Aveo aged care residents, Nola and Murray Schofield, have shared a love so strong that when asked, neither could recall a single argument during their 68 years of marriage.
When they first met, Nola was a shy schoolgirl who would turn her head away from the handsome young man with red hair when he tried to strike up a conversation on the bus.
In their small New Zealand farming community just north of Christchurch, the teenagers had to make their own fun including organising the regular dances.
It was Christmas 1952 when Murray, an apprentice mechanic, dressed in his Sunday best and rode his pushbike to the dance. As the last dance of the night was called, he noticed the girl from the bus asleep under the Christmas tree, exhausted after an arduous trip with the school orchestra.
Murray woke the sleeping beauty, asked her to dance and to his surprise she agreed.
“I was 15 and a half and he was almost 18 and we remained together from that moment. He was my first boyfriend and I was his first girlfriend,’’ Nola said.
“We just clicked, it was meant to be. He always described me as ‘the best Christmas present he ever received’.’’
They married on February 4, 1956, built a home together, had three children and when Murray retired they moved to Brisbane.
“We did absolutely everything together. We gardened, painted and built things together. We even took an interest in each other’s hobbies,’’ Nola said.
As residents of Aveo’s Forest Grove retirement living at Durack, south of Brisbane, Murray delighted in buying flowers for his sweetheart from the florist who made weekly visits to the close-knit community.
Murray had been in hospital for three weeks and was very unwell but he made sure to place an order for a huge bouquet for Nola’s 88th birthday. Murray died on July 18 last year, and four days later Nola’s birthday blooms arrived just as he had arranged.
Even in death, Murray was still showing his love for the best present he found under the Christmas tree.
