Cooya Beach couple shares the secret to 42 years of love and commitment
LOCAL LOVE
This Valentine’s Day, we celebrate the enduring love of local couples. Among them are Cooya Beach residents Mick and Kendra Randazzo, who have been married for 42 years. Newsport asked them about the secret to a lasting marriage.
Married in 1982, Mick and Kendra believe their longevity as a couple comes down to one key principle: genuine compromise, without caveats.
“A relationship is always evolving, people grow and change, and it’s not static,” Kendra said.
“We’re certainly not the same people we were when we first met, so part of staying together is allowing each other to grow while also accommodating those changes.”
Kendra first met Mick in Tasmania, where they lived at the time, and it wasn’t quite love at first sight.
“I actually thought he was a bit of a show-off at first,” she recalled.
Just 17 at the time, she later realised he was simply trying to impress her. “The very thing he was doing to attract me was actually repelling me. But he persevered!”
What ultimately won her over was Mick’s ability to introduce her to a whole new world. Coming from a conservative upbringing with no music in the house, Mick opened up her world.
“He introduced me to music artists like Tom Waits and Leonard Cohen and he took me to places I’d never been, encouraged me to try new things,” she said.
After decades in Tasmania, the couple moved to Cooya Beach in late 2023 after COVID disrupted their European travel plans, with a spontaneous trip to Port Douglas sparking their decision.
As for their daily lives, the couple has settled into a comfortable rhythm, with Mick being retired and Kendra working at Mossman Hardware store.
“By the time you’ve been together as long as we have, the big arguments and passionate conflicts settle. You know each other so well that you don’t waste energy on things that don’t matter,” Kendra shared.
Their favourite ritual is weekend coffee at Origin in Port Douglas, often followed by a walk with their dog. They also love exploring, taking drives to the Tablelands, Cape Tribulation, and Lake Tinaroo, always finding new places to discover.
Advice for young couples
When asked what advice they’d give to young couples, Kendra doesn’t hesitate.
“Go into it with open eyes and tolerance. Be flexible in your beliefs, not in a way that makes you lose yourself, but in a way that softens the edges.
“A relationship is like climbing a mountain, the younger years are the hardest because you’re juggling so many things; work, debt, children. But you have the energy for it. Once you’ve climbed that mountain, the journey down is so much easier.”
Kendra also encourages couples to focus on the marriage, not just the wedding.
“Some people put all their focus on the wedding and forget about the marriage that comes after. My advice? Have a simple wedding, and focus on the life you’re building together.”