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This Valentine’s Day, we want to share a story about friendship, community, and lasting love. Arthur and June have been together for almost seventy years, building their life on kindness, resilience, and a love for life, not just romance.
Arthur has lived at Ozcare Bakhita Villa Aged Care in Oxley since September 2021. When he needed more daily help and June could no longer care for him, he moved from Redcliffe to Oxley. This way, he could get the support he needed and still keep his life with June.
In April the next year, June moved across town to Ozcare’s Canossa Gardens Retirement Village, right next to Arthur’s aged care home. It took her a while to settle in, but now June says living there feels just right. “You make home wherever life takes you.
Each week, that feeling of home is easy to see. June brings Arthur home, just across the road. Fridays are their special day, when they share fish and chips like they always have. Arthur can see June’s apartment from his window. It’s a small thing, but it brings real comfort.
co-located with Bakhita Villa
Where it all began
Arthur was born in Victoria and June in Roma. Both families later moved to Ipswich, where they met in September 1957 on a bus trip to Coolangatta with the local Christian youth group. On the way back, they felt a spark, and soon after, Arthur asked June to go to the movies. They got engaged around Easter in 1958 and married in May 1959. They have now been together for 67 years.
A life of service and community
Arthur worked in the postal service for 43 years, starting as a postman and later becoming a manager. After he retired, he and June lived in Goodna before moving to Margate. June worked for Ipswich City Council and later joined the postal service once their children were older. Together, they adopted and raised four children. Now, their family includes seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Life with the Post Office took the family to many communities, including Esk, Roma, Tara, Chinchilla, and Nambour. In these smaller towns, Arthur and June discovered the value of slow days and close-knit communities that truly looked after one another. Giving back became a natural part of life.
Arthur helped others through St. Vincent de Paul, visited people through welfare programs, helped at schools, volunteered with Meals on Wheels, and joined the Rotary Club. June was always by his side, just as dedicated to volunteering and supporting local charities wherever they lived. The secret to their long and happy marriage is simple: Arthur and June have always been good friends.
You can see their friendship in their weekly walks across the road, their shared meals, and the way June always makes any place feel like home. Arthur stays positive and hopes to reach 95, just like his father.
This Valentine’s Day, we cheer Arthur and June on! We’re proud to keep supporting them with Ozcare’s continuum of care, adapting as their needs change, so they can stay independent and connected in the Oxley community.
Love doesn’t have to end when life changes. It simply grows, adapts, and always finds a new place to call home.
