A lot may have changed in the past 60 years, but one of things that have remained constant is Cornelius and Adriana Van Gool’s love for each other.
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“For us, the whole world has changed, but nothing has changed in the relationship,” Mrs Van Gool said.
“The family has grown around us.”
The Kambah couple will on Monday mark six decades since they got married.
The pair tied the knot in a ceremony on May 29, 1957 in the Netherlands where the two of them met.
Cornelius was working as a chef in a restaurant at a Dutch theme park, while Adriana was employed as a waitress.
“We knew each other for about 1½ years before we got married,” Mrs Van Gool said.
“I was 18 and he was 23 when we married.”
In the years after the wedding, the pair helped to run a French restaurant near the Belgian border.
However, after a short visit to Australia, Mr Van Gool decided to move to the other side of the world to Canberra with his family.
“My brothers came down for a holiday and they gave me a ticket as well to Australia,” he said.
“I then fell in love with the country.”
Since moving to Canberra, the pair have been involved in the catering industry in the nation’s capital since the 1980s.
Among the many institutions the couple have worked for over the years include the National Gallery of Australia and the now-closed Bacchus restaurant.
While the couple have always been together both at work and at home, they said they’ve always had a close connection.
“Working together wasn’t always the best thing to do, but we’ve always been together,” Mrs Van Gool said.
“Now we are retired and we are together all day as well.”
As part of the diamond anniversary celebrations, the couple’s family – which include four children, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren – will be converging on Canberra.
Mrs Van Gool said the day’s celebration will involve visiting a chocolate factory, going wine tasting and going out to lunch at The Viking Club.