It’s 1954 — Elvis Presley is recording his first songs, Sports Illustrated magazine debuts, the famous Marilyn Monroe skirt scene is filmed.
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But who cares about all that? One lucky couple was about to get married and 70 years later, here we are.
Bruce and Lola Milne have been married for seven decades as of Wednesday, November 20.
Lola said she grew up in difficult circumstances, but that was what led her to Bruce.
“I didn’t have a mother and my father brought me up, and he used to bash me,” she said.
“My girlfriend took me in and my father decided to take my girlfriend and me to the wrestling, which was at Festival Hall, and the first night we went was all right, you know, there was boxing and then wrestling.
“But the next night this bloke walked past, and I thought, ‘oh, he’s nice’.
“Then the next time we went, he walked past again, and we went to get a coffee after the match.”
There was debate as to whether Bruce happened to be there or he deliberately made his way to the coffee shop to meet Lola.
“He came up the table, started talking and that’s how it started,” Lola said.
Two years later, at the ago of 21, the pair got married; however, it wasn’t the picture-perfect day you might expect.
“It poured raining, and I didn’t care as long as everything went all right,” Lola said.
“I had to do it myself because I didn’t have parents to do it for me and that was my biggest worry that it wouldn’t go all right, but it did.”
The Holy Trinity Church in Kew, Melbourne, was where they said their vows, but their honeymoon is what Lola described as one of their favourite memories.
“We went to Lakes Entrance and it rained all the way. It was awful,” she said.
“So we decided we’ll go over Mt Hotham to Bright and in those days it was a winding little road.
“I’ll never do it again.”
They travelled around before settling down.
“We moved around a bit,” Lola said.
“We were in Doncaster for 20 years while the kids were all growing up, and then we were offered to go on a farm and look after it in Mernda so we did that, and we stayed there.”
For 34 years, Bruce was a policeman, including being a mounted officer, as well as escorting Princess Diana and Prince Charles during one of their trips to Australia.
He was also in the Army Reserve for six and a half years and has been an RSL member since. He was also a justice of the peace in his time.
“Then in between that he’d be wrestling,” Lola said.
He wrestled professionally he said.
“Back then, I wrestled on Channel 9, and I’ve wrestled in all of the states, except Tasmania,” Bruce said.
He once entered the ring with Big Chief Little Wolf, a famous wrestler who had a career from 1932 to 1958 and fought in 1,141 matches.
“I was just briefly mentioned in a book a young fellow wrote about 100 years of wrestling in Australia.
“It was just a brief mention, but it was good to be mentioned at all.”
Bruce retired from his job, and it was their son who suggested they buy a property for themselves.
“One of our friends lived up here, and we came up to Shepparton, and she showed us a post out at Lemnos on about 40 acres, and we liked it, made an offer, and they took it,” Lola said.
Thinking about what they love about each other, Lola had just two words to describe it.
“Just him,” she said as she held his arm close.
She reminisced on how she was, admiring Bruce’s patience.
“In our younger days I was a fire bucket, and I'd ramp and rave and ramp and rave,” she said.
“But then five minutes after not talking to him, I'd ask if he wants a cup of tea because I could never hold a grudge.”
That right there is what she said their secret to marriage is.
“Never go to bed, not talking to one another and being cranky,” she said.
“Even if you don't feel like kissing and making up, do it and then in the morning you feel a lot better, it's all gone, and you're not angry any more.
“So I think that's the secret.”
Bruce agreed.
“I don't argue the point with anybody because with an argument, there are two sides isn't there?” he said.
“While you're arguing you're sticking to your side and I can't be bothered with that.”
After spending her time as a full-time mum, Lola has had many hobbies and other commitments to fill her schedule.
She took up line dancing, painting classes, joined the gem club and was president for two years and showed horses.
“We've done what we wanted to do,” Lola said.
“So it was only the fact that my father was so bad to me and my girlfriend's mother took me in, and then she took us up to my father's, and he was as nice as pie, and then he started taking us to the wrestling that I met Bruce.
“So I believe your life is worked out, and it's which road you take that matters.”
Their family tree has grown significantly over the past seven decades, having three boys and a girl, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Lola and Bruce will spend their anniversary surrounded by family enjoying delicious food and each other’s company.
Cadet Journalist