Pat and Barry McAsey are celebrating 60 years of marriage. Photo: Jordan Townrow
Pat and Barry McAsey first crossed paths at a mutual friend’s party in Rochester in the late 1950s.
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Unbeknown to them at the time, they would meet again a couple of years later at a dance in Echuca and spark up a romance that has lasted 64 years and counting.
When they reunited, Mr McAsey said he made the first move by asking Mrs McAsey for a dance.
“When I first met her, I was quite attracted to her and so I asked her to dance and it went on from there,” he said.
“When I was about 18, we started to go out seriously and that went on for four years — then we got married.”
The McAseys tied the knot at St Joseph’s Catholic Church in Rochester on June 12, 1965, in front of about 100 of their close family and friends.
Following the ceremony, they held a reception at the Karabean in Echuca, the first Rochester couple to do so.
Pat and Barry McAsey were wed on June 12, 1965.
They spent their honeymoon on the Gold Coast before returning to Mr McAsey’s family farm to settle down and raise a family.
They spent 44 years on the farm together, raising their five children, Francine, Marguerite, John, Leon and Xavier.
While raising five kids can be a handful, Mrs McAsey said their children had been a major highlight of their marriage.
“Having the children has been the most memorable part for us. (They’re) all beautiful children and they are all very, very close” she said.
“You wouldn’t want to upset one because if you upset one, the other five would be on you.”
Pat and Barry McAsey reflecting on their life together. Photo: Jordan Townrow
Although farm life and raising children was a major part of their lives, the McAseys always made time to see the world together.
They have been to a range of countries, including Bali, New Zealand, Phillipines, England, Ireland, France and Hong Kong.
After selling the farm 16 years ago, they moved to Canberra for six-and-a-half years to live with their daughter.
When their daughter made the move to Bendigo for work, the pair also followed and made Bendigo home for four years.
About five years ago, the McAseys moved to Echuca, where they have now settled down.
Mrs McAsey said they had slowed down as they got older and enjoyed spending their days with family.
“We’re not as fit and not as agile as we used to be ... we’ve slowed down. It’s been peaceful,” she said.
“I think our life now revolves around family and grandchildren.
“There’s always someone here, it’s never boring ... you might get two or three together and then the bell will (ring) again.”
The McAseys enjoy a peceful life now, surrounded by family. Photo: Jordan Townrow
When asked about the secret to achieving 60 years of marriage, Mr McAsey said loyalty was key.
“I think in those days, once you got married, that was it,” he said.
“There was no looking anywhere else, or you’d get a slap on the hand.”
Mrs McAsey added that working together had been a big part of their success.
“We really enjoy one another’s company now, and I think that’s the main thing,” she said.
“We’ve always worked together ... we’ve never had that separation like lots of couples have had where they go to work and only see one another at night or on a weekend.
“We’ve been together the whole time. I think that makes a bit of a difference.”
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