Bendigo couple Ron and Lorna Pickles have hit a milestone not many reach - their 60th wedding anniversary.
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But despite the rarity, Mrs Pickles, 80, said there wasn't any secret to the couple's longevity.
"We just look after one another," she said. "Like I said to Ron, we're probably lucky to still be here.
"But one thing is that we don't have fights, just disagreements from time to time."
The two met and married in Yarrawalla, just north of Bendigo, on March 21, 1959.
"It was a pretty hot day, I remember that," Mr Pickles said.
"There was a hall up there and we had our breakfast in the hall," Mrs Pickles said. "But it was pretty hot because the hall was made of tin."
"It was that hot, it melted the jelly. I know that."
The Pickles spent the next forty years in Yarrawalla, raising their three daughters and working on their farm managing sheep and cattle.
The couple have always played an important role in the community.
Mr Pickles, 88, was secretary of the Loddon Valley Football League for 16 years and president of the organisation for two.
He was also a captain of the Yarrawalla Fire Brigade for 21 years, assisting with hundreds of accidents and fires along the Loddon Valley Highway.
His wife Lorna was also the communications officer at the brigade.
The couple moved to Bendigo 18 years ago, where they have continued to volunteer their time to the community.
They are members of the Bendigo Garden Club, the local Probus group, and Neighbourhood Watch.
They also volunteered with the Bendigo Agricultural Show Society up until last year.
"We had to get into something to mix with people when we moved across," Mrs Pickles said.
The Pickles have received letters from Queen Elizabeth, Victorian Governor General Linda Dessau AC, and Australian Governor General Sir Peter Cosgrove congratulating them on their anniversary.
"When I got the letters I thought oh my goodness gracious me," Mrs Pickles said. "It was a bit of a shock.
"I thought I might get one or two but not this many."
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Tara Cosoleto
Journalist covering courts and general news at the Bendigo Advertiser.
Journalist covering courts and general news at the Bendigo Advertiser.
