Peter and Sheila Murray have been married for almost 67 years. Photo: Shri Gayathirie Rajen/Supplied.
Soon to celebrate 67 years of marriage, Wagga’s Sheila and Peter Murray share the secret to their enduring romance: never stop courting, even after getting married, to keep the romance alive.
“It always surprises me when couples get married and stop going out as much,” Peter said. “She’s the person you courted, and I believe you should stay socially involved.
“You should remain the same as when you were courting. When children come along, things change, but I don’t think a man always needs to go to the hotel. That was a big thing in Australia.”
Sheila added: “After we got married, we’d go to all the balls and anything socially.
“We had our parents nearby and could leave our children with them. We had a happy life.”
Asked about their marital journey, Peter, 89, said his 86-year-old wife had been an invaluable support to him.
“When I worked in the garage and we had to pick up new cars in Sydney, Sheila and I would leave the kids with our grandparents,” Peter said.
“We’d take an overnight sleeper train to Sydney and drive the new cars back to Gundagai the next day. We did that for seven years.”
Peter and Sheila at the first ball in Nangus. Photo: Supplied.
Rule one: never argue
The couple have never argued seriously, except when Peter detoured to the cricket ground while getting vegetables for lunch.
When Peter finally came home just after 1 pm, Sheila asked: “Where the bloody hell have you been?”
“We’ve never really had an argument,” Peter said. ”If Sheila were upset, I wouldn’t say anything. She had a reason to be upset a few times.”
Sheila said: “We got on very well. He did his thing through the week, and I did mine, but we always had time together on the weekends.”
“I still love her dearly,” Peter said.
“Do you think I should love him?” Sheila joked. “I don’t think so. Look at the grin on his face.”
The Murrays. Photo: Supplied.
How the pair met and tied the knot
The couple’s paths first crossed when Peter, 19, came to Sheila’s father’s shop in Nangus after a motorbike race.
Seeing the motorbike, 16-year-old Sheila told her father, “I’m not serving those bikies” and went inside.
About a month later, Sheila and Peter met properly at a ball in Nangus.
“I remember Sheila had a pretty purple dress on, and I had quite a few dances with her that evening,” Peter recounted.
“At the end of the night, I asked her, ‘May I walk you home?’ and she said, ‘No’.”
“I didn’t know the man,” Sheila said. “He was new to me. I wasn’t trusting anyone to walk me home.”
Peter and Sheila have been together for 70 years. Photo: Supplied.
One night after the ball, Peter was at the movies, and just as he was about to buy tickets, he noticed Sheila walking in.
“I said to the lady selling tickets, ‘I’ll have two, thank you’.”
He then asked Sheila, “Would you like to sit with me? I’ve got a spare ticket’,” Peter gleefully recalled, winking at his wife across the table.
“It became a tradition every Saturday night. We even had Jimmy Johnson, who owned the theatre, put us in cuddle seats; there was no armrest between us.”
Sheila added: “It wasn’t just us, it was everyone with boyfriends and girlfriends.”
The romance and date nights continued for three years before Peter asked Sheila for her hand. They tied the knot on 3 May, 1958, in Gundagai and moved into rental premises above a garage.
Hard work and dedication
While the couple didn’t have to pay rent, Peter was expected to work seven days, be available whenever someone needed help in the garage, and answer phone calls.
“We lived there for nine years, during which time our children were born, and the place caught on fire. Sheila woke up and said, ‘Peter, I think the place is on fire’.”
Sheila said: “The room was filled with smoke … a big garage with all the oil, fuels, and cars underneath.
“I grabbed the kids and blankets and dumped them on the truck outside.”
In 1973, the Murray family bought a home in Gundagai, and later their third in 2000, and lived there for 18 years.
The Murray family lived in Gundagai. Photo: Supplied.
Peter shared a funny story about his children, who put a ”For Sale” sign in front of the house when their parents went out for a few hours.
Peter worked for Gundagai Motors for 41 years. When the business struggled, the father-of-five took a part-time job looking after motels with Sheila.
“We worked side-by-side in motels, mainly in Gundagai, Tarcutta, Wagga, and Albury, for eight years. We worked nearly 11 months a year,” Peter said.
“Sheila cooked breakfast every morning, and I did deliveries and the bookwork.
“We worked hard and always worked long hours.”
The couple kept their romance alive after marrying, with regular date nights. Photo: Supplied.
Sheila also shared a story about taking nuns on holiday to Adelaide.
The nuns, whom Peter used to help chop wood, asked if Sheila would accompany them.
Sheila said it was unusual at the time due to their religious differences – she was Anglican, and the nuns were Catholic.
Sheila and Peter with their grandchildren. Photo: Supplied.
Counting their blessings
Sheila and Peter were born and raised in Gundagai and feel fortunate for their life together.
“We’ve had a lovely life, happy with our children,” Sheila said.
Peter added: “We’re also fortunate to have 14 grandchildren, seven boys and seven girls, all successful in their jobs.”
As the interview ended, Sheila continued her playful banter with Peter.
Peter smiled at her and said: “Sheila, I don’t care what you say, sweetheart, I still love you.”
Peter was deeply involved in the community, holding roles at the Gundagai Football Club, Gundagai Preschool Committee, Convent School Parents and Friends Committee, and Tumut College of TAFE. He served 34 years in Rotary and was president, secretary and treasurer of the Gundagai Chamber of Commerce.
Peter also contributed as treasurer of Gundagai Money for Children and secretary at the Gundagai Golf Club and Nangus Cricket Club.
The couple moved to Wagga Wagga in 2018.
