Love

By Elise Cook

When Bob asked 16 year-old Ineke to dance at a social ball, neither of them realised that nearly fifty years later, they would still be dancing together at their children’s, and their grandchildren’s, parties.

Bob was 24. He and his friends would finish footy practice, put on their best suits, sneak a bit of alcohol in their Coca-Cola bottles, and go to the social dance nights in the hope of “meeting people”, or rather, meeting girls. Ineke and her friends would do the same, putting on long dresses and gloves. “That’s what young people used to do for fun,” Ineke says, “Everyone would just dance. There was no alcohol, unless you snuck it in like Bob.” Read more »

By Chris Paduano

Marie met her husband Roger in 1967 while living at the Victorian Bureau of Epilepsy (now the Epilepsy Foundation of Victoria). She lived there with five other girls, all sufferers of epilepsy who had chosen to move to Melbourne from the country. They met because Roger, a sufferer of severe epilepsy, would wait for his mother to drive him home after work. His mother had been responsible for starting the foundation because she felt that the help offered to epilepsy sufferers, including her son, was inadequate. Marie and Roger were engaged in 1968 and married later that year. Sadly, Roger passed away last year after a short battle with cancer. Read more »

By Elise Cook

At 15, Doreen had never had a boyfriend, but when her friend Diane was asked on a date, she begged Doreen to come along so she wouldn’t have to go alone. Diane’s date, Ray, also brought a friend, and that was how Doreen met Brian. When she saw him she was immediately struck by his tall, handsome build and wavy dark hair. Brian was about to turn 20 and hadn’t intended on falling in love just yet, but he too was captivated. He remembers being taken aback by the beauty of petite Doreen, and being impressed by her maturity. The two instantly felt comfortable together, and from that point on became inseparable. Read more »

By Elise Cook

Rai and Bimla have had a long, successful marriage, raising a family of three sons in Australia, and describe themselves as being more in love than ever. Their story of commitment, hard work, and a growing love, is inspiring. They believe their forty years of marriage, which is intact and still growing, is a testament to the fact that if you stick together in difficult times, you can grow to enjoy life together in old age. In fact, Rai says that love came into their relationship long after the wedding. Read more »