General News
18 May, 2026
Good friendship is key
JOHN and Ann Wakefield, who are celebrating 65 years of marriage, have reflected on a lifetime of adventure that carried them across states, countries and careers, before finally calling Innisfail home.
The couple say the secret to their long and happy marriage is simple: “being good friends, loving each other, keeping their own interests, so there’s always something new to share, working through your differences and choosing happiness every day.”
The long term Innisfail couple received congratulatory messages from King Charles III and Queen Camilla, Governor General of Australia Samantha Mostyn, Governor of Queensland, Dr Jeanette Young, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Queensland Premier David Crisafulli, federal member for Kennedy Bob Katter and state member for Hill Shane Knuth, a fitting tribute to a partnership that began with an unforgettable first meeting.
Both born and raised in suburban Adelaide, John and Ann first crossed paths at a friend’s 21st birthday party. Ann was 16, John was 20 and dressed in his National Serviceman’s uniform, a detail she still remembers clearly. Their introduction was memorable for another reason: John accidentally bumped into Ann and spilt beer down the front of her new red dress. The mishap was quickly forgiven and a friendship soon blossomed into romance.
Two years later, they married on 29 April 1961 at the Methodist Church in Salisbury, Adelaide, celebrating with 50 guests. Soon after, John joined the Air Force and the couple spent eight years in Edinburgh before relocating to Suva in 1969, where John worked in aircraft ground maintenance for Fiji Airways. They lived in Fiji for four and a half years before returning to Adelaide.
Back home, John worked as a sheet metal worker and welder in his brother’s engineering business, producing prefabricated steel for the Broken Hill Mines. The couple later bought a large country supermarket with an attached home in Watervale, Clare Valley, running it six and a half days a week while raising their family.
In 1979, they sold the shop, packed up a 7m-long caravan and set off on a Queensland holiday. After returning to Watervale, they bought a vineyard and John operated a business constructing grape trellises, farm fencing and cattle yards. Eleven demanding years later, they again headed north, this time for good.
They settled in East Innisfail in 1994, later working in the building industry and spending time in Mission Beach before renovating and living in a cottage in El Arish for nine years. The couple eventually moved to Warrina Lakes Village, where they have enjoyed the past 18 years of retirement.
John and Ann have two children, five grandchildren and five great grandchildren. One of their fondest memories is celebrating their 50th anniversary in 2011, the same day Prince William married Kate Middleton. Now, as the Wakefields celebrate 65 years together, the royal couple marks 15 years of marriage.
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