By XAVIER SMERDON
SIXTY-FOUR years ago Lois met Bill at a picnic and she knew right then she would marry him.
Today, Mr and Mrs Brown are still as happy as they were on their wedding day, and Lois admits that she still “idolises” her husband.
The couple celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary last Thursday, an occasion which brought back memories of their years together.
When Lois first decided she wanted to spend her life with Bill, her mother said she could not get married until she turned 19-years-old.
Lois got married one day after she turned 19.
“I knew I liked him as soon as I saw him,” Lois said.
“I don’t think he knew but he soon found out.”
Bill still calls his wife “love” every time he talks to her and he said he could not imagine spending his life with anyone else.
“She’s my life, not just my wife,” Bill said.
“Life is what you make of it. I’m the luckiest man in the world.”
Together they have raised three children and today they have five grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
They spent 33 years living in North Sunshine before moving to Hoppers Crossing 25 years ago, where they lived in an adjoining flat with Lois’ sister and brother-in-law, who also celebrated their diamond anniversary.
Their daughter Julie has also celebrated 25 years of marriage to her husband.
When they first got married Bill was earning just 12 pounds a week, before getting an impressive five pound pay rise when he moved to a new job the next year.
For both Lois and Bill there is no great secret to a happy marriage.
“We never go to sleep without saying ‘I love you’,” Lois said.
“Marriage is built on trust and honesty,” Bill added.
“You just need to live together as a couple and do everything as one.”
To help them celebrate their anniversary, which has lasted as long as Queen Elizabeth II’s reign, Lois and Bill were taken on a cruise around the top end of Australia with their children.
