Couple Jess and Jack Eley celebrate 70 years of marriage

The pair met while ballroom dancing at Queens Hall in Bicton when they were just 16 years old.

Their romance was put on hold when Mr Eley enlisted with the Air Force in 1942, though he did propose before being sent to Canada for training as a navigator.

Mr Eley was discharged on April 27, 1945 and married Jess on the same date the following year at St John’s Anglican Church in Fremantle.

The couple spent some time in Albany before building their own home in Attadale in 1953.

Mr Eley’s work with the Customs Department led to the family, including daughter Kaye and son Ron, relocating to Lautoka in Fiji from 1959 to 1962.

The Eleys moved back to Attadale in 1962, where they lived until 2002, when they moved into St Ives Murdoch.

Mrs Eley worked for many years as a bookkeeper at Fremantle shipping agent F W Churcher.

Both Mr and Mrs Eley were founding members of the Melville Bowling Club, and Mrs Eley has played in a number of State Championships over the years, winning both club and State titles.

The pair will celebrate the milestone surrounded by family, including four grandchildren and seven great grandchildren, at a breakfast on Sunday.