Mary Young and Wayne Corlett, a Canadian and a New Zealander respectively, met on a chance encounter in Sydney’s Bondi Beach in 1976. At the time, Mary was working in Vancouver, British Columbia, and had gone to Australia for a working holiday. Wayne was also in Australia, working on a vacation and living with friends in Bondi Beach.
Mary and Wayne, both 21 at the time, had different plans for the future. However, when a coin toss brought them together on a Saturday evening, they had an instant connection. Wayne asked Mary to dinner, and soon they were taking long walks together, sharing their life stories and values.
They decided to put their jobs aside and travel Australia together, living off a station wagon and small budget. Three months into their trip, Wayne proposed to Mary, and the couple returned to Canada, getting married soon after.
Their children were born two years later, and they welcomed four kids together. The family moved back and forth between British Columbia and New Zealand, introducing their children to their respective hometowns.
Today, Mary and Wayne are retirees, celebrating almost 50 years together. Despite the ups and downs of life, they maintain a strong sense of commitment, respect, and love for one another. As they reflect on their life, they agree they are incredibly grateful to have found each other so early in their lives.
“We’ve really grown up together,” Mary says, adding she is “incredibly lucky” to have found someone who wants to spend his life with her. Wayne adds that he finds it amazing how they came from opposite sides of the world, grew up on different continents, and ended up together.
Throughout their journey, Mary and Wayne have remained passionate about their private time together. They made rules to avoid work talk at home, ensuring that their family relationships remained strong and healthy.
Over the years, they have welcomed 13 grandkids and had their share of adventures. Though they are retiring, they remain committed to exploration, having been to all continents except Antarctica, and plan to return to Australia to celebrate their 50-year anniversary.
“We’ve lost nothing but gained an incredible life partner,” Mary summarizes, as she and Wayne head into their new chapter, holding hands and appreciating the whims of fate that brought them together.