14 February 2023
After more than 69 years of marriage, the love lives on for Regis Como resident Bobby Legget, who will celebrate Valentine’s Day with his wife Sybil on the eve of their 70th wedding anniversary. And as the couple prepare to spend Valentine’s Day 2023 together, they readily admit their happy union has centred on always being true to each other and being focused on making each other happy.
The couple’s love story goes back to the early 1950’s when they met halfway around the world, in Aberdeen in Scotland, while both were working at a paper mill, when Sybil was just shy of her 18th birthday and Bobby was 21 years old.
“It was my first day on the job and apparently Bobby saw me walking down the corridor and said to his friend, ‘that’s the woman I’m going to marry’,” recalls Sybil.
“Bobby had been in the Air Force prior to working at the paper mill and I thought he was quite handsome, so we went out on our first date, and I guess you could say the rest is history.”
A year later, the couple were married on 14 March 1953 – Coronation year as Sybil points out – at a small ceremony at the historic Greyfriars Church in Aberdeen. After their marriage, they went on to have two daughters, before immigrating initially to Victoria in 1960, before heading west – to Perth – a few years later. “We have been very lucky in that we’ve always been happy together, and we’re very proud of our big family, which now includes eight grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren,” adds Bobby.
“We’ve had a wonderful life together and if I’ve got one piece of advice for any fellas planning on popping the question anytime soon, I’d say ‘happy wife, happy life’,” he laughs.
Bonni Sekulich, Regis Como General Manager, says couples like Sybil and Bobby symbolise the true meaning of Valentine’s Day – always being honest, respectful and loving towards each other.
“Sybil and Bobby’s partnership is true testament to a long and happy marriage,” she says. “It will be wonderful to see them celebrate Valentine’s Day, they are a couple who, even after all of these years, obviously love each other very much.”
