Love proves it can conquer all
A COUPLE from Manunda are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary on Saturday with their family.
Stuart and Jo Lees were married on Saturday, November 6, 1971, at St John’s Church of England and have been happily together since.
“There isn’t really a secret to having a long marriage, what we believe is – it’s about communication with each other and talking things through,” Mrs Lees said.
“Every day of my life my husband tells me that he loves me and I think that’s beautiful. Even though we have our ups and downs, at the end of the day when someone says they love you, it’s all OK.”
They were hard workers, Mr Lees working for the Queensland Ambulance Service as a paramedic and Mrs Lees as a hairdresser, owning her own business, which she still does.
“It was difficult at times. We did have to juggle things around, when the children came along it was not easy when Stuart was a shift worker working with the ambulance services,” she said. “But I think because Stuart is a very understanding sort of person, he values family greatly, we were able to manage it.”
The Lees have three sons – Christopher, Darren and Nicholas – who grew up in their Manunda house, where the couple have lived since they were married.
“The boys were brought up in that house and have many happy memories of cricket in the driveway, swimming in the pool and friends over for sleepovers,” she said.
They now also have four grandchildren who love to have sleepovers with their nanna and grandad.
In the 50 years they have been married, the couple have been on many adventures together, doing things such as riding elephants in Thailand to flying in helicopters over the Grand Canyon.
They love travelling and hope when the pandemic eases they will be able to continue their love for adventures and do more travel overseas and around Australia.
Mrs Lees said they would be celebrating their anniversary with their family over a quiet dinner and a weekend at a resort in Cairns.