Trek lasts a lifetime

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By SONJA KOREMANS

THEIRS was an unusual first date.
A Warwick couple’s evening stroll to get to know one another after meeting at a cinema in Brisbane turned into a 10km walk through the city into the wee hours.
The trek was a catalyst for an enduring relationship with Ron and Gay LeLay celebrating 60 years of marriage last week. Forty of those have been spent living in the Warwick district.
Ron said he and Gay weren’t complete strangers when they took that memorable first date walk and lost track of time, discussing everything from horse riding to gardening.
“Gay and I were on a blind date at the pictures with the two friends who had set us up. After the movie finished, we decided to walk home together as we lived in nearby Brisbane suburbs,” Ron said.
“We didn’t realise quite how far it was though, at least 9kms.”
Neither can recall what movie they saw.
“No one ever remembers what movie they see on a first date,” Ron quipped.
“I was too interested in getting to know Gay.”
Maybe it was not love at first sight for Gay though, but she thought Ron was “handsome and alright” when they met back in the 1950s. She was 18, he was 21.
“Ron was in Scouts and I was in Girl Guides and one of Ron’s Scout friends suggested he and I and should meet so that’s how we ended up at the pictures in town,” Gay said.
“Ron and I got on well straight away.”
After a three-year courtship, the couple tied the knot on 16 April 1955 in Brisbane before moving to the Darling Downs.They owned farms at Maryvale and Swan Creek, later retiring to Warwick where they enjoy pottering in the garden and having family over.
The LeLays say their secret to a long and lasting marriage is listening to each other, tolerance and compromise.
“Family is very important to us and we share similar interests, horses, the garden, museums and travel,” Gay said.
On Saturday they celebrated their diamond anniversary with 65 friends and family at the Warwick Bowling Club.
They have five children, eleven grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
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