The Maitland Girls High student was only 15-years-old when she first set eyes on her future husband Trevor at a barn dance in Rutherford in 1963. 

Fast forward half a century of marriage, and Margaret still smiles about how the “cheeky” teenage boy caught her eye from across the room. 

“It was a church event. Trevor was being cheeky. He had all the kids around him and he was pretending to mispronounce eucalyptus tree. He just had this charisma to him,” Margaret said.  

“The next day was the school athletics carnival, and he turned up and walked me home.

“I guess when you know, you just know.”

The couple have been inseparable ever since.

Five years after they met, the pair tied the knot at the Uniting Church in Rutherford on December 7, 1968. 

The couple had three children – Darren, Donna and Gavin – and now have a  “clan” with 12 grandchildren plus one great grandchild.  

As in love as ever, the Rutherford couple will celebrate their golden anniversary this week.

When asked what was the secret to everlasting love, the Rutherford couple shared a knowing grin.

“I think the most important thing is you’ve got to be friends. Friendship and trust,” Margaret said. 

“You’ve got to take the good with the bad. You talk it out, and don’t let things fester.

“We don’t have very many bad days because we look after each other.”

“Tolerance too,” Trevor added with a cheeky smile.

“It’s a milestone. These days, it is becoming rarer because people don’t try to resolve any issues or work it out.

“If we hit a brick, we sit down and talk about it.”

Now, the pair spend happy days enjoying retirement – Margaret is an avid reader while Trevor spends hours in his garden – and have bought a caravan to take holidays.

As for the festivities, the couple said they were looking forward to celebrating their anniversary with their children, grandchildren and great grandchild on on Saturday night.