When John and Dorothy Kessner first met nearly 70 years ago, it wasn’t exactly love at first sight.
The pair met at a dinner dance when Dorothy was only 13 and John was 17 and, perhaps owing to Dorothy’s young age, romance did not blossom.
Despite this, the pair kept bumping into each other at other dances and events, and sparks eventually flew.
“She had lots of boyfriends,” John joked.
“She fitted me in for a few dates along the way.
“I remember saying to her: ‘every time we meet, we seem to have an argument. Why don’t we get married?’”
Dorothy added: “Wasn’t that a great proposal?”
The Kessners married on April 13, 1957, and moved into a bungalow behind a friend’s house in Yarraville.
They also lived in Altona, Little River and the Wyndham Green estate before settling in Tarneit three years ago.
Along the way, Dorothy and John added children Karen, Susan and John to the brood, followed by four grandchildren.
The pair are keen travellers and caravanners, and were big fans of spending time in Queensland where John, a trombonist, would perform with the Sunshine Coast concert band, and Dorothy would surf.
The Kessners recently celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary among 60 family and friends, and members of the Werribee Concert Band, of which John is a member, played music from throughout the decades.
John, now 84, also bought Dorothy, 81, a diamond ring to celebrate the occasion.
“We enjoy doing the same things … we’ve had a lot of good times.”
