A BENDIGO couple who met and married in an aged care facility have celebrated their first wedding anniversary.
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John and Dorothea Lucas, aged 92 and 87 respectively, met at Bendigo's Mercy Health Bethlehem Home for the Aged in late 2019.
Their relationship blossomed over five months as they bonded over their mutual love of gardening.
By Valentine's Day 2020, the pair were engaged after Mr Lucas popped the question in the Mercy Health Bethlehem dining room.
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The couple tied the knot in a small ceremony at the aged care facility on June 20 last year.
"It couldn't be better," Mrs Lucas said. "I married a wonderful man."
"And I married a wonderful woman," her husband John interjected. "We're very, very happy. It was the best thing we ever did. We're great companions for each other. We like the same things and we get on well."
Their wedding was a small affair, with only nine people in attendance at the ceremony.
"It was compact but beautiful," Mrs Lucas said. "They gave us a little tray of beautiful cakes and tea and coffee. It couldn't have been better."
In a year of COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions, the couple could not celebrate their wedding anniversary with any fanfare.
"We couldn't do much," Mrs Lucas laughed. "Nothing happened. We just talked about the last year and how we had been and what's happened.
"We just don't know what's going to happen from one day to the next."
While some relationships broke down during lockdown, Mrs Lucas said her marriage to John only got stronger.
"Not only did it get better, we got to know each other and live very close," Mr Lucas said. "It's lovely. It's a wonderful life."
Mrs Lucas said she was hoping to recover quickly from a fall she had a few weeks ago so the pair could go for their walks together.
"I fractured a small bone in my pelvis," she said. "So now I have to learn to walk again. But I should be right by the time it heals.
"I want to walk with John again and do it better this time."
Mrs Lucas said the most important thing about relationships was respect and a love of God.
"Respect each other and just get on with life and be happy," she said. "Don't put money first - never."
"Being together and with your family must come over anything," Mr Lucas added.
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