Platinum celebrations for Beth and Terry

When Strathalbyn residents Beth and Terry Whittaker first met in grade three at primary school little did they know they were destined to be wed, let alone celebrate 70 years as a married couple. 

Beth was born at Moonta in 1935 and Terry at Ardrossan in 1934, but by the 1940s both families found themselves at Kilburn.

They went to the same school and attended the same Methodist church.

But their paths didn’t really cross until one end-of-year church celebration. 

“We went to an end of year social event at Islington Methodist Church, and early in the evening Beth approached me and said ‘can you be my partner for the games during the evening?’, and it sort of went from there on,” Terry said. 

“Well, within less than 12 months she presented me with a hand-knitted sleeveless pull over which would have taken a lot of concentration, a lot of time and a lot of effort to make.

“I really thought, anybody who is prepared to put in that effort must be fair dinkum about our relationship – that jumper is now 75 years old.”

For six years they courted, and when Beth’s mum moved to Pennington, Beth and Terry would cycle back and forth hundreds of times to see each other.

As for the big wedding day?

They decided to get engaged on Beth’s 20th birthday, with Beth wanting to be 21 before she married.

The wedding was set to take place on September 8, 1956 at the Kilburn Blair Athol Church Hall.

There was one snag – football.

“When we set the marriage date it was before the football season was started, but my team Prospect Methodist United got to the grand final on September 8,” Terry said.

“I played football in the afternoon, so we had to change to an evening wedding, much to my new wife’s discontent.

“1956 was the wettest year on record, and on our wedding day there was two inches of rain, which really made for sodden ground.

“The only time the rain eased was as the bride and attendants arrived at the church at about 7pm.”

For the record Terry’s team won the grand final, playing in ankle-deep mud.

Beth worked for the SO Beilby grocery store, and Terry served an electrical apprenticeship with FR Mayfield – bringing in 35 shillings for a 42-hour working week.

Soon to come along were Carolyn, Dean, Jeff, Craig, and Ian. 

The couple did not own a car until five years and two children into their marriage, cycling with one child on the back child seat and the other on the handlebars.

Terry loved his job, working at many sites including the Ord River Scheme, and being promoted several times.

But after managing Mayfield’s Engineering Division for 15 years he wanted to make family come first, so the couple moved to Strathalbyn where they built a new home and new business – a garden centre that began trading as Strathalbyn Nurseries.

While their first two children had left home, the last three boys were brought up in Strathalbyn.

They now have 16 grandchildren, and ‘currently’ eight great-grandchildren. 

The couple say the secret to a long marriage is about respect.

“I think it is marrying someone you know, and know you are on the same wavelength, and maintaining respect for each other – and that is about it,” Terry said.

Now that Beth is 91 and Terry 92 the couple have learned to navigate disagreements.

“We don’t have very many, we usually talk about something if it is worrying us, and sort it, or give up on it,” Beth said. 

Their family is a source of pride, and for Beth her proudest moment in life was seeing the family together celebrating the couple’s 70th wedding anniversary – with about 90 people in attendance.