Ken and Helen Smith of Bonny Hills celebrate 50 years of marriage

The milestone event was made even more special by the fact that Helen was raised in Bonny Hills. The retirees now reside in a home by the water.

Ken fell in love with Helen the first time he saw her. He even remembers the date – July 5, 1965.

“I was standing there with the boss and I saw her and that was it, I was in love,” he said.

“She was going out with someone else at the time so I had to convince her that she was better off with me than him.”

Ken said that an old cliché certainly rings true.

“Never go to bed angry at your partner,” he said.

“I don’t think people work at relationships or marriages very much anymore. They get out of it very easily.”

Helen said they were drawn to each other due to having a lot in common.

“We are very compatible. Neither of us a high-low people, we don’t get angry at each other and we can discuss things, so we have been very lucky,” she said.

Both Ken and Helen were schools teachers. They retired 20 years ago and took up golf as a hobby, as well as travelling.

They have three daughters, Natalie, Tracey and Penny, and five grand children.

Unfortunately, Ken was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2003, but it hasn’t hampered their way of living – or their love for each other.