It might be more than 65 years ago but Bendigo couple Don and Judith Washington still reminisce about the first time they met.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
It all started with a casual hello.
Don had just moved to Benalla from Bendigo for work when he saw Judith walking by.
"It's a beautiful day," Don said to Judith.
"I just smiled and kept walking," Judith said.
The next day, Judith passed by Don again on her way home for lunch.
"It was raining, it was just awful weather, so I sang out quite cheekily to Don, 'It's a lovely day, isn't it?' That's how it all started for us," Judith said.
Don said he was immediately drawn to Judith's eyes and lovely personality.
"I was boarding at the time and there were about 10 people boarding with me and I asked one of them if they knew this girl I had passed," he said.
"One said that she may have gone to one of the churches in town."
In an effort to introduce himself, Don went to a different church each Sunday to find Judith.
"I went to the Catholic Church, the Baptist Church, and finally the third one I visited, which was the Methodist Church, was where I found her."
Judith decided to give Don a chance. On Tuesday, they celebrate their 65th wedding anniversary.
We usually give each other a kiss a day but apart from that there is no real secret, we just keep going
- Don Washington
Shortly after the couple first met, Don relocated to St James for work, about 35 kilometres from Benalla.
He would ride his bike back to Benalla to pick up Judith for weekly dances.
"We would go together, I would drop her off and I would ride all the way back home again," he said.
It was not too long before the bank Don worked for transferred him to Geelong. This time, Judith decided to accompany him.
In Geelong, the couple boarded in separate houses before becoming engaged.
"We decided on a long engagement, which was a 12-month time frame," Don said.
"After that, we decided to live together in a place that consisted of a bedroom, bathroom and small kitchenette. It was small."
The couple wed in St Paul's Cathedral in Bendigo.
After a stint in Melbourne the two moved to Bendigo, where they have been ever since.
"I left the bank and joined an advertising agency and worked there for a while before we moved back to Bendigo," Don said.
"We brought our first home in Buckley Street in North Bendigo and we welcomed four children: Bernice, Keith, Gaye and Cynthia.
"Sadly though, Keith and Cynthia have passed on."
Don and Judith will celebrate the milestone surrounded by friends and family with their annual anniversary dinner.
Don said he would also take Judith to pick out a blue sapphire to mark the occasion.
The couple credits its long marriage to keeping busy and always getting through the hard times.
"You need to work together always. Probably all of the arguments were about the children," Judith said.
"We have both been busy people, we both worked hard and we had no money but we worked really hard to be where we are."
Don: "We usually give each other a kiss a day but apart from that there is no real secret, we just keep going."
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content:
- Bookmark bendigoadvertiser.com.au
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter @BgoAddy
- Follow us on Instagram @bendigoadvertiser
- Join us on Facebook
- Follow us on Google News