Mr and Mrs Park celebrated their 70th anniversary on
September 1
Tarragal Glen Retirement Village residents Mr and Mrs Bill and Clare Park celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary recently.
For the couple, their chance meeting is still a vivid memory. Ms Park was on her way into her hometown of West Wallsend to see off a warbound uncle when Mr Park, then a soldier, stopped her to ask about the town.
“Bill and his battalion wanted to know what was going on in town,” Ms Park said. “I told them it was the theatre or the party I was going to, so they tagged along.”
According to Mr Park, Ms Park caught his eye straight away. “I saw her and I just thought I’ve got to have her,” he said. Shortly after their first meeting, Mr Park was posted in Darwin, but their fledgling romance never wavered.
“We wrote to each other all the time he was in Darwin,” Ms Park said. “I never even kissed him before he left.”
Luckily, for the pair,the distance proved to be no obstacle and they were as close as ever when Mr Park returned in 1944. “When he was coming back, I said to my mother I don’t think I’ll know him, but he was the first one off the train, big smile on his face, and I knew him instantly,” Ms Park said.
The couple were married on September 1, 1945 at West Wallsend and have been together ever since.
While celebrating the milestone wedding anniversary they said that trust and tolerance have been the key to the longevity of their relationship.
Media release,
Sep 16, 2015
Kate Degnian,
Retire Australia