Benjamin Millar
When Ken and Annie Crook first met at a weekly dance in Manchester, little could either of them have foreseen the decades of adventures that would be in store.
The pair last week celebrated their 70th anniversary, living together for almost 50 of those years in Altona.
Now residing at Benetas St George’s Residential Aged Care in Altona Meadows, Annie and Ken first settled in Altona after migrating from England in 1972.
Daughter Diane Soulidis said the couple first met in Manchester when Ken approached one of Annie’s sisters to try and secure an introduction.
“Ken fancied Annie straight away, but Annie led him a good chase before succumbing to his charms, although she did think him to be quite dapper and handsome at first sight,” she said.
They married in 1951 in a ceremony at St John’s church in Thornham, a seaside hamlet in the northeast of England.
They only managed to slot in a wedding when Ken, a keen sportsman, was able to secure a free weekend from soccer.
“Annie was the original WAG with Ken playing high level soccer and cricket in the UK,” Ms Soulidis said.
Their son Steven was born on their tenth anniversary and in 1972 they came to Australia in pursuit of a better life.
Annie’s younger sister Edna had migrated to Australia several years beforehand, settling in Altona.
Ms Soulidis said Annie, Ken and their two children stayed with Edna and her family for a few months upon arrival, before purchasing their first Australian home on Civic Parade.
“That’s where they started their new life in this great country and created many, many happy memories, never looking back,” she said.
Ken took up golf and joined the local Kooringal golf club in his very first week in Australia, where they met many wonderful lifelong friends.
Annie has always found her greatest joy in babies, spending many years as a foster mother and adoring her grandsons Jesse and Cody and granddaughter Bailey.
Annie put the secret of their 70 years of marriage down to “having the patience of a saint” while Ken attributed their longevity to “learning to say ‘Yes, Dear’ … often”.
