By JOHN VAN KLAVEREN
A DRYSDALE couple celebrating a 60th wedding anniversary is proof absence really does makes the heart grow fonder.
Ivan and Margaret Hawthorn both smiled about the proposition their long periods apart might have contributed to their wedded bliss.
Ivan spent months at a time as an Antarctic polar expedition leader while Margaret handled four children at home.
Working for the Commonwealth Department of Supply, Ivan wintered in Antarctica and sub-Antarctica for five years out of 10.
He was awarded four Polar Medallions, became an International Fellow of a famous New York Explorers Club and was conferred an MBE.
Margaret was born in Tallangatta and moved to Geelong, while Ivan was from Ungarie and joined the RAAF.
“I trained as a pilot and one of the community programs was life a saving patrol at Ocean Grove. My flight went into Geelong to the Saturday night dance at the Palais and that’s where I met Margaret,” he said.
The pair married on 19 December 1953 and moved from RAAF station to station for 17 years.
Margaret is well known around Geelong after working 20 years as bursar at Chanel College.
Ivan has involved himself in many voluntary positions including the National Trust, Prostate Cancer Awareness Walk, Life Activities Club-Geelong and acted as a Justice of the Peace since 1974.
In her retirement, Margaret worked as part-time manager of St Joseph’s Op Shop in Geelong West.
The couple has plenty of family to share their special occasion with 17 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren at last count.
