This June, long-time Port Douglas locals Anne and Peter Lloyd will celebrate 59 years of marriage, a milestone they credited to one simple principle: looking after each other.

“The secret to staying together that long is to look after each other,” Anne said.

Peter agreed. “If you care for someone, it’s about give and take. We hardly ever argued because we sorted things out before they became arguments,” he said.

Peter never tired of telling the story of how they met.

“We both worked at the same place back in the UK. One day, as I was chatting with a colleague in the factory, Anne walked past to get a drink from the water fountain.

“I noticed her straight away, she had a nice walk. When she finished, I cheekily asked, ‘Aren’t you going to leave the tap on for me?’ And, to my surprise, she actually turned it back on!

“That got me curious. A few days later, I made sure to bump into her and, bold as anything, asked, ‘Would you like to go out to dinner?’”

Anne hesitated at first, telling him she would think about it. A few days later, she agreed on one condition.

“We were both engaged to other people at the time, so we had to end those commitments properly first,” Anne explained.

From the UK to Port Douglas

After getting married, Anne and Peter knew they wanted a fresh start.

“We were disillusioned with life in the UK, the economy, the weather. We wanted something different,” Anne said.

In 1971, they arrived in Adelaide, and adventurous as they were at the time, they bought a caravan and travelled around Australia in search of the perfect place to call home.

“People thought we were crazy, just a little station wagon and a tiny caravan,” Anne recalled. “But we loved the journey. We only had each other to rely on.”

Eventually, they found their paradise in Port Douglas, where they built a life and owned the renowned Mocka’s Pies bakery for many years.

A shared love for history and community

Anne and Peter share a deep passion for preserving Douglas Shire’s history, dedicating over 30 years to volunteering with the Douglas Shire Historical Society and the Court House Museum, work they continue to this day.

“There is no place like Port Douglas, and we wanted people to remember the town as it once was,” Peter said.

Their dedication to the community didn’t go unnoticed. In 2012 they received the Douglas Shire Volunteer of the Year award and medal for their contributions to local history and the community.