'Yes dear': Mal and Marge's secret to 75 years

As they celebrate three-quarters of a century together, Mal and Marge Grimley, at 95 and 93 respectively, have not forgotten their rainy 1951 Sydney wedding day.

"Marge was 18, and I was 20," Mr Grimley says. "And it wasn't a shotgun wedding," Mrs Grimley interjects.

"It was like winning a lottery that we were so young," Mrs Grimley adds.

Decades later, the couple's romantic-comedy meet-cute at the local cinema is still fresh in their minds.

"You pinched my seat," Mrs Grimley says. "No, you pinched my seat," Mr Grimley says.

"At interval we went out and when I came back in, Marge was sitting in my seat … she wouldn't get out.

"So I sat on her lap," Mr Grimley says.

And in what Mrs Grimley describes as a different time, the pair waited nine months for their first kiss.

"One night, we had been to the movies; we sat on the front doorstep … I said, 'If you don't kiss me tonight, I will kiss you,'" she remembers.

"So he kissed me. It wouldn't happen like that these days."

Diamond anniversary

The couple's diamond anniversary was held at the independent living facility where Mrs Grimley still lives, while Mr Grimley has only recently moved into assisted living.

After 75 years together, it is hard to now face the prospect of living apart.

"It's lonely," he says. "It's hard looking at one toothbrush on the sink," she says.

The couple's three-quarters of a century together was celebrated by everyone, from close family members to their cleaner and personal trainer.

Their daughter, Dana Whitty, says her parents' philosophy is:

"Treat your partner as you wish to be treated, listen to what they are saying and look at their point of view.

"Embrace Indigenous and multicultural customs and people; they have experienced many things that we have not.

"And lastly, in a world where you can be anything, be kind."

'Great wife, big softie'

Moving between Woollahra, the NSW coast and then settling in Canberra for the past 27 years, the couple has volunteered for local charities and cheered for local sporting teams.

Their daughter says they are always the first to roll up their sleeves and help out.

For their anniversary, the couple was showered in flowers, gifts and cards, even from King Charles III and Queen Camilla and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

Their next-door neighbour, who was at the celebration, says: "You get what you give, and they gave a lot."

Mrs Grimley did not want to advise any younger couples hoping to make the distance, but she pointed to Mr Grimley's words, which she said made good advice.

"Two words to make a marriage … yes, and dear," he said.

Tearing up when asked what he loved about his wife of 75 years, Mr Grimley wondered what was not to love about her.

"Couldn't be without her … Marge carried all the weight,"

he said.

"She's been a great wife and a great nurse and cook and everything else … she's carried all the weight."

And Mrs Grimley? Here's what she said when asked what she loves about Mr Grimley: "He's a big softie; that's what I love about him, big softie."