Valentine’s Day is no different from any other day for one Collie couple who have been together for over 70 years.
Nan and Mervyn Wheals are the only married couple currently residing in the aged-care facility.
The pair have been married for over 70 years and have known one another over 80 years.
Nan moved from Scotland to Shotts at age 4.
She grew up and worked in Collie before spending four years in the air force alongside two of her sisters, Moira and Babs.
Nan and Mervyn had known one another before she joined the air force.
After coming back to Collie, she and Mervyn began a relationship in their early twenties.
The couple got married in 1946, and lived in Collie until Mervin’s retirement at 59.
They had three sons, Brian, Tom and Barry – all now in their sixties.
The pair lived in Mandurah and Rockingham for 33 years before moving back to Collie.
Nan and Mervyn, now 93 and 94 respectively, have lived in ValleyView Residence over the past six months.
They said communication has brought them together over so many years.
“You’ll talk things over, you have a little bit of an argument here and there but that thing sorts [itself] out,” Mrs Wheals said.
“I think that thing, not one to go behind their back and do something without the other – you discuss things.
“We drove around Australia in our caravan, we used to go north but we did quite a few tours and seen a lot of Australia and so we’d just say: ‘I think we’ll go there’ and we’ll go.
“Do things together, don’t one go to work and the other stay home try and see if you can work something together.”
Nan said they have always treated Valentine’s Day like any other day.
“We don’t do any of that do we never have done that, in the olden days if he wanted to buy me a bouquet of flowers in those days, you just used to buy them, didn’t you?,” she said.
She said the people at ValleyView have treated them well.
“The girls are all wonderful, you couldn’t ask for anything else they really are a wonderful crowd here,” she said.
She said they had always loved the Collie community’s love of sport and volunteering along with the many familiar faces.
