Bill and Elaine Edmunds celebrate 70th wedding anniversary in Tamworth

Robert Menzies beat out Ben Chifley for Prime Minister, famous singer Daryl Braithewaite was born and Bill and Elaine Edmunds tied the knot.

The pair met at a dance in Glen Innes, Mrs Edmunds father was part of the five-piece band.

"Her father played the piano, quite often we'd be at a dance and the music was going, and going, and going," Mr Edmunds said.

"Somebody said, 'When's it going to stop?'

"Her father was up there asleep, but still playing."

Mr Edmunds was contracted to build a bridge in Glen Innes at the time, he slept in a tent at the showgrounds and would wander around town with his mate on their days off.

He'd noticed Elaine about town, and she had noticed him too.

"I thought he was pretty nice, he was a stranger to town and of course when a stranger comes to town you always wonder who they are," she said.

On Elaine's 21^st birthday, Mr Edmunds said he "put the hard word" on her, and asked her to marry him.

"I think he liked me a little bit then," she said.

Six months later they were married in the Cameron Memorial Church in Macquarie Street, Glen Innes.

The couple went on to have three children, Annette, Steven and Greg.

The trick to a 70-year marriage is give and take, Mrs Edmunds said.

"I couldn't have asked for anything else in the world," she said.

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"Even though our family live far apart now, our love is set just the same, we're a really close family."

The couple celebrated their anniversary with family on Saturday.

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