Young love goes the distance

David and Lily on their wedding day: 22 August, 1947. 171589 Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS

By Kyra Gillespie

Pakenham couple Lily and David Jack have proven that young love can last a lifetime as they celebrate 70 years of married life this month on 22 August.
Lily and David met in Scotland in 1946 at the local ice skating rink.
“She would go there with the girls, and I would go with the boys.
“Our groups spent a lot of time socialising together, and we sort of just singled each other out,” David said.
“Lily was working as a waitress at the time, so I used to wait for her to finish so we could spend time together.”
A year later, David asked Lily’s father for his permission to propose, to which the answer was: ‘Good luck.’
Lily accepted, under the condition that they wait six months.
“At the time I was 20 and David was 19, so we had to wait until he turned 20 too.
“I didn’t want to look like I had a toy boy!” Lily said with a laugh.
Lily and David arrived in Australia by boat from Scotland in 1952 with three-year-old daughter Carol.
The trip took them six weeks and cost just 10 pounds.
Years later with another daughter Julie and son David, they moved to Springvale, eventually staying 44 years.
Over the years they have enjoyed their three children, eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Now both aged 90, they reside at Meadowvale Retirement Village Pakenham, where they have been happily settled for the last 14 years.
After battling recent illness, Lily was considering going into assisted care, but David wasn’t going to let that happen.
“He’s my carer. I could have gone into an aged care facility but David said, ‘There’s nothing they can do for you that I can’t do myself’.”
The ultimate key to a happy and successful marriage is quite simple, according to the faithful couple.
“It’s important to be able to disagree without going into a huff,” Lily said.
“I don’t remember ever having a big argument.
“If we have problems – we talk,” she said.
“The secret is just love” David added.
“Take things as they come, and never go to bed without making up.”