Teen sweethearts celebrate 60 years of marriage

ASK Noel Carlin and he will tell you he and wife Helen have been married for 120 years.

“That’s 60 years for me and 60 for Helen. You get less for murder.”

The couple’s official anniversary is on 4 April, but family members recently gathered for a special party to mark the occasion.

“Mum and Dad first met when they were 13 and 15, in Glenormiston in the western district,” said daughter Julie-Anne Smedley.

“Their families both had dairy farms near each other, and their parents were friends, as were Mum’s 10 siblings and Dad’s six.

“Dad used to help Mum’s father milking his cows.”

The couple went to high school together, became friends and dated for six years before marrying on 4 April 1964, in Finley NSW.

“They spent the first 20 years of their marriage in Melbourne where Dad worked as a cartage contractor or, as Dad says, a transportologist,” said Ms Smedley.

“Mum was a primary school teacher.

“For many years they had an onsite caravan at Lake Eppalock before moving to Heathcote in 1984.

“There they owned and operated a takeaway food store in High Street called ‘The Carl Inn’ and later ‘Smith Stores’.”

Mr Carlin had various other jobs in Heathcote, including bus driving.

“Dad was known in Heathcote as ‘The Blind Man’ because on the back of his van he painted ‘caution, blind man driving’, when he worked installing blinds in the area.

“Dad loves a joke.

“Mum was a much-loved emergency teacher in both Heathcote and Axedale.

“Both have been heavily involved with the community, Dad with the Lions Club, Mum with the golf club, and she still does the flowers at St Mary’s Catholic Church.

The couple have four children, Julie-Anne, Chris, James and Gabrielle.

James and his wife Val own the Tooborac Hotel and Chris Carlin is the general manager.

The couple have 12 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.