Sixty years and counting
Northmead couple John (85) and Ricky (79) Collin said “I do” on October 12 and the couple is still going strong 60 years later.
“Sixty years went by so fast, but we thank God for our 60 years,” the couple said.
John and Ricky met in the 1950s in Springs.
“I was an accounting machine technician,” John said.
“Ricky’s boss bought an accounting machine and I installed it as well as fixed it when it broke.”
According to Ricky, John jokes about marrying her saying that her machine broke the most so he married her to ensure it would remain fixed.
“We began dating in 1955 and got engaged in September 1956,” Ricky said.
“We then married in October the following year.”
The Northmead residents said marriage requires work.
“We were fortunate not to face major issues in our marriage,” John said.
“We deal with issues as best we can.”
Ricky added that all marriages have their good and bad times, but it needs to be worked through.
“There were days I felt like I could cheerfully kill him and vice versa,” Ricky said jokingly.
“But our love for each other kept our marriage going strong.”
John said he fell in love with Ricky because she is intelligent, beautiful and they get along well.
Ricky said John is good looking and knows how to treat her like a lady.
She also said marriage requires doing the best you can do for each other and she is grateful to both their parents for standing by them throughout the marriage.
The couple has three children, Heather, Bruce and Rowena Collin, and say that they learned a lot about life while raising their children.
“Each child has their own personality, so we had to learn how to handle every situation,” Ricky said.
The retired couple advised those who are married or would like to wed to have two things: patience and forgiveness.
“Be patient because anyone can make a mistake,” John said.
Ricky said forgiveness is key to keep a relationship strong.
“Marriage is like a partnership, partners help each other,” she explained.
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