``Life is what you make it,'' Mrs Gondolf said.

``We always got on well.''

Communication was also important, Mr Gondolf said.

``We always sit down and talk things out,'' he said.

This technique is something Mr and Mrs Gondolf, who were married in Darlinghurst on March 11, 1950, have passed on to their children and grandchildren.

It has made their family very happy, their daughter Karen Costello says.

``It is something that we do as a family, and even with our own children,'' she said.

The happy couple's married life did not get off to the smoothest of starts.

Mr Gondolf was serving in the Navy in the Korean War when he learned via telegram that his wife had just given birth to their first daughter.

She would be five months old before he met her, his wife having endured months of bringing her up alone.

However, Mrs Gondolf chalks this up as one of the hardships they have endured together.

``We've had our ups and downs like any couple,'' she said. ``We've stayed together because we wanted to do it. We're still with each other after 60 years and that says it all.''

The Gondolfs moved recently from Taree into Carrington's nursing home to be closer to their ever-expanding family.

The couple have four daughters, four grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren, some of whom live in the Camden area.

``It is very important for me to be close to my family,'' Mrs Gondolf said. ``It keeps me young.''