Des and Pat Tyndall met under circumstances some might describe as out of a movie.
Their paths had never crossed before that moment at a dance, but when they did — their road of destiny was certainly paved.
Desmond Tyndall, known as Des, was born in 1937 and lived at Gillieston, from where he cycled into Kyabram for school.
Patricia Ann Bell, known as Pat, was born in 1942. She lived on Allan St in Kyabram and helped her mum run the school tuck shop.
The pair went to St Augustine’s College but not at the same time — Des is five years older than Pat.
Pat was friends with Des’ sister, Lynette, but the soon-to-be couple did not meet until one night in 1959 at a dance in Kyabram’s Town Hall.
“He didn’t dance, but he came to the dance anyway — how ridiculous is that?” Pat said.
“She chose me anyway, though,” Des said.
Des and Pat dated for five years, before they got married — it’s a bit fuzzy who proposed to whom.
“She said, ‘Oh, I think we better get married’,” Des said.
“No, he actually did propose, and my grandfather was at the house as well, it was very well done by Des,” Pat said.
While the debate over who proposed continued, it was clear that their love for each other was never in doubt.
The pair married on May 16, 1964, at St Augustine’s.
Des walked in with his two groomsmen, Kevin Tyndall and Ray Corrigan, and Pat was attended to by her bridesmaids, Lynette Tyndall (now Cline), Sue Bell (now O’Brien) and flower girl Helen Bell.
The couple lived in Kyabram for 18 months after they married before they moved away.
“We’ve worked together for nearly all of our married lives — it’s only been about four years of our 60 years of marriage that we haven’t worked together,” Pat said.
And, Pat isn’t talking about working together and raising a family — though they did that all the same. Pat and Des are business partners.
Since being married in 1964, the lovebirds moved around Australia, tending to different farms and building up their army of children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Then, they moved to Canberra and bought a business — a corner store.
“It had everything: it had lollies, ice-creams, deli, alcohol, groceries — it was just a mini supermarket, really,” Pat said.
“We both did everything because it was only little, it was only a family-run business.
“So we had our daughter who ended up working for us there — but we were there every day.”
Their corner store was the only store open on Christmas because big supermarkets would close — so, it was a team effort when it came to busier days.
“Seven days a week, and one day off on Christmas,” Des said.
“Half a day, actually — the boys used to work eight till two, didn’t you?” Pat said.
“Yeah, but we drank more beer than did work though,” Des said.
They have been back and settled in a quiet corner of Kyabram for 20 years now.
“I think things have changed a lot everywhere in the last 20 years,” Pat said.
One constant has been Des and Pat’s partnership.
Although their business owner days are behind them, the couple believe their joint perseverance in business and family life has been their unifying bond.
“We survived it all,” Des said.
“If we have a bit of a tiff, nobody speaks for a while, but then we’re okay,” Pat said.
“But we haven’t ever, in our 60 years together, had a moment where someone drops — nobody ever walked out the door where they hadn’t come back after a couple of hours — we’ve survived it all.”
The couple said their secret to married life was not worrying — except about locked doors, according to Des.
“I don’t think either of us worry all that much,” Pat said.
“Yes, you do. You worry about locking the doors before we go to bed because if she thinks they’re not locked, I have to get up from bed and lock them,” Des said.
Aside from locking up at night, the Tyndalls are known to keep their door open for friends and family to visit.
The pair host their large family for important occasions such as Easter, which this year saw their grandchildren and great-grandchildren take over their cosy Kyabram home.
Another such occasion will be this weekend: their 60th anniversary.
“We’re not into the celebration thing, but the children keep saying ‘You’ve got to do it, you have to do it’, and we just have to fall in line,” Pat said.
“We call them the mafia,” Des said.
Des and Pat’s ‘mafia’ will be coming from across Australia — from Melbourne and all the way to Canberra — to celebrate the couple’s long marriage.
Along with family friends, the couple will celebrate at the Kyabram Club, surrounded by the people who know and love them best.