Mr Rodda said the key to their long-lasting partnership was being each other’s best friend.

“You have to give proper consideration to the other person’s feelings and not be dominant about your own opinions,” he said.

“You have to be able to discuss things like best friends.”

He said they had shared interests in politics, the Lions club and their family.

“We have two children, seven grandchildren and an increasing number of great grandchildren,” Mr Rodda said.

The couple met at a party hosted by a mutual friend.

“I think it was sort of an arrangement to bring us together,” Mr Rodda said.

He said it was arranged for him to accompany Mrs Rodda to her debutante ball, but their height difference meant he was an unsuitable dance partner.

“We took it on from there anyway,” he said.

The couple were married at Dimboola Methodist Church on June 22, 1946.

The Roddas moved to the family farm at Burnt Creek before moving to Queensland to work in the tourism sector and then returning home to the Wimmera.

“It’s been a long and interesting life really,” Mr Rodda said.