COFFS Coast Legacy residents Ron and Robin Tracey celebrated their 69th wedding anniversary on Monday 14 of April.
Robin said the secret to their long-lasting relationship is to “always follow your heart, never sweat the small stuff and always make up before the day is done.”
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Ron’s advice for a long happy marriage is to “ride the waves and if all else fails always agree with your wife.”
Robin Hughes was 13 and Ron Tracey was 15 when they first met in 1948 while attending the same school in Randwick, Sydney.
Ron fell in love with Robin the moment he laid eyes on her while Robin couldn’t understand why he was so keen.
Riding the school bus together, the pair would discreetly hold hands, which they covered with Robin’s school hat.
They became inseparable and married on 14 April 1956 when Robin was 20 and Ron was 22.
Ron was an accountant who worked for many years in club management.
Robin was a champion swimmer, backstroke being her best stroke, but she gave it up when she met Ron.
They lived most of their married lives in Sydney, then on the NSW Central Coast, before moving to the Coffs Harbour area around five years ago to be closer to their daughter Donna and their three grandchildren.
When they retired, Ron often took his boat out fishing with friends, while Robin would cook the feast when they returned home at the end of the day.
When Ron was just 62, he suffered a stroke that left him partially paralysed on the right side and with limited speech.
Robin cared for him for another 30 years, during which the couple travelled the world on ocean and river cruises that accommodated his condition.
Time and age eventually forced them to move into Legacy on Victoria residential aged care, where a cosy anniversary party took place with Donna and other family and friends.
By Andrea FERRARI
