By Hugh Pearson
Cedric and Jean Smith’s love has spanned many years and travelled the world with them.
The English couple, who have lived in Pakenham for 15 years, celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on Thursday 6 October with their family and friends.
Cedric and Jean said the key to a happy, long lasting marriage is “give and take”.
“You’re a team. There’s no this is my money or anything like that. If I win at bingo, I give the prize to Jean,” Mr Smith said.
“One or two of our friends have said, ‘why don’t you keep it?’ and I say, ‘no, we’re a team’.
“We know what money we’ve got and there’s no keeping anything secret from each other.
“It’s the way to go.”
Cedric still remembers every detail of the day he met Jean and said it was love at first sight for him when he saw her waiting at the Britannia Pier Theatre in Great Yarmouth.
“I knew straightaway she was the one I wanted to marry.”
It seems fate brought Cedric and Jean together on that day.
“I think we were meant to meet,” Mr Smith said.
“We’re both from the London area and it was coincidence that Jean had already been on holiday with the company she worked.
“Then she changed jobs and they closed down for a holiday and then she went up to Great Yarmouth because her parents had a hotel up there. If it wasn’t for that, we wouldn’t have met.”
Soon after getting married, Cedric and Jean moved to Great Yarmouth.
After Great Yarmouth, their adventure took them to New Zealand where they lived for 33 years.
Then, Cedric and Jean found themselves holidaying a lot in Australia to visit their son and his wife who had moved and decided they too would move to Australia.
Sixty years on, love is still in the air for Cedric and Jean who have proved love does last.
