NOT WED

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17238, 19 April 1930, Page 13

NOT WED

50 YEABS' ROMANCE AGEp COUPLE *: SYDNEY, April 9. ,fsuijt an plci pouplc wbu have lived together as man and wife for SO yoars, reared a family and won high respect in a large western town are in reality unmarried, has been revealed at the Licombe State Hospital. Both have taken'a prominent part in public affairs. They have grown comfortable in worldly goods, and are known as excellent citizens. Recently the ohl man fell ill while on a visit to Sydney, and was taken to the Licombo State Hospital, whore hi) insisted upon making a will. He left all his fairly substantial property tot a woman witJi samc surname as himself. ■ Next day he sought pen and paper ikim-ie i#s|e another will; and this tpe; with the" exception of a few legacies to bis sons and daughters, all

his property was bequeathed to a woman with another surname.

Hq explained to an attendant that one will was made out in his "wife's" maiden name, and the other in the nahie, by which slie was known as his Wife.'' ' ':■,:'■':■

"We were never married," he said, "and I'y.c. got to bo sure sh.o gets it. When we first started living together she was a servant ,pn a Ration, and I was 1 a.station hatld. The nearest parson was 100 miles away, at Bourke, and we could not go there. "Wo took up property, and as the children came along we 'were afraid to get;married, because people would find out.

■"■ We have got along well these 5.0 years, and we have been a lot happier than most who'have been niarricjtj. Our family does not know about it; so what does it.matterf"