TRUE LOVE does exist and is embraced at an aged care service in Caboolture where a husband and wife, aged 101 and 95 respectively, celebrate their 67^th married Valentine’s Day together.

On 14 February Joyce Mitchell will take her short daily stroll from her low-care suite through the grounds of St Paul’s Lutheran Aged Care Village to visit beau Hugh Mitchell in a neighbouring high-care suite to reminisce about their long and loving marriage.

In the evening the love birds will attend a Valentine’s Day Ball at St Paul’s along with around 60 residents from other local aged care services.

The couple live alongside each other in co-located facilities at the service and believe the secret ingredients to a happy marriage are good communication, team work and mutual care.

“We understand each other and always talk matters over and work as a team,” Hugh said.

“You can’t have your own way all the time and you should try and do the right thing between you as a couple and be supportive,” Joyce said.

The duo met in England when Hugh served in the 464th squadron flying a Mosquito in bombing raids over Germany in World War II. Joyce worked as a Women’s Auxiliary Force clerk at the airbase.

After surviving the depression and leaving England behind, the war bride had to adapt to isolated conditions in Normanton, a small cattle town in Northwest Queensland’s Gulf Country.

It was there she baked her own bread and waded across the flooded Norman River to reach the hospital to give birth to her first child.

After Hugh’s 72 flights during World War II, he was awarded with the Distinguished Flying Cross and excerpts from his diary were featured in a book called The Gestapo Hunters by Mark Lax and Leon Kane-Maguire.  

Hugh and Joyce have three children and three grandchildren. Their eldest grand-daughter has carried on the flying tradition as a squadron leader with the Royal Australian Air Force. 

St Paul’s Lutheran Aged Care Executive Director of Nursing Maggie Hepple said St Paul’s has many couples on site still remaining together.

“We think it is vital to cater for couple’s in line with their changing health needs,” she said.