Once upon a time John was just the brother of one of Judith’s friends – someone that was always around, an acquaintance at best.
But Judith slowly found she was enjoying spending more and more time with her friend because it meant she could get closer to John.
It wasn’t long before the couple realised they would have to tell Judith’s friend they fancied each other.
While she can’t remember the exact conversation, Judith eventually had the awkward conversation and told her friend that she fancied John.
The couple began dating and were married in Kyneton on January 14, 1961. They have since welcomed two children, eight grandchildren and one great-grandchild into the world.
Life has had its ups and downs for the couple but their commitment to a stable and loving home for their family is what kept everything together.
When John was struggling to find permanent work in Kyneton, he spoke to a friend who said there were more job opportunities in the Goulburn Valley.
“Judith and I went to check it out and liked the area. A week after that I had a job and the furniture was on a truck headed for Mooroopna,” John said.
“My first job in the GV was at a garage in Shepparton as a grease monkey. I’ve had a lot of odd jobs since then.
“I’ve always been a bit handy but never had any papers to prove it. Back in those days you could get a job anywhere, except in Kyneton it seemed.”
John found more stable work as transport manager at SPC, a role which inspired him to go into business and open JE and JP Don Transport.
The couple enjoyed the transport game and relished the stability they had finally found, remaining in the business for 22 years.
While he and Judith have long since given away the transport business, John said the leftovers from it were more than enough to keep him busy.
“We’ve had this house in Tatura for 44 years and you name it, we’ve got it over in the truck yard,” he said.
“It’s a never-ending job to sort through all that. We’re in our 80s, so looking after the house, keeping a few sheep and sorting through that means we have plenty to do.”
John and Judith don’t believe there is a special ingredient to a long and successful marriage, just a commitment to working together and “getting on with it.”
“We realised early on that you just have to get on with life,” Judith said.
“Having kids definitely helped us stay on track but we’ve always managed to keep on keeping on no matter what happened.”
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