The long-standing couples of Resthaven Leabrook
This year marks two significant dates for two couples residing at Resthaven Leabrook, making them the longest-standing couples on site.
In April, Mr and Mrs Middleton celebrated seventy-one years of marriage, with decades of beautiful memories to share.
‘I still remember every detail of my wife walking down the aisle – she looked like an angel,’ says Mr Middleton.
‘We married at the Christchurch Church of England in Mount Barker on 22 April 1950 – three years after we met.’
‘We have shared a beautiful life, full of love and laughter. We shared four children and now enjoy our grandchildren, even though it’s difficult now as they live interstate.’
‘We became fortunate to live together in residential care here at Resthaven Leabrook. That was a fear of ours, so we are forever thankful. We couldn’t live without one another.’
Resthaven Leabrook’s second longest-standing couple are Mr and Mrs Alderman. They have only recently celebrated their sixty-sixth wedding anniversary, on 16 July.
‘We met at work. This was by chance because I lived in Adelaide, and Graham lived in Queensland. With my job as an air hostess, I got transferred to Queensland, and he happened to be the gentleman in rostering.’
‘Graham was smitten with me straight away, although he was shy to admit at first. We got married only a couple of years after dating and settled back in Adelaide.’
‘We had three children – two girls and one boy and decided that would be enough for us.’
When asked of their secret to a long and happy marriage, Mrs Alderman replied quickly, ‘We never argued, and we had a lot in common. It was always important for us to be friends above all else, and we shared hobbies such as golfing and taking long country drives – we travelled around Australia that way.’
Mr and Mrs Alderman also feel lucky to have the opportunity to live together in residential aged care, ‘til death do us part, is what we promised.’
Thank you to both couples for sharing their stories on the year of their milestone anniversaries.
Established in 1935, Resthaven is a South Australian not-for-profit aged care community service associated with the Uniting Church in Australia.
Every day, Resthaven shares the lives and wisdom of older people and their carers, opening doors to the full range of aged care service options available.
Services are provided throughout metropolitan Adelaide, the Adelaide Hills, Murraylands, Riverland, Fleurieu Peninsula, lower Barossa region and the Limestone Coast of South Australia.