Noel and Dorothy Bradley celebrate 70th wedding anniversary

Such was the case for Ernest Noel Bradley (better known as Noel) and Dorothy Alison Cutting who celebrate their 70^th wedding anniversary on October 3, 2023.

Dorothy and Noel met at the YMCA dance in Bendigo. Dorothy was a tailor at Ashman's and Noel was a bricklayer who, with his father, Ernest built the chimney for the Bendigo Base Hospital laundry.

When it was built in 1952, it was claimed to be the tallest solid brick chimney in the southern hemisphere, standing 45.72 metres.

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Dorothy and Noel would often meet for lunch and afterwards Noel would hurriedly climb the rope ladder inside the chimney and wave to her from the top as she walked back to work.

He even took Dorothy up to the top of the chimney when it was completed. They both went to watch the chimney being demolished for the construction of the new Bendigo Hospital in 2012.

Now proud grandparents and great-grandparents, Noel, 93, and Dorothy, 89, celebrated their wedding anniversary at the National Hotel in Bendigo on Sunday, October 1 with a gathering of friends and family.

It turned into a joint celebration as Dorothy's 90th birthday is two days after the couple's wedding anniversary.

Their daughter Janet Bradley said about 40 people attended and they had a "brilliant time".

"It was a good turnout and a good catch up with people from Melbourne, Maryborough and Inglewood," Ms Bradley said.

"Mum's younger brother Neil Cutting gave a speech and the flower girl from their wedding, Helen Abbott who lives in Queensland, sent a message and that was read out and it was lovely."

Noel and Dorothy were married at St Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Bendigo on October 3, 1953.

Noel built the house in Long Gully the couple still live in today. They initially lived in a caravan behind the house after they were married while Noel worked on the weekends to finish their home.

They were able to move in when one room was completed with flooring.

Their honeymoon was spent in Tasmania and in 2006 revisited Llewelyn House in Launceston where they stayed five decades earlier.

Dorothy continued to work for five years after they were married until the birth of their first child, a daughter named Janet.

Sadly their second child Scott died unexpectedly two days after he was born. Their third child Lloyd was born two years later.

Camping and fishing holidays were among the highlights for the young family. Noel and Dorothy only travelled overseas for the first time in their 70's to New Zealand before going to the UK for a 10-week holiday to stay with their daughter who was living there at the time.

Among their interests was squash for Noel and bagpipes for Dorothy who was a member of the Bendigo Ladies Highland band when the couple first met.

Noel also learnt to play, even teaching many new recruits the instrument at evenings in their home during the week.

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They played at events and competitions in Victoria and interstate and the couple marched in the Bendigo Easter Parade every year.

A life member of the aviculture club in Bendigo, Dorothy's love of birds saw Noel build her an aviary to keep her budgies, canaries, finches and parrots.

As the population grew he built another aviary, and another, and another.

Noel adapted the original aviary to grow orchids and won many prizes at the orchid show in Bendigo.

In their later years Dorothy and Noel joined a community walking group and for 25 years walked twice a week around Lake Neangar, highlighting how inseparable the couple has been since first meeting more than 70 years ago.

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