and had to work out any problems we faced together,” Rod states. “This was the foundation for a relationship that has always been based on love and respect for each other’s feelings and differences.”
“Travelling is our special pleasure. We have been to Scotland and England following our ancestors, plus to Europe, Asia and the US. We also did the grey nomad trip by caravan a few years ago.
Shirley is involved in Golf Victoria and is President of Bendigo Inner Wheel. Rod volunteers with several groups including reading for the print handicapped, talking books and as Bendigo Rotary Club President.
“After living all around Victoria then Western Australia, we decided to retire back to Bendigo. After 40 years away, we returned to many friends and family and it is as if we never left,” says Shirley.
“Our love of family and shared sense of humour has enabled us to share the responsibilities marriage brings to each other. Great friends who don’t take themselves or us too seriously are also a constant bonus.”