His nurse, Delma Hayes, turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to him.

They fell for each other and married and the Albury couple will now celebrate their 65th anniversary on Saturday, March 30. What also makes the time extra special is on Tuesday, April 2, Mr Stuart will turn 90, a milestone in itself.

Patience, love, and care was what the Stuarts said had been the key to a good marriage - that and their unwavering commitment to one another.

Mrs Stuart was working at the old Albury hospital on Wodonga Place at the time, while he was passing through town on the way from Griffith.

He said he remembered the moment they first laid eyes on each other "to the exact hour".

"It was the 13th of September at 3.10pm in 1956 when we met, that's precise," he said.

"I remember because I was waiting for my mother to come in, but then Delma walked in and then after that we courted for two and a half years."

The pair married at Mrs Stuart's family farm in Henty, with around 100 guests sharing their nuptials.

Each were one of nine children, which pointed to their strong family values.

The couple went on to have two children, Sharyn and Geoffrey.

"We have six grandchildren now, and seven great-grandchildren," Mr Stuart said.

"We are very blessed."

After they were married, Mr Stuart went out to be a contractor and built many homes for their family, as well as a hotel, before settling in East Albury.

"I was in my 70s when I built our last home," he said.

"People said: 'What, build? You're crazy. You're 70 years of age.' I said: 'So what?'

"I got lots of help and worked very hard."

Mrs Stuart said they had been fortunate to visit about 65 countries together, sharing a mutual interest in travel.

"We've had a very good relationship," she said.

"We had a very close family, and our family are our friends."

Mr Stuart said his wife was quite simply a "very loving, caring person, very concerned about others' well being".

"A little bit too much so, as she's a real softy when it comes to people's needs and caring about other people," he said.

"She's a very caring mother, very devoted mother and wife. As she said, it does happen in life. There's little hiccups but we've got to travel through that for 65 years."

Mr Stuart said many people weren't patient anymore with love, but this and caring for one another was a vital ingredient in a marriage.

"Patience is a massive thing because it means you can have a little bit of a disagreement," he said.

"If you just walk away from it and have the patience for things to blow over, it's all fine."