Clarrie and Angela King had a special holiday planned for their 60th wedding anniversary this month, but are instead spending time at home in the garden while travelling restrictions are in place due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Celebrating with a cake and a small number of visitors on March 26, the Concongella couple relived the memories of the day they said "I do", six decades ago.
A chance meeting at a horse event when the couple were teenagers led to a lifetime of love for the couple, both with each other and a deepened love for their beloved hobby of horses.
Mrs King, nee Todd-Culf, was born in England and moved to Australia at the age of 10.
"I remember my mother asking me if I wanted to move to Australia and I asked if I was allowed a horse if I went," she said. "I was told 'you'll have a better chance if we go there' and that was good enough for me."
Mr King plucked up the courage and asked Mrs King if she would like to go to the pictures with him when she was 16 years old.
Mrs King retells the story about the proposal, that was almost assumed, after many years of dating.
"We were travelling in the car one day driving down Beach Road in Melbourne," she said.
"We were talking about our future and getting married as mentioned and I said "yes, we better pull over".
"So we stopped in one of places where you could see the beach and he asked: 'would you like to get married'. Of course I said yes."
The couple were married at Middle Park, Melbourne, five days after Mrs King turned 21.
"We haven't been apart since," Mr King said. "Our wedding day didn't go to plan but, it was a nice day.
"I was late, I got stuck behind an accident on a one-way road and couldn't get around."
Honeymooning around the state in a caravan, Mr and Mrs King have always spent time on the road. The pair involved in many levels of Pony Club throughout Victoria.
After the wedding the couple moved to Maryborough, Victoria, following Mr King's work arrangements. After a short stint in Ararat, the couple, with their daughter and son, moved to Concongella, where they have lived for 44 years.
"People always question the amount of time and money I've spent on horses," Mr King said. "But we've had a happy life and we got so much enjoyment out of helping, not just our own kids, but everyone involved with horses."
While you're with us, you can now receive updates straight to your inbox each Friday morning from the Stawell Times-News. To make sure you're up-to-date with all the news from across the Northern Grampians shire, sign up here.