A fairy-tale love story blossoms

ECH Rotary Village residents Trish and Dave are a testament that love can blossom when you least expect it.

While Trish has lived in the village for eight years, and Dave for five, it was not until 2019 that their paths crossed, and a friendship grew.

At first, they would see each other at Saturday morning group gatherings at the village’s gazebo. Then Trish noticed Dave regularly walking past a friend’s unit as she sat sharing Happy Hour with them.

One day the friends asked if he wanted to join them for a drink, and the rest they say is history.

Trish adds: “We didn’t stop talking that night. We were never stuck for conversation; we just seemed to click.”

Word quickly spread about the blossoming romance and soon the whole village knew.

“We tried to keep it quiet, but when people started to find out we were dating, it was like a bushfire, and news had spread. Everyone in the village was very supportive and it created a bit of a buzz,” Dave says.

After meeting Trish’s daughter and her family in Cairns, Dave proposed on a Port Douglas beach.

“They thought Dave was it and a bit; they took to him quickly. That was the most important thing to me that they loved and accepted him,” Trish says. The couple was married in Adelaide on 11 February this year at Trish’s daughter’s house in a ceremony performed by a niece who is a celebrant. Celebrations continued at the village’s hall, surrounded by 50 family and friends.

“The day was everything we wanted, and everyone had a good time,” Trish says.

The couple has loved the support and community feel from residents in the village, always chatting with friends as they play bowls and Bingo weekly.

“We have developed a nice friendship with a lot of the residents. We get together and have lots of laughs and good times,” Trish says.

Have you recently celebrated a special occasion? If you would like to share your story, let us know at keepconnected@ech.asn.au