By Karen TongFriday 14 Feb 2014RelationshipsReading Time: 2 minutes
Pastors David and Narelle Crabtree knew each other for three years before David asked Narelle on a date.
Valentine’s Day: Forty Years in Love from Hope Media Ltd on Vimeo.
“I took her out, and I took her out again, and we kept doing that,” David says.
Within four months, they were engaged, and at 22 years of age, they were married.
“I wouldn’t recommend it I don’t think, people getting married with as little as we had, “David says. “But in 1974, with fifty dollars in the bank, you could do it.”
But David says he wouldn’t do anything differently. That’s not to say the couple haven’t had their ups and downs.
“We went through a period where we wondered whether we would stay together,” Narelle says. “But we made a commitment to resolve what was happening in our lives.”
“We realised the love that we had for each other was still there, and it gave us a greater commitment and energy to face the challenges and say, let’s face it, let’s deal with it, and let’s keep going.”
The couple have just celebrated their fortieth anniversary and they still take every opportunity to show that they love and care for one another, not just on special occasions.
“But when we have Anniversaries, Birthdays and Valentine’s Day, a night on the town is a good thing,” says David.