Cessnock couple Janice and Paul Laskey have celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary.
And 60 years on, their love still shines bright.
Mr and Mrs Laskey were married on March 17, 1956 at St Michael’s Church, Vaucluse.
Mrs Laskey said it was a just a coincidence that the wedding took place on St Patrick’s Day.
“We’re not Catholic, it just happened to be that day,” she said.
“It was a matter of getting the church and the reception on the same day.
“We booked it a year in advance.”
Aside from six years in Brisbane, the couple spent most of their married life in Sydney, and raised three children.
After Mr Laskey’s retirement in 1999, they did a lot of travelling around Australia and abroad.
They moved to Cessnock in 2007 to be closer to their daughter Jennifer.
The later part of their lives has been tough – with Mr Laskey diagnosed with dementia and Mrs Laskey battling cancer – but their love is as strong as ever.
They have lived at the RFBI Cessnock Masonic Village for four years, and Mr Laskey moved into the cottages about 18 months ago.
They spend a lot of time together in the Masonic Village hostel, watching car racing on TV, and also go to the gym on Thursdays.
They celebrated their anniversary with a special afternoon tea at the hostel on Thursday.
“It’s absolutely fantastic,” Mr Laskey said, when congratulated by village staff about the milestone occasion.
The couple received congratulatory letters from the Queen, Governor-General, Prime Minister and Premier plus Cessnock Mayor Bob Pynsent and local MPs Clayton Barr and Joel Fitzgibbon.
