By JESSE GRAHAM
TWO Upper Yarra residents celebrated six decades of marriage and a life filled with love last week, with not even illness able to separate the lifelong pair.
Kevin and Shirley Waterman were first married on 23 January 1954, at St Andrew’s Church in Bendigo – last Thursday, they celebrated their 60th anniversary at Estia Health Residential Services in Yarra Junction.
At the celebration, they opened acknowledgements of their long marriage from Queen Elizabeth, the Governor General, Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Casey MP Tony Smith.
The couple’s daughter, Kay Waterman (now Kay Adorna), organised an evening with family and friends to help finish off the anniversary evening.
Kevin and Shirley moved to the Yarra Valley three years ago when Shirley was put into care for her dementia, but still manage to see each other every day.
Kevin, an 82-year-old Millgrove resident, travels to see Shirley, 79, twice every day: he spends morning and lunch at Shirley’s side, before going home and coming back to spend dinner with his wife.
Kevin and Shirley met when they were teenagers in Bendigo, and after having known each other for years got married when they were aged 21 and 19 respectively.
Kay said that, on her parents’ wedding day, the newlyweds didn’t head off in a car, but on a train to Melbourne to stay in a hotel – her father’s workmates used lipstick to mark their carriage with “JUST MARRIED”.
In their history together, the couple have had three children – Shane (deceased), Ross and Kay – four grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
Kay described the love between her parents as incredible and wished them a happy anniversary.
