50th Wedding Anniversary - Denis

50^th Wedding Anniversary

I’d like to welcome you all here tonight on this, the occasion of Mum and Dad’s 50^th Wedding Anniversary. I am honoured to speak on behalf of my brothers and sisters.

As many of you know, Dad grew up at Traveston, up Gympie way and was educated at the small school there and then went on to board at Nudge College. He left school, he often told us, at a very bad time for the economy. There was no money on the farm and very few jobs anywhere. I know he worked for a time in Cunnamulla and vowed he’d never again eat mutton after being out there. Through his brother Flo, he obtained work up in the Mackay area on cane surveys. He worked on the harbour for Hornibrook for quite some time. He also worked on farm surveys at Eungella. Any job in those days was a good job. He got work when and where he could.

A lot of people went for entertainment to the dances and things of that nature. I believe that sometime late in 1938 it was at a dance that he first met Mum and that was where the romance began to blossom. I think he was in the army at the time – the first regular job he had had for ten years. On October 21^st 1941, they were married in St Patrick’s church and I understand they walked to the reception at the family home, which was about 100 yards up the road.

Mum and Dad have always been a great partnership. As far back as I can remember, their love and their support for each other was the thing that stood out. It stood out then and it stands out today. This flowed on to all the kids. The home was always a happy home where hurts could be fixed up and ambitions could be polished up and problems solved. In all ways it was a very happy home.

I believe that most of us were fortunate to have a very good education and Mum and Dad worked very hard to do that. When you look back today, it is hard to imagine how they managed to do it. I don’t think things have got any cheaper today than they were then. Mum and Dad were a great partnership in all ways. I do recall that to round out the budget and no doubt to educate the family, that Dad had a number of pineapple and banana plantations at Cobble Creek, Narangba and Elimbah. I remember Mum rolling up her sleeves and whaling into it with the rest of us. She didn’t spare herself at all.

You don’t often get the opportunity to thank your parents for all they have done for you. Preparing this speech was a very reflective experience for me. I’m sure I speak for all my brothers and sisters when I say we think our parents are fantastic. We believe they did a tremendous job. They supported us all the way. We love them very much and appreciate them very much for it.

So today, Mum and Dad, as you celebrate your 50^th Wedding Anniversary, may you enjoy it to the full in the company of all your friends here. I hope you have very happy memories of the day and I hope you can recall them often and for a long time. I now propose the toast to Mum and Dad on the occasion of their 50^th Wedding Anniversary.