Emma Pritchard
Junction Hill couple Carl and Tain Ross (nee Marsh), will celebrate their 65th wedding anniversary on January 17.
Born and raised in Northern NSW, Mr Ross grew up in Nimbin and The Channon while his wife spent her childhood at Lionsville, northwest of Grafton, and completed her education at Baryulgil Primary School and Armidale Ladies Christian Collage.
They met each other while they were both living and working in Lismore, and their companionship and shared interests quickly brought the couple together.
“He was working in the dairy industry, and I went to Lismore to finish a bookkeeping and business course,” Mrs Ross said.
“I was boarding with some family friends, and Carl was boarding with their parents.
“One day our paths crossed, we got to know one another, and I suppose you could say it all happened from there.”
The couple married at St Andrews Church in Lismore and had two children, daughter Leanda, who was born on their first wedding anniversary in 1960, and son Anthony, who arrived in 1963.
The family relocated to Sydney and lived in the southwestern suburb of Liverpool while Mr Ross pursued a successful career with the NSW Police Force.
With two young children to care for, their lives were suddenly turned upside down when Mrs Ross received a devastating breast cancer diagnosis, aged 28.
After undergoing surgery and an intense treatment program, she successfully entered remission, and the family moved to Morisset in the Hunter region where they remained for close to 30 years.
The couple became an integral part of their local community.
Mrs Ross worked as a Trust Accounts Officer for Morisset Hospital while her husband was honoured with a Citizen of the Year Award from Lake Macquarie City Council in recognition of his community service.
Prior to moving to the Clarence Valley, the couple retired to Arrawarra and lived in a two-story holiday home they had built in the 1980s.
Each year, they generously make and distribute Christmas cakes to friends, family, and local residents.
Mr Ross enjoys entering magazine competitions and has already amassed an impressive collection of prizes while Mrs Ross, a talented craftsperson, crochets beautiful fine cotton pictures which have won many accolades at the Grafton Show through the years.
Mr Ross is also a regular entrant in the Grafton Show and has taken home numerous prizes for his homemade jam.
The couple have four grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren who they love to spoil.
They are planning to celebrate their 65th wedding anniversary by having a special lunch at the Blue Goose Hotel in Junction Hill with their loved ones.