Benalla’s Cynthia and David Webb held a special celebration on Tuesday, December 20, to mark their 70th wedding anniversary.
The couple, who moved to Benalla 16 years ago after falling in love with the Rose City, said the time had flown.
“We were surprised when we realised it was 70 years,” David said.
“Looking back it seems a terribly long time, but it also seems to have flown by.”
David and Cynthia were married at a local chapel in Derby, in the UK, on a clear winter day in 1952
But they would not remain in the UK for long before moving to Australia.
“His parents had come out 12 months before the wedding,” Cynthia said.
David had then joined the Australian Navy and was out of the UK for some time.
“I got a call from David to say he’d be on leave (in Derby) before moving to Australia.”
So he suggested getting married and having Cynthia join him.
“I said to my grandmother, what am I going to do? She said if you marry him you go where he goes, and that’s what I did.”
Cynthia was then charged with arranging the wedding, with David only due to arrive back in Derby the Friday before the wedding, on Saturday.
“I only had three weeks to get ready,” she said.
“We had to get a special licence as he was under 21.
"I had to go see the vicar and ask if he would marry me. He joked and said “No, I’m already married’.
“I can’t remember his name but he was great. Very funny. And he agreed to marry us.”
It was an intimate wedding with 30 guests. Much of David’ sfamily was already in Australia and could not attend.
“My uncle gave me away and he was in a plaster cast coving his torso because he’d had a fall at work,” Cynthia said.
Despite the obstacles the couple were married and then made plans to relocate to Australia on a permanent basis.
“He came out to Australia three weeks after we were married, and I followed six months later,” Cynthia said.
The couple said the secret to 70 years of happy marriage was to be open, honest and happy to compromise.
“If we have any disagreements we’ve always sat down and discussed it,” Cynthia said.
Peter said another piece of advice was to never be afraid to say I love you.
“Some men don’t want to say that,” David said. “But it’s important.
“And you must be good friends before you get married.”
Cynthia and David, who have three children, four grandchildren and great-grandchildren, will celebrate the occasion with a family and friends.
Congratulations from everyone at the Ensign.