Calleys celebrate 70 years of marriage: ‘We’re just so grateful we’re still together’

“He was inebriated. We were dancing past him and laughing,” Mrs Calley said.

“Evidently, I was having a snooze,” Mr Calley said.

“It wasn’t until one of his mates introduced him to me when he was fresh and sober that we started to keep company,” Mrs Calley said.

When asked about her first impressions of him, Mrs Calley said “I can’t remember, to be honest”.

Fair enough, 70 years is a long time.

“One of my first impressions was meeting her family, and we just absolutely clicked,” Mr Calley said.

“Her brother became my best friend that I ever had, for 40-odd years we worked together, fished and all the rest together.

“To me it was just like a second home, because my parents had retired to Melbourne because of health reasons.”

After tying the knot in 1953, 20 months later the Calleys welcomed their first child.

Over the years, they had four children, two boys and two girls, 12 grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren.

“They are just a wonderful family,” Mr Calley said.

“They’re our lifeline,” Mrs Calley said.

Through it all, the Calleys have faced tough times, having owned dairy farms in Stanhope, Kyabram and Bunbartha.

“We just about got wiped out on the farm,” Mr Calley said.

“I knew that Dorothy would’ve liked to have just stopped where we were, but I wanted to get back on to it, so we went there and everything collapsed.

“Never once did she say we shouldn’t be there. She said ‘I’m going to get a job’.”

Mrs Calley began working at a car detailer, before working at a discount store.

“I went full-time. That saved us,” she said.

“We had the four children by then and two of them were in high school, and it was a bit tough, but we survived.

“Any problems that we’ve had, we’ve shared.”

“We’ve been on the same page and we’ve got through it, no problems,” Mr Calley said.

“You’ve got to have respect for each other.

“You’ve got two individuals, don’t forget, in a partnership.”

The couple also spent 10 months living in a van in Western Australia.

“We had a big van made in Sydney, and we lived in it for 10 months, and drove across to Western Australia,” Mr Calley said.

“We were never going to have a lot of money, but we never regretted it.”

“We took our children. It’s nice to look back on what we’ve done,” Mrs Calley said.

They later did the same trip, just the two of them.

There have been health problems over the years, with Mrs Calley battling cancer and Mr Calley spending three months in hospital.

But they weathered those storms together and are now happily living at Kialla Gardens, where they enjoy their independence.

“It’s the best move we’ve ever made,” Mrs Calley said.

“We’ve got neighbours so close, but we don’t live in each other’s pockets.

“We do our own thing, they’re there if something happens and we’re here if it goes the other way, it’s just independent living.

“We’re just so spoiled.”

“People have got to realise we’ve got to this stage through good fortune,” Mr Calley said.

“There’s no doubt about it.

“One of us could’ve gone.

“That’s just the way the cookie has crumbled for us, and we’ve got to accept that and be humble.”

“You’ve got no intention of giving up when you’re in a bad way, just made us stronger,” Mrs Calley said.

“We’ve both had a very happy 70 years and we’re just so grateful we’re still together after all this time.”