Love lasting a century

By Georgia Tacey

Oct 7, 2024

Bill and Lorna Pittaway are celebrating their milestone birthdays. Photo by Megan Fisher

Bill and Lorna Pittaway’s love story is almost as old as time.

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For almost 80 years, the pair have been inseparable, and now, with both into their 100s, you still can’t find Bill without Lorna at his side.

The couple live at Harmony Village in Shepparton, where they share a room, spending their days in each other’s company, as well as receiving plenty of visits from their son Kevin and his wife, Joy, as well as their many grandkids and great grandkids.

Bill was born on September 14, 1924 in Bendigo, where he grew up on a dairy farm, tending to cows and delivering milk. Growing up during the Great Depression, he left school at 14 to find work as a butcher, which saw him make the move to Lockington, where he would meet the love of his life.

Lorna, a year older than Bill, was born on September 26, 1923, and grew up just outside Rochester on a dry farm.

The two met during a fateful night out in Lockington in 1939, starting their love story.

Lorna and Bill Pittaway photographed three years ago for *The News*. Photo by Megan Fisher

Their romance has continued to stand the test of time. Photo by Megan Fisher

Lorna and Bill celebrating Lorna’s 101st. Photo by Megan Fisher

But when Bill was 18, the war saw them separated as Bill enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force. Lorna kept in constant contact with her beloved Bill, and they exchanged letters frequently over the next few years.

During a three-week break from the Air Force on January 5, 1945, Bill rushed back home to Lockington to marry Lorna, and the rest is history.

With two kids, three grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, Bill and Lorna’s love continues to stand the test of time.

The pair stayed in Lockington until 1988, when they moved to Rochester. They then moved to Harmony Villages in Shepparton in 2016.

Bill celebrated his 100th birthday surrounded by friends and family at Harmony Villages on September 14, and Lorna celebrated her 101st birthday on September 26.