The moment I knew: he arranged a stay at a motel. In 1969 this was very risque, but I had zero hesitation

The Guardian

26-07-2025

I grew up in the bush, and in 1966, as soon as I was old enough, I ran off and joined the navy. I loved the job and was having a ball. Three years in I was offered a rare opportunity to train for a top-secret role at a base in Queensland. Me and the two other girls were to be deployed to Singapore 12 weeks later. That was before my radio broke down.
One afternoon, midway through my stay in Queensland, I had some issues with my electronics and called for a technician. I'd expected to get my radio repaired and get on with the day, but then the most gorgeous guy I'd ever seen walked right in and changed the course of my life.
John was as cool as a cucumber as he got to work and I was struck dumb, just in awe of this incredibly handsome man. I didn't know how I was going to get him to notice me, but I was determined.
A few days later there was a social evening at the base. It was casino themed and I spent the night following John around, making sure I was always in his eyeline. It wasn't the most sophisticated tactic, but it worked. By the end of the evening he'd asked me out.
Our first date was seeing Johnny (as he was then) Farnham sing at Lennon's hotel in Toowoomba and it was perfect. We stole as many nights out together as we could over the next six weeks and I was going more and more gaga by the day.
As my time at the base came to an end I still wasn't sure if John was as swept away by our romance as me. He always played it so cool. As we approached my last night, he arranged a getaway at Noosa to go surfing together and a stay at a motel. In 1969 this was very risque, but I had zero hesitation.
Somewhere in the middle of the night he asked casually: 'What would you say if I asked you to marry me?' If this was a hypothetical question, he had no hope of getting out of it. I flew right off the bed, jumped on top of him and yelled at the top of my lungs: 'Yes, yes, yes!' I didn't give it a second thought.
We set the wedding date for October – just a few months later – and I had to request a discharge from the forces; back then women couldn't serve if they were married. The whole time I was back down south John wrote me letters – 30 in all. I still have them. They were so full of love and adoration and excitement about the future we were going to have together. It was like living in a dream.
Then it was time for him to drive the 1,700-odd kilometres to Menindee, where I was from – a tiny, one-horse town on the Darling River and 100km out of Broken Hill.
As his little red Datsun came up the dirt road, my stomach lurched. For the briefest second I was seized by uncertainty. I couldn't even remember how tall he was.
But the moment he stepped out of the car, I fell into his arms and those worries dissolved. The love I felt for him was so overwhelming. I knew this was going to be the best thing that ever happened to me.
I was so smitten with John, there's no doubt we rushed into things. We really knew nothing about each other. It turns out we're exact opposites, but are such a wonderful foil for each other's personalities. I think my lively nature has kept him interested all these years, while his calmness has kept me grounded.
Our first child lived for just half an hour, and while it isn't always the case, that terrible time really brought us closer together. When our son and daughter arrived safely in the coming years, I felt like the luckiest mum in the world.
At a time when not all husbands were so supportive, John encouraged my desire to study to become a teacher. And just like always, once I knew he had faith in me, I felt I could do anything.
To this day I wonder about how I knew, or if it was just amazing luck. But either way I've been married to the love of my life for over 55 years, so my instincts weren't bad. He's still just as gorgeous to me today as he was that afternoon in 1969.
Being with John has always felt to me like living under a lucky star – everything seems to work out just how it's supposed to.
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