EASTER Monday always holds special meaning for Gunnedah couple Phinny and Rita Herden who began their married life together at St Joseph's Catholic Church 60 years ago.
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The year was 1959 and Easter Monday fell on March 30, when the young couple promised to love and cherish each other all the days of their lives. Family and friends gathered for the wedding at 8:30am as Rita and Phinny made their vows in front of Parish Priest Fr Tom Leahy.
Rita's attendants were her sisters Joan and Marie and Phinny's sister Olga, while Rita's brother Vince Tydd, Noel Kennedy and Adrian Herden were the groomsmen.
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After a wedding breakfast for 180 guests in the Town Hall, the newlyweds drove to Armidale in their Austin 840 to spend the night at Tattersall's Hotel, before heading to Queensland on a road trip. By the time they reached Mackay they had decided to visit Lindeman Island which was just opening up as a tourist resort.
After 10 days relaxing in the tropics, they returned home and settled in a renovated cottage on the family property Tathra near Mullaley, where Phinny was in partnership with his father.
Looking back, Phinny says he had been admiring the young Rita Tydd for quite a while as they attended YCW gatherings and dances, with other young parishioners. They both came from farming backgrounds, with Rita, the daughter of Bill and Hannah Tydd, growing up on the property Kerry near Kelvin. Phinny was the sixth child in family of 11 raised by Gordon and Marjorie Herden. The miles between them were "no problem" and their lives soon became intertwined through tennis days and Phinny's passion for cricket. This continued after their marriage with farming, tennis tournaments at surrounding properties and Phinny's weekend cricket.
The arrival of their first daughter Lucy in 1962 was a gift for the young couple, with twins Cecilia and Bart joining the family in 1964, followed by their youngest Paul in 1967. Life was extremely busy for the young mother, and her sister Marie often helped out. Rita was a staunch supporter of Phinny's cricket interest and she would take the children along every Saturday to watch him play. They still enjoyed their weekend tennis but Sunday Mass at the little church in Mullaley was an integral part of their lives.
The children were all introduced to tennis with the boys also following their father into cricket. They caught the bus in to Gunnedah to attend St Xavier's School and later St Mary's College, although Bart went off to Woodlawn in Lismore.
The early years of mixed farming were productive on the land but around 1980 there was a downturn and Phinny looked for an off-farm income, taking up fencing with George Berryman, followed by a decade at the brickworks. He continued to run cattle on the property but with only one dam and a bore, water was an ongoing problem.
Life was good for the couple as their children made their own way in life and Phinny and Rita became more involved in parish life. Phinny served the community through the Catholic men's organisation, Knights of the Southern Cross, junior tennis and cricket and Toastmasters, where he mentored many aspiring public speakers and helped countless students in Junior Toastmasters. He also loved to sing and recite Australian ballads and every year he was a feature of the annual St Patrick's Day parish concert.
It was their Catholic faith and their love for each other and their family that saw them through the most tragic years of their lives. On February 21, 2002, Phinny suffered a severe spinal injury after falling from a windmill on their Millimbri farm. It was to be another 10 months before he could return home again with Rita by his side. In 2003, the couple built a home in Gunnedah, modified for Phinny's wheelchair and life went on.
Two years later the family was joyously preparing for Paul's marriage to Leanne Riley when their daughters Lucy and Cecilia died tragically in a car accident near Lithgow as they returned from a pre-wedding get-together at Mudgee. The sisters had been living in Sydney for many years and were very close. This dreadful tragedy was hard to overcome, and the wedding two weeks later was a bitter-sweet occasion. In November 2005, joy returned to the family again, with the birth of a grandson Mitchell.
Life had changed for Phinny and Rita but their love and commitment remained and 10 years ago they received a Papal Blessing for their golden wedding anniversary. The celebration for their diamond wedding was a smaller affair, with close family and friends gathering at their home for a luncheon prepared by their devoted daughter-in-law Leanne.
At Mass in St Joseph's that evening, parish priest Fr John McHugh bestowed a special blessing on the couple in front of a delighted faith community.
