The pair were looking forward to a low-key celebration with friends and said their sixty years together had gone quickly.

“It’s really just another number and another anniversary. Sixty years is a long while but it doesn’t seem that long,” Mr Kilfoyle said.

On Saturday, April 27, 1957,  Malcolm Kilfoyle and Pamela Ison were married at Holy Trinity Church by Reverend Armstead, before a reception at Masonic Hall with approximately 80 guests.

The Kilfoyle’s wedding photo appeared on the front page of the Daily Liberal on Wednesday, May 4, 1957.

The couple weren’t aware of their until after returning from their honeymoon, which involved an overnight stay in Orange on the night of the wedding and then 10 days in Sydney.

It was only recently Malcolm and Pam found a copy of that edition that had belonged to a family member.

Having grown up in Dubbo, Malcolm and Pam made the decision to settle here after their honeymoon. Both had left school at 15, Malcolm becoming a plumber and Pam working in the office of wholesale grocer PDS.

Later Malcolm would go on to be self-employed, then work at Astleys and Spanline, while Pam worked at Furneys and Dubbo Hospital, among others.

Both were hard and dedicated workers, with Malcolm working into his 70s before announcing his retirement.

Not that the couple has slowed down much. They love catching up with their sons Michael and Steven and their families.

They are proud of their five grandchildren and two great grandchildren and love catching up with them.

“Both of us come from well-known Dubbo families. The Ison family had bike shops here and the Kilfoyles were very well-known,” Pam said.

“Our family is very important to us and we catch up with them whenever we can. Even though we have a large family, we are very close.”

At the end of last year Pam and Malcolm moved into a unit at Orana Gardens and quickly made many friends there. 

They said the freedom of not having to maintain gardens or lawns meant they could go on holidays when ever they wanted.

They expect to do even more travelling now and are already planning.

“There are places on our bucket list that we haven’t been. We’ve been overseas a couple of times but we want to go to Adelaide,” Pam said.

Asked if they had any advice on how to make a marriage last, the happy couple said it was important to forgive each other after arguments.

“I think you have to bend a bit with one-another. We’ve had our rough times but we never go to bed cranky. That’s not on,” Pam said.

“We’ve weathered the storms.”

“Everyone has their arguments but we put them behind us,” Malcolm added.