Home still where the heart is for Betty and Bill

It felt like home the minute Bill and Betty met and 70 years on, sparks still fly. Spending quality time remains a priority – and support from KinCare to stay in their home together lets them do just that.

From the minute Bill and Betty locked eyes on a crowded bus over seven decades ago, they knew they had found someone special.

Betty recalls as though it were yesterday boarding her bus and spotting handsome Bill – her brother’s friend – as she came home from work at Hustlers department store in Newcastle.

Bill shares a cheeky perspective on who was chasing who: “Betty says she had her eye on me for a while so she was hoping her brother might introduce us!”

Love would have to wait a while. It wasn’t until the very end of that year, on New Years’ Eve, that these two young sweethearts began courting.

“My girlfriends and I had gone to the dance hall and Bill and his friends were there,” says Betty,

“Halfway through, Bill asked me if I wanted to go and get a drink outside and we sat drinking our soda on the railings and chatting. When I went back in my friends played a joke on me – they said my mum had been in trying to find me and I was in big trouble as I hadn’t been there. I thought I’d better go home straight away.”

Bill walked Betty the 1.5km trip home – before turning back the other way to reach his own home. This tender gesture won Betty’s heart.

Bill and Betty’s relationship quickly went from strength to strength. After a while, Betty asked her dad if she could bring Bill home for Sunday dinner.

They were all in for a big surprise.

“My dad played cards on a Sunday and came home just as dinner was served,” says Betty.

“Dad walked in, looked at Bill and said; “What are you doing here?” They’d been sitting together on the bus to work for about a year, but he had no idea that Bill and I were seeing each other.”

Bill says the happiest day of his life was marrying Betty.

“Betty looked beautiful,” he recalls. “We’ve never looked back.”

Through all life’s ups and downs that come with raising children, running a household, working and ageing, Bill says the secret to their strong marriage is that they have always done so much together.

“I think if one person starts doing something that excludes the other that’s when problems start,” says Bill.

As they’ve aged, having the support of a KinCare Home Care Worker to help around the home, has given this lovely couple the time and headspace to focus on what matters most – each other.

“When I joined the local soccer club, Betty joined the Ladies League as secretary. When she started working for Meals on Wheels, I helped take phone calls.”

While much has changed in 70 years, what hasn’t changed is the special effort Bill and Betty make to spend time enjoying each other’s company. As they’ve aged, having the support of a KinCare Home Care Worker to help around the home, has given this lovely couple the time and headspace to focus on what matters most – each other.

A recent party for Bill and Betty’s 70th wedding anniversary celebrated this long love and friendship – and the enormous joy and comfort it brings to remain living independently in their own home.

“We had a party at home – we live in a block of units and there’s a pretty area by the pool,” says Betty.

“Our sons, Colin and Graham, were there, and two of our three granddaughters did the catering. We had 31 people there, almost all family.

“It was lovely to see everyone together. A really beautiful day.”