By Danielle Galvin
IN the last 50 years, Barry and Lynette Rattle have only spent five days apart.
The couple will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary later this month at the Amstel Golf Club in Cranbourne.
They are a sprightly, friendly and lively couple with a mutual affection for each other. Like most couples, they bicker over the minor details and agree when it really matters. While they have never had a lot of money, there has been a lot of laughter over the past 50 years.
Both have different ideas about their first encounter.
“When I was a hairdresser in Box Hill, I would go into the milk bar nearby. Of course Barry’s parents owned the milk bar back then. I would always order a pint of chocolate flavoured milk,” Lyn said.
Barry explained how he was trying to fatten her up, correcting Lyn on her choice of milk.
“It was a pint of malted milk, and I would add extra ice-cream just for you!”
The couple has invited 40 friends and family to their golden anniversary dinner. While Barry says he would have preferred a small party at their home in Berwick Springs, Lyn is busying herself making the cake for the party.
Lyn is also a line dancer and she can’t wait to have everyone dancing into the night.
It hasn’t always been smooth sailing for the couple, and Barry had a feisty mother-in-law to contend with. But he didn’t give up.
He says that Lyn’s mother would not allow the marriage until he bought a house for his bride-to-be.
“Lyn’s mother expected me to buy her a mansion somewhere before we got married. I called her the dragon lady!” Barry said.
The happy couple only knew each other for three months before their engagement.
After they were married in 1961 at the Church of Christ Hartwell, Camberwell, they were ready to settle down at their house Burwood East. But when the couple came back from their honeymoon, the real estate agent had sold the house.
In the years to come, Barry and Lyn had four children and moved around a lot.
“I always used to say I wanted quadruplets without actually knowing what it meant! I did have four children in the end, but not all at once thankfully,” Lyn said.
“In February we went on a cruise to New Zealand with friends. I said to Barry that I wanted to spend the day with him on Friday for our wedding anniversary,” Lyn said.
Lyn and Barry have lived in Kilsyth South, Mildura and owned take-away shops in Boronia and Bayswater. At 63, Barry had a stroke and had to retire.
He was a panel beater by trade but had been working as a truck driver. When they moved to their home in Berwick Springs, Barry was still a handyman, using his spare time to build their outside decking. Lyn was impressed by her husband’s workmanship. It’s one of the things that she loves the most about him.
“What else can I say about our time together? We love each other a lot,” Lyn said, reflecting on the past 50 years.
In recent years, Barry has had to become Lyn’s full-time carer because of her health issues.
With nine grandchildren to play with and a lifetime of memories, it’s clear the Rattles will cherish each other’s company for years to come.
