QUEANBEYAN High School sweethearts Allan and Susan McInnes recently celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary with a trip down memory lane.
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On Sunday, February 22, the couple enjoyed lunch at Hotel Queanbeyan - the same venue which hosted their reception many moons before.
"We were married at Christ Church in Queanbeyan and had our wedding reception at Hotel Queanbeyan. It was the 'in' place back then," Susan said.
"I remember it rained on the afternoon of the wedding. Returning to Hotel Queanbeyan, I could still remember and point out who sat where at the reception. We had 120 guests and I had two bridesmaids."
Allan and Susan met while attending Queanbeyan High School. They were in the same class and it was in year ten that Allan eventually plucked up the courage to ask Susan out. The pair were engaged and married six years later.
Susan recalled the proposal to be a bit of a surprise.
"I remember we were sitting in the car in the old JB Young's car park on Morrisset Street. He asked me to marry him and I told him I would think about it," she said.
"By the time we had made it around to the intersection at Monaro Street, I said 'yes'."
Following their lunch at Hotel Queanbeyan, Allan and Susan celebrated with their four children and three grandchildren at their Carwoola home.
It was a grand affair with a four-course meal in the backyard along with a slippery dip, see-saw and pony rides.
The very same car that featured at the couple's engagement, a 1969 Kingswood, affectionately known as 'Bluey', also appeared at their anniversary celebrations. It was brought out from the back shed especially for the party and holds a special place in the family's history.
"It was Allan's first car, he bought it when he was 17-year-old," Susan said. "He taught me how to drive in it, we were engaged in it, it was the car on our wedding day and it's taken each one of our children to their first day of school."
Susan believes their long-lasting marriage stems from good communication - they rarely argue and she said their relationship continues to get "stronger and stronger".
"I don't know where the time's gone. You see your children with their children and it does make you feel old," Susan said.
"I just want to thank Allan for the last 40 years and hopefully many more."
Would you like to see your wedding story printed in the newspaper? Contact the Queanbeyan Age on 6297 3033.
