mmg.com.au

As singles flock to Deniliquin today for the annual Matchmakers Festival, local couple Bob and Anne Moodie have shared the secret to their 60 years of marriage.

The couple, who celebrated their diamond anniversary last week, say the key to their everlasting love is that they have ‘‘always been best friends’’.

‘‘It starts off with romance, but we’re still into each other,’’ Bob said.

Bob and Anne married on March 7, 1953 at St John’s Anglican Church in Footscray — Bob was 19 and Anne was 16.

‘‘I think getting married young is good, because you’re not already set in your ways,’’ Bob said.

‘‘I use to joke that I married her because she made 10 pound and I only made five!’’

After Bob’s many attempts to get Anne’s attention, his charm swayed her feelings.

Bob was an apprentice carpenter, and Anne worked at an insurance company, moving to Australia from Manchester (UK) with her family.

Each day they’d cross paths as he waited for his bosses truck, and she got off the train on her way to work.

‘‘Fortunately my boss was always late, otherwise I would have missed seeing her.

‘‘Every day I’d say ‘good morning’ and she wouldn’t reply.

‘‘She use to walk with an older girl that boarded with them; she told Anne it was bad manners.

‘‘And I won her over in the end.’’

Their first date was to the ‘pictures’, and Bob still remembers the movie they saw – The Egg and I.

‘‘He bought me a packet of scorched almonds, and that was pretty special,’’ Anne said.

‘‘We got to the movies and Anne’s parents were sitting right in front us; they were making sure it was going okay.’’

Since then Bob and Anne have shared a lot of milestones together.

After living in Footscray for seven years, they moved to North Altona where Bob started his own building business, M&D Homes.

In 1967, they had quite a change of lifestyle, moving to Balliang, north of Geelong, after purchasing a sheep and cattle farm.

From there Bob and Anne decided country life suited them best, coming to Deniliquin in 1990 to run the property Calimo East.

‘‘Moving to farm in Deniliquin was a great choice, it’s a terrific area,’’ Bob said.

The couple have fond memories of spending time with their growing family.

They have three children — Sharon, Frank and Judith — 10 grandchildren, and now eight great-grandchildren. The latest addition was born just two days prior to their anniversary.

Anne and Bob marked their 60 years of marriage with two celebrations — a family function at the Myrniong Hotel (Victoria) and a breakfast open to all after morning mass at St Michael’s Church, Deniliquin.

Although many years have passed, it seems Bob and Anne still think of each other as they did on that first date.

‘‘We laugh every day,’’ Bob said.

‘‘We’re still best friends, we do everything together,’’ Anne said.