By Cam Lucadou-Wells
An enduring, happy 60 years of marriage started with a chance encounter on the beach of Phillip Island.
Summer 1955, the Scottish-born Alex Forbes was on holidays with his Morwell mates. It was there where his future bride and Phillip Island local Gloria was on life-saving duty.
“When I met her, I said that I’m going to marry her,” Alex, 83, says.
Four years later, they wed on the island’s Presbyterian Church. They moved to Lilac Avenue, Dandenong North that year, bringing up three children Lisa, Avril and David.
Sixty years on, the diamond wedding milestone is the “norm” for their group of friends, Gloria, 82, says.
Alex migrated as a 14-year-old with his family from Edinburgh in 1950. It was the best decision his father made, escaping post-war rations, he said.
Alex worked on the Snowy River hydro-electric scheme, did National Service, and moved to Dandenong as a fitter-and-turner with GMH before responding to an ad for trade teachers at Dandenong Tech School.
He stayed in the vocation for 30 years, as well as 13 years in the Army Reserve including as lieutenant in the Dandenong-based 15th Field Regiment.
He’s been a Freemason for the past 50, including at the former lodge in Mason Street Dandenong.
Alex was proud of introducing “self-learning” courses tailored for a diversity of students – male, female and of different year levels and rates of learning.
It broke from the mould of a “lock-step” generalised curriculum that was taught the same across all tech schools.
“That’s what is the trouble with the high schools and universities,” he says.
“The high schools are locked into teaching for examinations – they don’t take into account that kids have different learning styles.”
Gloria, a retired kindergarten teacher, said she found overseas families were more aware of the importance of education, including pre-schools.
“They put more stress on education for improving their children’s futures.”
She was one of the first adult students completing a Higher School Certificate at the former Cleeland High School before going to kindergarten training college in Kew.
This month, the couple are celebrating their 60th anniversary with family and friends at the Dandenong Club.
