Brian and Gloria Conolan laugh when asked if it was love at first sight when they met as teenagers at a YMCA dance in Bendigo in 1963.
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But that fateful meeting was the beginning of a relationship that has led to 50 years of successful marriage, with the pair celebrating their golden anniversary on Saturday.
When asked what it was that attracted him to Gloria, Brian said it was her honesty and her moral values, a sentiment echoed by Gloria.
It was also shared interests that helped cement the friendship that became something more and led to their marriage.
Both of them are Bendigo born and bred, and on their wedding day their football teams – Gloria’s family were Golden Square supporters, and Brian a South Bendigo fan – played each other.
Gloria remembers radios on during their reception, and even a trip up the hill to the Queen Elizabeth Oval to check the score.
In the years since marrying at St Paul’s Cathedral, they have raised three children – Paul, Michelle and Brianna – and now have five grandchildren.
“It’s gone so quickly, hasn’t it?” Gloria said.
They said it was shared interests that brought them together, but mutual respect, and having common goals and working towards them, have also built their marriage.
They will celebrate their milestone with a lunch with family and friends.