Secrets to a Long marriage

By DION TEASDALE
COLDSTREAM residents Tom and Barbara Long know a few of the secrets to having a long and successful marriage.
The pair, who have lived most of their lives in the Upper Yarra area and moved to Coldstream 10 years ago, celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary at the end of last month.
Mrs Long, who grew up in Millgrove, and Mr Long, who was born in Geelong, were married on June 30, 1945 at the Presbyterian church in Warburton.
They met at an evening function at a church in Wesburn in 1940 when Barbara was 18 and Tom was 23.
“I remember someone at the church needed a bucket and I offered to go and get one. Tom was a gentleman and offered to escort me through the dark,” Mrs Long said.
During the trip to get the bucket they got talking and Tom asked Barbara if she would go on a date with him.
The following Sunday they went on a drive through Don Valley and it was the beginning of a fiveyear courtship.
“It wasn’t love at first sight, but a natural romance developed between us,” Mrs Long said.
Mr Long said he asked Barbara’s brother for her hand in marriage in 1943, but they waited another two years before marrying in Warburton in front of 50 invited guests.
“It was nice weather for June and Tom looked very smart in his suit,” Mrs Long said.
Mr Long smiled when reminded of the day and said one thing stuck in his mind. “I didn’t run away,” he said.
Mrs Long, whose father was killed at the mill in Powelltown when she was only eight years old, was given away by her mother and then the couple headed off to Sorrento for a twoweek honeymoon.
“It was a very romantic time. World War II was coming to a close and there was a feeling that it was a new beginning,” Mrs Long said.
The couple returned to Millgrove after their honeymoon, where they lived for the next 45 years.
Mr Long worked with Melbourne Board of Works at the Upper Yarra Dam driving trucks and operating drill rigs.
Their son, David, was born in July 1947, and he and his wife, Jeanette have given Mr and Mrs Long two grandchildren, Sharyn and Geoffrey.
Mr Long said the key to the marriage was having a good sense of humour and shared interests.
“It is important to do things together, have a laugh from time to time and you’ve got to have a bit of romance,” he said.
Mrs long said the other vital ingredient was good communication.
“We like the same things and agree on things more or less so it was a good match,” she said. “We’ve had our differences, for sure, but we’ve always been able to sort them out.”