Our People
10 November, 2025
Six decades side-by-side
A sense of humour and a sense of purpose are two ingredients that have kept Ian and Margaret Taylor married for six decades. The well-known local couple celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on Thursday.
Ian succinctly summed up the key to staying married for so long, followed by bellows of laughter from the couple.
“Stay alive!” he cheekily exclaimed.
“Margie’s bridesmaids are still alive but two groomsmen have passed.”
The latter remark had Margaret immediately reflecting on their wedding day and remembering friends and family who were there that day who are no longer around.
“Brings it home a bit too when you think back like that,” she said.
A few years in they started a family, with daughter Linda born in 1967 and son Andrew coming along in 1970.
As two young people growing up in farming families, Ian and Margaret met through the once-thriving Young Farmers Club, which they both enjoyed participating in immensely.
“We learned a lot, we had guest speakers, there were things like achievement days where we’d compete against other clubs,” said Ian, “Margie could jack up a Holden car and take the flat tyre off and put on a new wheel as good as anyone, it was timed, you were competing.”
The loving couple are natural storytellers and are always happy to share stories about anything, from the sight of huge mobs of sheep being walked through the streets of Stawell, to amusing memories of phone calls through the old Callawadda telephone exchange.
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