THEY say love waits for no man, but for Jack Quick, it did.
When he responded to the call of duty during World War II, he was 18 and had one special request.
He asked the love of his life, a girl named Edna, to wait for him.
She did, and four years later Jack returned home.
The couple’s enduring partnership was marked by another special milestone last week as they celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary at Marina Residential Aged Care in Altona North.
Mr Quick first laid eyes on Edna when she was celebrating her 17th birthday at a dance in Williamstown.
Was it love at first sight?
“Of course,” Mrs Quick says. “She was a twin and when I got invited [to their] home I mixed them up twice,” Mr Quick recalls. “When I came back from the war, she said yes [to marriage] straightaway.
“I don’t think we’ve had one tiff in all those years.”
A member of the Royal Australian Navy, Mr Quick said there were times during the war when he feared he would never see the love of his life again.
Initially deployed on landing craft – engine-powered barges made of hardwood planks clad with armour, which were primarily used to ferry troops from transport ships to attack enemy-held shores – he was eventually sent to New Guinea and Borneo.
“We went up and down the rivers in the jungle rescuing soldiers left behind after the evacuation [in New Guinea],” he said.
“It was tough and I lost a few of my mates, but I was one of the lucky ones.”
Married at Williamstown’s Holy Trinity Church, the couple eventually lived in Newport and then Yarraville, where they raised their son and daughter and lived for half a century.
For 30 years, they operated a catering business, serving up to 1500 people at a time. “We used to do everything,” Mr Quick said. “We would deliver the food, serve the meals and wash the dishes.”
A former lawn bowls and cricket coach, he now works with Spotswood-Kingsville RSL, recounting stories of the Anzac legend with school students.
While there may not be any connection between running a successful catering business and a long-lasting marriage, they both rely on one key ingredient. “Teamwork,” Mr Quick says.
“We’re fortunate; after all these years we still feel the same about one another.”
