“He saw me at the swimming pool when I was 17 years old and told someone he was going to marry me,” Ruth said.

“He asked my dad if he could take me swimming and it went from there.”

Since that day at the pool the couple has spent most of their lives together and celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary yesterday.

Ruth and Barney were married at St Joseph’s church in Eugowra in 1949, the same place where the couple’s parents were also married.

“It was a lovely day, we had the wedding reception at my aunt’s house,” Ruth remembers.

“My dad told us to never end a night on an argument and we haven’t.”

While Ruth was married at the tender age of 20, she says things were a lot different in those days and they had matured quickly.

Ruth had moved out of home at an early age to become a teacher while Barney had already spent time serving in the airforce in the Philippines during World War II.

The couple travelled around the Central West for many years, living in Condobolin, Young and Cowra where the first of their three sons was born.

However, making a successful marriage last 60 years isn’t always easy, as the two will happily admit.

“Some of our biggest challenges were building a house, buying land, rearing the children and getting them through their schooling then sending them off out on their own,” Ruth said.

“There have been some hard times.”

But despite those hard times, Ruth and Barney have managed to work their way through it together.

One thing that the couple has noticed is the high number of divorces these days.

“I think people are going into divorce too early and not making an effort to work out what is really wrong,” Ruth said.

“They should make sure of what they are doing.”

While the couple’s children and others idolise their marriage, Ruth and Barney admit they do not share marriage advice.

“They can pick it up for themselves,” Barney said.

The couple celebrated their anniversary yesteday with close friends and family who travelled from the Snowy Mountains.

Looking back over the past 60 years, both Barney and Ruth have very fond memories.

“There have been tough times but mostly they have been happy,” Ruth said.

“There has been a lot of give and take, but I hope for another 20 years together at least.”