AFTER 60 years of marriage, Robert and Patricia Yarnall know what the other is thinking because more often than not they’re thinking it too.
The Williamstown couple celebrated the milestone event last week, and after six decades of marriage can happily say they still share a strong bond of love for one another.
“Often in marriages you seem to – as they say in the cliche – become one, you become part of the other person,” Mrs Yarnall said.
The couple met by chance when Rob needed a place to stay and sought accommodation in one of the rooms Pat’s mother rented from their home in Williamstown.
“He seemed a very easy going man, he enjoyed vegetables and he did a lot of work in the garden for us,” Mrs Yarnall said.
Today 86-year-old Rob and 79-year-old Pat enjoy each other’s company and helping others after being in the workforce for more than 30 years each.
One of the biggest highlights of the couple’s life was the birth of their two sons Leigh and Brian, their five grand-daughters and two great-grand-daughters.
“It’s an amazing thing to have children and watching them grow up and see what they make of their life,” Mrs Yarnall said.
The couple agree their marriage, like any, has had its ups and downs but at the end of the day communication plays a key role in the relationship.
“The main thing is you’ve got to listen to one another and try to understand the person point of view,” Mrs Yarnall said.
“In a marriage you’ve got to learn to get along like you’re best friends. If you don’t treat each other like a friend there’s something not quite right, it’s called respect.”
“We’ve always shared things together including the house work,” Mr Yarnall added.
