Local couple David and Dorothy Henderson celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary at ValleyView, surrounded by friends and family.
The couple grew up in Kalgoorlie together where Mrs Henderson was born, both attending Infants School and Kalgoorlie Central before parting ways for a while.
Mr Henderson ended up attending high school, eventually going to the School of Mines and Dorothy enrolled in tech school, beginning work as a shorthand typist at the Boulder courthouse.
In February 1952, Mr Henderson got a job working in the coal mines as an electrical fitter in Collie.
The pair maintained their relationship by phone calls and written letters three times a week and by the August they were engaged.
They wedded the following year at the Kalgoorlie Wesley Methodist Church in May 1953 and spent their honeymoon in Albany for just over a week.
Afterwards Mrs Henderson quit her job at the courthouse and the newlyweds rented a house in Gladstone Cresent, before moving into their current home in Denton Road by the end of that year.
They shared similar interests with both being life members of the tennis club and they often played badminton and golf together. Mr Henderson was involved with the volunteer fire brigade and being a justice of the peace, which he still is today. They would often be seen on Saturday nights dancing together at the workers club in Collie.
They had three children, Trevor, Murray and Leanne, and now have six grandchildren and nine great grandchildren.
For over 40 years he said they travelled around Australia together.
“Travelling everywhere for 40 odd years with caravans, we used to go to the Binningup caravan park almost every year but now it’s out of the question,” he said.
A few years ago Mrs Henderson started to lose part of her memory and later was diagnosed with dementia. Mr Henderson took care of his wife for 18 months but said eventually she needed care 24/7.
Last year Mrs Henderson suffered some falls and was put into respite for three months and was transferred to ValleyView in August.
“It’s so one sided, it’s very sad but I kept full time caring for 18 months and then it just go too much, so I’m up here every day to see her,” Mr Henderson said.
“He has to do that otherwise I’ll give him a kick in the bum,” Mrs Henderson said.
“I don’t miss a day,” Mr Henderson said.
