Ron and Margie Dixon: secret of long and happy marriage

Ron and Margie Dixon met after Ron joined the army in 1940.  HIs brother was getting married and Ron got leave to be best man.

A friend asked him to take a letter to his girlfriend in Clovelly, and when he got there, his friend’s sister said the girl worked in a shop at Maroubra and told him to take the letter there.

“Like a goat, I said: ‘Right, oh,’” recalled Ron.

When he went to Maroubra, he met his friend’s cousin, Margie.

“I said: ‘That’s not a bad looking sheila,’ and my mate said: ‘Write her a letter,’ so I did.  We wrote to each other for five years.  We thought of getting married when I came back from the Middle East, but then I had to go up to the islands.

“We waited till I came back in November 1945 and we got married in January 1946 in Waverley,” he said.

The couple have three children, Heather, Ross and Christopher, 11 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren.

“Go forth and multiply,” laughed Margie.

They lived in Sydney, Wagga Wagga and Coffs Harbour and after Ron retired at 61, they thought about retiring to Urunga, but their daughter moved to Wauchope with her husband and four sons, and they spent a lot of time here and decided to move.

“We love Wauchope.  It’s a lovely little town,” said Margie.

Their youngest son moved to Sancrox and bought a bike shop and their other son lives down the coast.

For their 73^rd anniversary last week, Ron asked Margie what she wanted to do.  Their son was working and their daughter was overseas, so it was just the two of them.

“I said: ‘We could go out and spend half a fortune.  Leave it to me and I’ll fix it.’  So I went to the West End Store and asked if they did takeaways,” said Ron. 

“I ordered hamburgers and desserts and told them why I was doing it, and when I went to collect our food, the owner came out and congratulated us for being 73 years married, and gave us a bottle of champagne and a $33 voucher for dinner, which was very kind.”

Ron said he came home and put his bottle of wine away and they had the champagne and hamburgers and dessert and thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

Ron reckons the secret to a long and happy marriage is the right tucker and a good Australian life.

“We have had our ups and downs.  We have had arguments but we made a vow when we got married and what else are you going to do if you separate and you have got kids?” said Ron.

“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Margie.  I would be long gone,” he added.

Margie’s advice for wedded bliss is simple.

“If you can’t laugh, you’re gone,” she smiled.