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Margaret and Denham celebrate fifty years of married life with Christ as their focus

CaseStudyAug17

Conversation, communication and coordinator are the three Cs that are integral to Margaret and Denham Boulger’s 50 years of marriage but what ties it all together is keeping the biggest C – Christ in the middle of it all. Photo: Natashya Fernandez.

By Natashya Fernandez

Conversation, communication and coordinator are the three Cs that are integral to Margaret and Denham Boulger’s 50 years of marriage but what ties it all together is keeping the biggest C - Christ in the middle of it all.

In an interview with The eRecord, the couple spoke about the Sacrament of Marriage, the challenges faced and how being on the same page with a focus on Christ and the Church at all times is important to both of them.

Mr and Mrs Boulger celebrated their 50th Anniversary together with 143 other couples at the Annual Marriage Day Mass held on Saturday 12 August.

The Mass was celebrated by Archbishop of Perth Timothy Costelloe SDB and concelebrated with priests from across the Archdiocese.

Two country towners from Albany now living in Perth and from Highgate Parish, Mr Boulger or Bob as he is fondly known, said his first encounter with Mrs Boulger was a tough one. 

“I used to see Margaret at Mass, I was one of the collection takers and every time I went up to her, I’d get nervous,” he laughed.

“By the time I’d get to the front of the church after Mass to try and meet her, she would have disappeared.”

After many attempts to meet Margaret at church, Mr Boulger finally mustered up the courage to go to her house, realising it was his only chance to meet her. As luck would have it, he found that her family were planning a move to the big city with Margaret staying back in boarding. A beautiful union and friendship was born.

“We went to the Cricket Ball, the only outing in our small town, saw each other for six weeks and got married on Armistice Day on 11 November, 1967, and the rest is history” Mrs Boulger said.

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Mr & Mrs Boulger were married on Armistice Day on 11 November in 1967. Photo: Supplied.

Having lived in Albany for most of their lives, they moved to Waroona in 2000 where they lived for six months, later relocating to Pinjarra and then Mandurah where they lived for some 16 years years before finally settling down in Perth to be closer to one of their daughters.

Mrs Boulger said moving from a small country town to Perth was an eye-opener, but they have discovered that being part of the Highgate Parish and the community was a blessing to them.

“Our faith is very important to us as it’s something we share together. We go to Sacred Heart Catholic Church now and we are quite involved in the parish. Our grandchildren also go to Sacred Heart School, so it’s helped a lot being part of this parish.

“I have been the chairperson of the Parish Council and Bob is still the collection taker,” she laughed.

While it was not all roses for Mr and Mrs Boulger, what was important to them, especially in their marriage and faith was the three Cs.

“We went into our marriage with the three Cs – conversation, communication and coordination, with Christ at the centre of it all. That covers everything; I think the three Cs are important and unless you have those commitments, you won’t stick it out.

“We lived on ten acres of land in Albany and I would always say – it’s a walk around the fire break. When you have had enough, go for a walk,” Mrs Boulger said.

In the best place they could ever be right now, Mrs Boulger said that it is important to enjoy life for what it is.

“We don’t need anything and mostly don’t want anything. We are very blessed,” she said.

With just the right spark in their marriage, Mr Boulger adds that having the right commonality, going to Mass, sharing a church life contributes to a happy married life. 

“But what is most important is to love and respect each other,” he ended.