By Matt Male
Martyn Andrews and Margaret (nee Smith) celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary on Tuesday 28 June.
Margaret lives in Main Street Retirement Village in Pakenham while Martyn resides in Westernport Nursing Home in Kooweerup.
They have three children, Trudi, Lindsay and Corinne, nine grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
Going back a few years, Margaret recalls meeting a tall, handsome young man with a beautiful smile at the Dandenong Town Hall. At the time, it was the go-to place for popular ballroom dances.
In later years, crowds would hear from a young John Farnham and his band, ‘The Mavericks’. Margaret remembers seeing a young Johnny eager to show off his talent.
Martyn and Margaret married in the Dandenong Methodist Church on Saturday, 28 June, 1952.
Margaret’s wedding dress was made by her sister-in-law using beautiful Chantilly Lace.
Despite the cold and wet weather, it was a day full of smiles that would mark the start of a 70-year-long marriage.
After they returned from their honeymoon, they lived on the family’s market garden in Keysborough.
During this time, they purchased a dairy farm in Nar Nar Goon.
In 1974, they left Keysborough and moved to Pakenham to be closer to the farm.
In 1986, they finally built a home to live on the farm although they sold most of the acres and dairy.
They then moved into Main Street Retirement Village in Pakenham.
Martyn and Margaret met many locals through the Pakenham Social Club, while Martyn had in earlier years taken part in Rotary and Apex Clubs, and the Freemasons. In Keysborough, they would host large functions to raise money for a variety of causes.
A hardworker but also keen to give back to the community, Martyn would tap the shoulders of a few other market gardeners to help source produce for the Pakenham Bush Nursing Hospital’s annual fundraiser.
“He’d come back with a truckful of fresh vegies for the fete,” Margaret said.
The couple’s youngest, Corinne, would go on to work in the same building – albeit no longer the Pakenham Bush Nursing Hospital.
Margaret loves her sport – whether it’s golf, netball, tennis, squash or athletics – you name it – she even came second in footy tipping last season despite her beloved Carlton placing 13th on the ladder.
She was an A Grade netball umpire for Pakenham and Nar Nar Goon. She played tennis for Nar Nar Goon and eventually joined the Pakenham Golf Club, where, at 92 years young, is still an active player for the ladies’ C Grade.
“It all keeps your brain working,” Margaret said in her kitchen, where dozens of sports trophies line the cabinetry.
Despite living in different towns, Margaret can recall years of memories and that “beautiful smile” that she fell in love with more than 70 years ago.
