'We've Been Married for 80 Years!'

Daphne and John share their secrets for longlasting love

- By Brigid Auchettl

The world has changed a lot since Daphne and John Partridge tied the knot 80 years ago. The bikini was designed, the internet created and smart phones have all but made the art of handwritten letter writing extinct. But one thing that hasn’t changed is the couple’s love and devotion to each other.

Daphne, 99, and John, 98, first crossed paths on the dance floor at Maitland Town Hall in NSW.

“It was love at first sight for both of us,” John proudly tells New Idea, his wife’s hand clasped tightly in his own.

From that moment on, John and Daphne spent every Saturday evening dancing up a storm in the hall. According to John, the jazz waltz was always their favourite.

Keen to impress Daphne beyond his dancing prowess, John pulled out his bank book hoping to win her over.

“I liked the figures I saw,” chuckles Daphne.