Keith and Alice Vanstans' chance meeting that led to 69 years of marriage

Chance and a bit of haphazard planning may have brought Keith and Alice Vanstan together, but it's been love that has guided them through 69 blissful years of marriage.

The pair met during the wartime in their hometown of Warracknabeal after Keith acted on a nudge from a friend.

"I used to work at a bank, and we'd finish early and play a game of poker. All of a sudden we were short a player," Keith said.

"So, I went to the telephone exchange to see if any girl wanted to play poker. This day no one wanted to play.

"Luckily my friend said 'oh we've got a new girl here, why don't you talk to her'. I talked to her, took her out to the pictures at that was the start of it."

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That girl was Alice, who had recently returned home from school in Geelong.

"I left school and came home, and I was lonely," she said.

"People that I had met or who had come up during the war had gone again, so I didn't really know anyone.

"So when he offered to take me to the pictures I grabbed at it."

What neither realised at first was that they always appeared destined to meet.

"He came to live next door to us while I was away, you see. I didn't know who he was," Alice said.

"My first impression of Keith was that he was that kid up on the roof because he had his radio and was always fiddling with the antenna.

"His friends all had girlfriends, so we had a nice little group for a while. Then, one-by-one, they went off in various ways in their lives.

After two-and-a-half years together, the Vanstans tied the knot on a beautiful Warracknabeal day.

"I'm actually very lucky, because it was Caulfield Cup day. So, each year when I see the Cup coming up or something about it in the paper, I get a reminder that's it our anniversary," Keith joked.

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In a stroke of fate that will make Keith the envy of all husbands - Alice's birthday falls on Anzac Day, ensuring no milestone day is easily forgotten.

In fact, all the Vanstans seem to have an affinity with significant dates.

"I nearly died when I was four because I had a burst appendix, and that was on Armistice Day. We got married on Caulfield Cup day. (Our daughter) Jenny was just born on Christmas. Tim was born just on Mother's Day, and our third child was born on Easter. So, we've got things to remind us all the way," Alice said.

Like most relationships, it isn't always smooth sailing. Their advice to all hopeless romantics: talk with your partner.

"You must talk a lot to each other. Especially say what you're thinking and what you're going to do. It's not good hiding things," Keith said.

Alice agreed.

"You need outside interests. Do you your own thing as well, because otherwise, you don't grow. You've got to grow, and hopefully don't grow apart," she added.

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The pair eventually left Warracknabeal for Horsham during their children's' schooling, before finally moving on to Ballarat.

Around two years ago, the pull of family saw them re-settle in Horsham.

The couple's children, Jenny and Tim, call Horsham home, along with two grandchildren and six great-grandsons. Three grandchildren in Queensland complete the tight-knit unit.

"It's been a wonderful move. We're really happily settled. It's a wonderful place to live," Alice said.

"When we first moved (to Horsham) there might have been 7000 people. Now, I think its around 17,000. It's certainly a growing town," Keith added.

"It's a very active town, that's for sure, and the improvements on the riverfront have really made it something. It's going to be a marvellous thing when it's finished that river."

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