With a back story of several sliding door moments, the couple celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on October 22.

They were married in St Thomas' Church Radcliffe, Manchester in 1960 and would emigrate to Australia just eight years later.

But the chain of events leading up to their wedding is nothing short of mesmerising.

Their lives could have been simply quite different.

For Patricia the pathway to long-lasting love started when she spent 16 weeks in hospital when she was halfway through middle school. Her illness meant she had to finish her exams the following year.

Despite being advised to consider a teaching career, Patricia had her heart set on becoming an archaeologist.

And when the latter path failed to materialise, Patricia's father suggested his daughter apply for a position with AV Roe and Co Ltd - the makers of the Vulcan bomber.

"AV Roe was setting up their own staff training school to ensure they got the right calibre of staff," Patricia says.

"Aeronautics was very much in the news during the 1950s.

"I was successful, and returned to the classroom with ten girls and ten boys for three months.

"There was no glass ceiling here as the boys did shorthand and the girls technical drawing.

"We were then sent to different departments to choose what our forte should be - I chose personnel (human relations) and eventually became secretary to the personnel manager."

Meanwhile Graham, another Manchester resident, had completed an engineering apprenticeship with a view of joining the Merchant Navy. He would then join the British Cotton Growers Association in Northern Nigeria.

Through circumstances he returned to Manchester but he soon received his call-up papers for conscription.

"During the weeks prior to going into the army I got a job working temporarily at AV Roe," he said.

"My tenure eventually ended when the factory implemented its three week shutdown whereby I had to hand in my notice to the personnel department - that person was Patricia."

Patricia says that "as soon as he came in the office, rockets went off".

"I thought to myself I'm going to marry this guy - it was literally love at first sight," she said.

But there was a problem: Patricia is a self-described shy person. However, she had a plan.

The plant shutdown meant there was just one canteen operating rather than the three that normally functions.

Her reasoning was to go to the canteen late and hope she "might get noticed".

"Graham was in the queue for a second helping and, after sitting with me while I lunched, he suggested walking me back to my office.

"During this walk, he asked if I wanted to have a look at a Shackleton airplane, which was used for reconnaissance and anti-submarine duties.

"He then asked me for a date," Patricia says.

The following week, the couple went on their first date - with Graham's parents and a week later he proposed.

Just 14 days later he went into the army.

They wrote to each other regularly - sometimes up to five and six pages.

Graham eventually completed his two year army career and they married on October 22, 1960.

The couple arrived in Australia in 1968 and on the day they celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary they collected their adopted daughter Sabra Joanne from the Gosford Hospital when she was five weeks and two day old.

Sabra would eventually raise her own daughter - also called Sabra - who now also lives in Port Macquarie.

To celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary, Graham and Patricia enjoyed a family dinner at a Port Macquarie restaurant.

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