On 24 January the couple will attend their local bowls club for dinner to celebrate their milestone.

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“Nothing fancy,” Alan told NOTA.

“We will probably reminisce about getting through the tough times raising our kids with little money, plus the happy memories of visiting wineries, going on boat cruises, caravanning, going around Australia three times and many trips overseas.”

In 1958, when Alan was 20 and on leave from the army, he asked a mate to find him a date.

He and Heather met that September and were married four months later.

They lived in Seymour, Victoria for 25 years before making the move to the Nambucca Valley.

“We drove to Cairns and popped into all the places to have a look,” Alan said.

“When we stopped at the old pub where Woolies is now, we decided to settle here.”

They have lived in the same house in Nambucca for over four decades, which Alan co-built.

The pair are blessed with seven grandchildren and three great grandchildren, with their son and two daughters residing in Western Australia and Victoria.

Alan has sage advice for a long lasting relationship.

“Everyone has upsets, you’ll have a cross word and in an hour it’s gone.

“Don’t get upset with one another,” he said.

“There’s a lot to look forward to.

“We got through by hard work and pulling together.”

He remembers one tough time with particular fondness.

“One time there, I had ten bob, and the missus said ‘Are we going to buy a packet of bullets to shoot rabbits for a feed or are we going to buy some lamb?’.

“We bought the bullets to get the chance to have a few good meals,” Alan said.

By Mary KEILY