DON Wilson believes it was his amphibious Jeep that had his wife Iris swept off her feet when he arrived for their first date more than 60 years ago.
“It’s the real reason I think she married me,” Don jokes.
“They are very rare.”
Don had not long moved to Sunraysia when a then 18-year-old Iris caught his eye. After asking for a favour from his good friend Doug Woods, Don had himself a date.
“I had asked him to introduce us and he went and got permission for me to take her out,” Don says.
“So I pulled up in my army duck ready to take her to a social.”
The next year the pair were married and headed off on their honeymoon in that same vehicle.
“We spent a few weeks on the road travelling and sleeping in it at night,” Don says.
“When we pulled up at Warburton to catch up with some old school friends, they offered to change a flat tyre but instead we discovered they had painted on it ‘married a week’, which is still on there today.”
Iris added, “The duck is part of the family, Don even has a certificate for owning the GPA (General Purpose Amphibian) for longer than anyone else.”
After returning from their honeymoon, the pair settled in Mildura continuing to work in the family business, Wilson’s Salvage Yard.
Shortly after becoming husband and wife, the pair welcomed their three children, Andrew, Daniel and Esther.
They are also now proud grandparents of eight children and great grandparents of two.
“At one point I remember we were both driving trucks and we had Daniel travelling in the passenger side asleep in a banana box,” Iris recalls.
“We have achieved many jobs over the years, some under great difficulty but there is never a dull moment.”
The pair agree it is the ability to work together, support one another and common beliefs that is the key to their successful 60-year marriage.
“When we first got together it was a battle, there was some ups and downs but it always worked out,” Don says.
“We both worked long hours and when we got home we knew we just had to work together to get through it.
“The big secret is working together. If you are having a hard day, learn to understand each other and a family that works together, stays together.”
Iris added, “Believe in God and share common religious beliefs.”
“You just have to keep on, keeping on. Stick together and persevere.”
The happy couple showcased the meaning of working together, when Don helped Iris onto their very special “duck”.
