Sydney couple married for 56 years share their secrets to love

They’ve spent 56 happy years together— and it all started the first time Judy and Tony Watts met, more than half a century ago.

They say a first impression can make or break a relationship, but for one Sydney couple it’s been the key to a love that has lasted a lifetime.

That seems to be the case for Judy and Tony Watts, who will today celebrate their 56th Valentines Day as a married couple.

The Watts, from Castle Hill, met through mutual friends more than half a century ago and haven’t looked back, with Mrs Watts, 84, claiming she knew from the moment she met her husband, 87, she would spend her life with him.

“I feel very content having spent my life with Tony, we have had a very good life together,” she said.

“When we met him, I knew he was the one.”

Married for 56 years, Tony & Judy Watts. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

And more than five decades on, the elderly couple are still going strong, and say the key to a healthy, happy long-term marriage is down to one simple thing.

“Tolerance and patience, we don’t argue and are very understanding of what we need and want.” Mr Watts said.

Avoiding conflict and creating a calm household also helped keep their relationship smooth sailing, the pair said.

Although they tied the knot in 1968, the pair was surprised to learn they had been married for that long, telling this masthead “you don't need to count” after a while.

“It’s very surprising hearing we have been married for that long, there hasn't been a bad passage of time so we have just started looking at our relationship for what it is,” Mrs Watts said.

Despite the ups and downs life has brought them, the elderly couple say they could not imagine being with anyone else on Valentines Day, or to spend the rest of their years with.

The pair fell in love at first sight, before they married in 1968. Picture: Justin Lloyd..

Both Tony and Judy have used the love of their two children as motivation and a reason to keep getting up in the morning, with the couple describing their parenting experience as “a real joy”.

“Tony really enjoyed being a father and raising the kids, its something that again, brought us closer together,” Mrs Watts said.

“Both of our parents have passed now, but when they were around we had a great relationship with them, and it has been an honour to pass that on to our children.”

This February 14 will be a family affair for the Watts, who have opted for a simple gathering rather than any grand romantic gestures for each other.

“(A big Valentine’s Day celebration) has never really interested us but we are going to have a dinner with our children to celebrate,” Mrs Watts said.

“The family is a fairly compact family and we all get along very well, so its better for us to celebrate with them.”

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