Couple marks six decades
YOU don’t need to spend much time with Ian and Ailsa McCullough to know their mutual sense of humour is a big part of why their marriage has lasted six decades.
Against the better judgment of their parents, who thought an eight year age difference was a little much, Ailsa and Ian tied the knot on January 23, 1960 and never looked back.
Ailsa’s parents leased the block opposite Ian’s family farm when they were youngsters and they met a few times, but a few weeks after laying eyes on her in her debut finery, he plucked up the courage to ask her father if they could begin courting.
Their first meeting wasn’t quite so auspicious, when Ailsa arrived to the McCullough dinner table and sat opposite Ian, who had unfortunately just been to see the dentist to have all his teeth removed.
“It wasn’t my smile that won her over,” he joked.
They would go to the movies on Saturday night with Ailsa’s little brother as chaperone and Ian would go out of his way to ensure he put his hand up for any jobs in the paddock from which he might have a chance at seeing her and scoring a cold drink and a genial chat.
After the best part of three years of courting, they married at St Peter’s Anglican Church in Millmerran and spent the next 38 years working together on their farm.
Ailsa jokes that their finest arguments almost exclusively took place in the sheep pens, while Ian quipped, “I always liked making up after the arguments.”
The delightful couple had seven children, with six surviving: Phillip, Susan, Ashley, Donna, Sturat and Catherine.
When agriculture began to change faster than they were comfortable with, they moved to Toowoomba to retire, selling the farm in a breezy three weeks.
They bought an acre block from Clive Berghofer on the outskirts of Toowoomba and have lived there ever since.
The couple’s daughter-in-law was the state manager for Dimmey’s at the time and snagged their services for truck driving and other jobs, right up until the business closed.
After that an aquaintance who was running Budget Rentals asked if they were interested in ferrying the vehicles to and from Toowoomba, and thus they spent a number of years enjoying life on the road and seeing the country.
Despite being nothing alike, apart from their wonderful sense of humour, they still get along like a house on fire.
“We’re like chalk and cheese,” Ian said.
“I’m just as happy to always be at home but she’s a gypsy and never home.”
The secret to six decades of love and admiration, according to both, was giving each other plenty of space to pursue different interests and making sure they maintained good communication throughout.