THEIR love has survived the aftermath of war, migration to a foreign country and battles with cancer.
But Huddersfield ex-pats Maria and Terry Redmayne believe these hurdles have made their 60-year marriage stronger.
The couple are marking their diamond anniversary with their nine children, 14 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren at their home in Sunbury, a small town north-west of Melbourne, the capital of Victoria, Australia.
Despite their broad Yorkshire accents Maria, 81, and Terry, 78, consider themselves to be Aussies.
But they have never forgotten where they came from.
They met as children and lived in the same Huddersfield neighbourhood for many years before they began courting in the mid-1940s. Maria and Terry still playfully argue about who chased whom.
Either way, Terry’s cheeky charm and Maria’s kindheartedness have proved to be a perfect match.
They married at Huddersfield’s St Patrick’s Church on Valentines Day, 1948.
It was only a few months later that Terry was shipped overseas with the peacekeeping forces to work in Egypt and the new state of Israel.
He would not return to their home in Deighton for two years. More heartbreaking for Terry was that he could not see his first-born, Maureen, until she was more than 14 months old.
Maureen was the first of nine children. Margaret, Stephen, James, Ann, Clare, Paul and Mark were all born in Huddersfield. The youngest Redmayne, Michael, would be the only Aussie-born.
The family lived in Sheepridge and Almondbury before emigrating to Australia on the liner Canberra in February, 1965.
Most of their family and friends were sceptical about their chances of coping in a foreign country, especially with eight children in tow.
But Terry was determined they’d make it work and, despite having a brother in Sydney, chose to move his family to Melbourne. He didn’t want to be a burden on his brother.
Little did he realise there were 900 kilometres (about 550 miles) distance between the cities.
The early years in Australia were not easy. The family was separated, with the school age children sent to a state boarding school. It was at least an hour’s drive from the migrant hostel where Maria and Terry lived.
At first Terry worked for the Ford Motor Company and then Tubemakers Australia, where he worked until retirement. He often worked 12 hours a day, six days a week, in a furnace room where temperatures would sometimes exceed 120°F.
The Redmaynes bought their first home in Broadmeadows, north of Melbourne, two years after arriving in Australia.
It was here that Maria mastered the remarkable knack of being able to turn a meal for two into a meal for 10 depending on who turned up on the doorstep at dinner time.
The Redmayne children settled into the Australian lifestyle very quickly. It was a new experience to not only have four weeks for Christmas holidays but to enjoy it camping by the beach.
That passion for Aussie beaches prompted Maria and Terry to buy a holiday home in Loch Sport on the south coast several years after arriving in Australia.
Terry would enjoy many hours surf fishing with his homemade rods.
They retired to Loch Sport for several years until Maria was faced with two frightening cancer battles. It encouraged them to move back to Melbourne to be closer to their nine children.
Despite living more than 16,000km (about 10,000 miles) away Maria and Terry always remained in close contact with family and friends in Huddersfield and Manchester.
The couple went back to England to visit family and friends three times. They loved to visit their old neighbourhood, including their last home in Harvey Royd, Almondbury.
Although they no longer have any surviving siblings they are in regular contact with nieces and nephews.
These close ties have encouraged their own children to remain in contact with their cousins. Even Maria and Terry’s grandchildren have established close ties with their international relatives.
Maria and Terry also remain in contact with childhood friends, including Rhoda Maude, who also migrated to Australia with her husband Bob, and their old next- door neighbour, Nellie Day.
Maria and Terry’s marriage has seen 30 children as a result (nine children and 21 grandchildren and great- grandchildren) but they cuddle each baby as though it’s the first time they’ve been blessed with one.
In turn they have taught their children and grandchildren to value the importance of a close family.
As a result Redmayne weddings and birthdays are very large events.
Maria and Terry’s 60th wedding anniversary will be no different. It will be celebrated at their home with a traditional Aussie barbecue followed by traditional English desserts this Sunday.
